Community Food Insecurity
The United States is the most prosperous nation in the world, yet within
its borders are 36 million people who suffer from community food insecurity.
In fact, community food insecurity is at the root of the twin problems
of hunger and poverty.
The US Action Plan on Food Security defines food security as
a condition that exists "when all people at all times have physical
and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for
a productive and healthy life."
A food-secure community has three major characteristics. First, it has
a food supply that is accessible, both physically and economically.
Second, this available food supply is adequate to meet needs. And third,
the community enjoys full utilization of food, thanks to balanced and
nutritious diets, safe water, good sanitation, and full access to education
and health care. Food insecurity results when any of these factors is
lacking. Hunger and undernutrition are the potential results.
Of the 36 million people who suffer from community food insecurity
in the United States, 14 million are children. Of the 36 million, about
10 million—3.4 million of whom are children—live in households
that suffer directly from hunger. The remaining 26 million are only
one or two setbacks away from going hungry.
Those most affected by community food insecurity are the working poor,
the elderly, children living in poverty, residents of isolated rural
areas and of low-income inner-city neighborhoods, homeless people, single-parent
households—especially those headed by women, and immigrants who
have lost benefits through welfare reform.
Community gardens are being utilized in numerous and innovative ways
in the ongoing struggle against food insecurity. Vacant lots within
impoverished communities are being turned into gardens where fresh,
nutritious fruits and vegetables are grown. Food from community gardens
is being served in local soup kitchens. And farmers' markets are being
established to sell sustainably grown food from small farms in outlying
areas.
Further, many community gardens are being used to help build job skills.
There are community gardens that market their surplus, that advertise,
that transport their produce, that process their food, that put on cooking
demonstrations, and that teach proper diet and nutrition. Many people
involved in such community-gardening programs have found their niche
in life and have gone on to pursue new and rewarding careers.
Photo
by Gilbert Fletcher |
Community Building
Community gardening is not only about feeding people or learning new
job skills. It is also about the building of community. Community gardening
provides an activity and a setting in which a homeless person and the
CEO of a Fortune 500 company can work elbow-to-elbow and be on equal
ground. The soil is not a respecter of high position.
In fact, great work is being done in the very act of bringing people
from many diverse backgrounds together to garden. In such a setting,
seeds of understanding and respect for others are sown and nurtured
and take root. Older people work closely with the young. Youth from
inner cities are teamed up with affluent suburbanites. Women, men, boys,
and girls work together to plant and tend and, finally, to witness the
fruits of their labors.
One of the common components of successful community gardens is the
direct involvement of children and youth. In a garden, watching the
wonders of nature unfold, the young develop an understanding and appreciation
of how food is grown and an awareness of the importance of responsible
stewardship of the earth.
Community gardening also has transforming effects—not just in
turning junk-filled vacant lots into green and refreshing gardens but
also in changing the very character of the community. Recently, I received
an E-mail message from Dorene Pasekoff, the coordinator of St. John's
United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
She wrote: "What was most dramatic after we moved the garden to
the Fairview Housing Project was the folks who didn't show up after
the garden opened. The field had been the site of notorious nighttime
drinking parties and drag races before the garden was sited there. Those
folks have moved on. Now parents who live in the project feel safe enough
to let their children play in the field next to the garden. Now one
finds a ball, soccer nets, and bikes left around the garden. This never
would have happened before we were there because the parents were too
afraid of the people partying to let their children near the area."
Photo
by Richard Lord |
Gardens and Health
It has long been known that gardening is a tremendous stress reliever.
It provides a great therapeutic benefit for both mind and body. Because
of this, gardening is now being used in the treatment of depression
and in drug rehabilitation. There are gardens filled with pleasant fragrances
and unique textures to be enjoyed by those whose eyesight is failing.
There are gardens that are raised off the ground on platforms so that
wheelchairs can move about them freely. Hope is found in tilled ground.
It holds the promise of new beginnings and of fruitful results.
I know of no major world religion that does not recognize the holiness
of nature. Both the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures are full of
agrarian language and illustrations. Gardening helps us to understand
those illustrations better, giving us a keener insight into the ways
in which the Creator is reflected in Creation.
Community gardens produce food that is nutritious, fresh, and tasty.
When was the last time you bought a tomato in a grocery store that had
more flavor than the cellophane it was wrapped in? By contrast, community
gardening provides the opportunity to plant, taste, and preserve delicious
vegetables from the past that have all but disappeared in their original
form. Since the onset of commercial market agriculture, plants have
been hybridized to withstand pesticide use. They have been designed
to be picked early, ripen during transportation, and have a long shelf
life. Consequently, we have seen the decline—and, in some cases,
the extinction—of whole varieties of fruits and vegetables.
Traditional fruits and vegetables whose natural colors, textures, and
tastes have almost been forgotten are called heirloom vegetables. They
offer great joy and pleasure in their production and consumption. Undernutrition
is a great problem in the war against hunger and poverty. The consumption
of fresh, tasty, and nutritious fruits and vegetables is essential in
this battle. Thus some schools have established gardens in order to
grow their own food for the school cafeteria. Such cafeterias have seen
a dramatic increase in the consumption of vegetables. One can readily
see the nutritious benefit of community gardening.
Stewardship of the Earth
I was a sixth-generation farmer and am now a United Methodist minister
from the South Carolina Conference. I serve as the Sustainable and Urban
Agriculture Consultant to the General Board of Global Ministries. What
has happened throughout the world to the face of agriculture is nothing
short of horrendous. The sustainability of this earth is a theological
issue. By the end of this century, it will more than likely be the theological
issue. Community gardening helps us to understand and practice stewardship
of the earth that has been entrusted to us.
Since 1970, we have lost more than 30 million acres of farmland. The
average age of the American farmer is quickly approaching the age of
retirement. We are seeing the disappearance of many plant varieties
and animal species—losing genetic diversity. Trade issues are paramount
because the safety of the US food supply is threatened if there are
insufficient environmental controls in place for the rest of the world's
countries. These are serious and complex problems that must be dealt
with and need to be addressed by the church. Community gardening is
one way that we can begin to appreciate the complexities of our situation.
"Monoculture" agriculture is harmful to the land and the
environment. A garden flourishes and thrives in the diversity that exists
within it. Among plants, as among human beings, a monocultural society
is harmful, whereas communities of diversity are healthy and thrive.
I challenge you, the reader, to consider starting a community garden
within your church or your neighborhood. I challenge you, the reader,
to research community food security and community gardening. I challenge
all of us to roll up our sleeves—both with people like us and with
others who are very different—and dig in the soil together to find
peace within our very souls. Come, join us!
