by Peter Lober

A group of eighteen of us from the Arlington Street Church in Boston went to New Orleans in March. One of our projects was to build a garden in the Seventh Ward. Ed Buckner, a life long resident in the Seventh Ward who helped found a neighborhood organization there called The Porch, and others from the Porch, had this vision of a garden there. Ed told us how important it is to demonstrate that the Seventh Ward is on its way back. What better inspiration than to have a garden? And from our point of view-this is something we could help do in a couple of days. Though not totally devastated by Katrina (like the nearby Lower Ninth Ward), the Seventh Ward suffered severe damage. Many people drowned, many houses were completely destroyed, and those that weren’t have had to be gutted and restored, or are waiting to be gutted. Maybe less than half the pre-Katrina population has returned to the Seventh Ward, but those that have returned are committed to rebuilding the neighborhood. So we were truly inspired by the idea of building the garden as an act of faith and renewal.

So we arrived with shovels, hoes, scissors, lining material, wheelbarrows, and tons of fertilizer. And soon after we arrived, another eighteen young people joined us. Kem Moorehead, also from our church, brought eighteen of her high school students from Waltham, MA. They were on their spring break.

Ed and others from the Porch had secured a space between two houses of less than a quarter of an acre for the garden. They had already put down a lot of gravel to stem the growth of weeds, and had built the shells of five or six raised gardens. There were also at least a hundred different sized bricks strewn about.

Seizing the moment, our minister, Kim Crawford-Harvie and a few hardy others of us offloaded tons of fertilizer from a pick-up truck and delivered it to the raised beds. Following the instruction of Susie Nacco, a landscape architect and chief organizer of our projects, some others in our group began to measure, cut and line the lining material, place pebbles between the liner and the fertilizer, and push the fertilizer up against the liners. Repeat, repeat, and repeat-and voila! After the second day we had the raised gardens ready for planting! Ed’s idea is to plant herbs, and sell them to local restaurants-thus raising money for the neighborhood.

But the most incredible feat was the patio Kem’s high school students built! They somehow managed to fit perfectly all the bricks into a five-sided patio in the middle of the garden. After all - they are math students - obviously well coached by Kem! The patio centers the garden and creates a quiet space.

We also did some “cosmetic” work - planting some banana trees and flowers in the garden grounds, and planting some flowers in the near-by elementary school.

Post Katrina New Orleans will never be the same. What happened is a real tragedy. Less than half the people who had lived there before Katrina have returned. But the Seventh Ward is slowly coming back-and helping to build the garden there is a contribution we were thrilled to make.

The site we worked on will be used exclusively to grow herbs to sell at farmers’ markets and directly to restaurants. The money raised will be used to support additional garden projects. Right now the Porch is beginning to hire some youth from the neighborhood to get involved, but sustaining this effort will require more funding.

The garden is ‘home base’ where tools and other equipment are stored. Other sites are being planned including a couple of lots to grow some fruits (bananas and papayas - both grow very quickly in New Orleans), and another site in the neighborhood to grow some vegetables. But until there is some success with the first site, the others will remain in the planning phase.

Contributions for the garden project in the Seventh Ward can be sent to:

Checks can made out to:
Neighborhood Housing Services New Orleans, with the Porch written on the line on the memo line at bottom left of the check.

by Alice Miro

One of my favorite authors, David Orr, once remarked: “The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.”

After spending a week in New Mexico, the Hopi nation and the Navajo nation, I think the planet needs more people like Roberto, Lillian, Andrew, Coda, Pati, and Terrie. Like the corn of the Black Mesa, these are diverse, wholesome, beautiful guests of planet Earth– people who are deeply rooted in their communities and whose strength and ability to survive with little, almost nothing, is a miracle worth the deepest reverence.

When we visited Roberto’s family, I was enthralled by the simplicity of his house and lifestyle. My 70-sq-ft bedroom contains more useless junk i.e. electronic gadgets, clothing-I-never-wear, made-in-China stationery, than his entire 87,120-sq-ft (~2-acre) farm. When we visited Lillian’s home, I was intrigued by the way a group of children was handling water, with the greatest care, as if it was a treasure. I live in Vancouver BC and definitely take water for granted. I just realized that today, when I used one gallon of water to rinse a not-so-dirty cup, and the images of the Black Mesa suddenly came to my mind.
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Movement building in New Orleans: Vietnamese American youth led their
community in the successful shutting down of a landfill in their
neigbhorhood.

Are there things that seem obviously true to you right now? Weekends are days off and being paid under a certain wage is unreasonable. No one should be kept from entering a restaurant because their skin is a different color. Males and females should both be allowed to go to school and receive equal pay. Yet, you and I both know that even these were not obvious truths to most people not so long ago. It took massive movements for change to make a belief of just a few, into an accepted view of the many.

What will it take to move people across this country and world to make choices that uphold food systems, healthy to our bodies, relationships and land? Can “movement thinking” and examining other movements, past and present, offer insights to you all who are working on creating this change? As someone who has been working in efforts parallel to yours-specifically, mobilizing youth and communities for racial and economic equality-I offer a few observations that may be relatable to the emerging sustainable agriculture movement.

“You can’t create movements but you can prepare for one.” This provocative assertion from Jim Wallis, a seasoned participant and leader of several movements, helps demystify and put the task of making change within reach. He, and others who have been part of historic moments of sweeping change, have described the experience as being part of a force much greater than themselves, not unlike a force of nature. So, instead of being daunted by the overwhelming task of creating an entire movement, consider focusing on what you can contribute towards making wise preparations.

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Two summers ago I was learning how to grow 30 vegetables, wrestling with a rototiller, and trying to get rid of an amazing amount of comfrey. Last summer I backpacked through Europe visiting every farm, farmers’ market, and local cheese shop I could. And this summer? This summer I’m behind a computer. And I love it.

I’m working as a policy intern for a sustainable agriculture organization, which means I’ve been getting an inside look at the policy work around organic and sustainable agriculture. It’s been totally reaffirming: for every idle conversation I’ve had about losing family farmers, there’s a group out there asking what policy could turn that around. For every time I’ve ranted about attacks on the organic label, there are people organizing to protect it. For every time I’ve given up on the possibility of anything being done about changing our commodity subsidies, there’s someone in the movement thinking creatively about new approaches to changing them. (more…)

Photos: Deborah Jones, JJ Tiziou, uncredited, uncredited, uncredited, uncredited

They are farmers, chefs, organizers, students, and songwriters. They work on the reservation, on an island, on the south side of Chicago. What they have in common is that they are under 30, they’re innovative, and they are changing the world through food.

The ten featured here represent the cutting edge of a growing movement. All around the planet, young people are building sustainable food systems—for the sake of our communities, culture, land, and health. We know that food is the “universal key” that helps to unlock a better world. And we know we are as powerful as we choose to be.

So we’re kicking off this publication by highlighting some of the people that most inspire us. These ten exemplify what it means to act locally and think globally. They show us the variety of ways we can all contribute. They illustrate the diversity that drives our movement. Most importantly, they are not alone…. (more…)