It’s time to move from reminiscing about the Victory Gardens of WWII to building the movement for Victory Gardens 2.0. It seems as though we are in middle of the perfect storm to make this happen. We are at this important point in time due to our deep economic recession, unstable fuel prices and our country’s new found desire to raise chickens and grow food our cities.
POP Farming - Start a Victory Garden for Food Secuity today!
First thing you can do is start your own garden this spring. If you don’t know how to garden go find yourself some help in getting one set up.
Beyond growing your own garden, you can become part of a national effort to encourage President-elect Obama (only a few more days until I can remove the “elect” from that phrase! woo hoo!) to get on board with this idea. There are actually two different groups dedicated to lobbying the President-elect to install an organic food garden on the White House lawn. Eat The View and The WHO Farm have started petitions to bring this movement into the public eye. Check them out and sign their petitions!
According to change.org:
The many successes(1) of the first Victory Garden movement were the result of effective public policy, bold leadership(2) at a time of national crisis, and the commitment of millions of citizens who were ready to roll up their sleeves for the greater good. (1) Victory Gardens (behind homes, schools, in vacant urban lots, etc.) produced 40% of the nation’s produce at their peak, helped conserve food and natural resources at a time of crisis, resulted in the highest consumption rates of fruits and vegetables our nation has seen, and helped keep millions of Americans physically fit and active. (2) First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden on the White House lawn in 1943 over the objections of the USDA, inspiring millions by her example.
Just imagine what would happen if there were a food garden installed on the lawn of the White House. How many people would then take that same step and begin to see the importance of growing their own food? Just that simple gesture would change the mindset of many thousands of Americans. We would be one step closer to food security, healthful living and reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil for our food. (Yes, all that conventionally grown food you buy at the store is grown with fertilizers that are directly derived from petroleum products.) Victory gardens during the WWII era supplied up to 40% of all fresh produce consumed in the US for those years. Let’s do it again.
