Urban Tilth

Jesse Kurtz-Nicholl’s Interview with Urban Ag High School Student, Ana Araujo

In October 2009, Jesse Kurtz-Nicholl sat down with Ana Araujo to discuss the Urban Agriculture and Food Systems class she participated in at Richmond High School in 2008/2009.  The class was a pilot program, which gave the students graduation credit and was centered around the creation of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and direct sale of produce from a middle school farm and the school garden at Richmond High.  10 families received a bi-weekly box of produce for $5, which was planted, tended and grown completely by Richmond High students.  In addition to the garden, the students learned about the American food system, their local food shed and global issues surrounding food.  The students joined working groups in their chosen area of focus to delve deeper into the project.  Students presented their work to the City Council of Richmond as their final project.

What do you think were the best parts of the Urban Ag Class in general?

Answer:
In general, well, I really like the harvest day when we collected the food and we put it in boxes and weighed it.  And I really like planting and like taking care of the garden in general. I’ve always liked that kind of stuff

Q:  Why.  Why do you like that stuff?

Answer:
It seems fun, putting plants, seeing them grow.  You did that.  You planted that.  You saw it grow, you gave it water. You watched it grow.  You did something for the community.  And like it felt good.

Q:  If we were going to run this program again, what do you think needs to be improved.  Was there anything you didn’t like or needs to be changed?

Answer:
If we had more land.  Land to grow and plant, that’d be great.  Because we were really limited in the boxes we made, only 10 every two weeks.  So that was really limited.  If we had more, we could expand on that.

Q:  If you could have anything you wanted, what would you ask for?
Answer:
I’d ask for more. A piece of land, seeds and tools.

Q: Would you want to give a box to every family in the school?
Answer:
Yeah, if we can, if it’s possible with the food we have.

Q:  Would they eat it?
Answer:
I hope.  I mean, if they pay for it, they would eat it.  We should keep the process of having them pay at least 5$ for their food.  Because if they pay for it, they would value the food more.  Otherwise, they’re being given it.

Q:  Do you think, you’ve been personally affected by the program?  Has it changed you in any way?
Answer:
It’s changed me in a way.  But I hope I change more, if I keep being in the program.  Because now I just eat what’s at home.  I used to be like, I don’t want to eat that and I would just go and eat at McDonalds or something.  But now after you told us about how our food is processed, and I’m like, that’s kind of gross.  I don’t want my food going through a bunch of stuff.  I’ve encouraged my mom to buy more fresh meat, more organic meat, but sometimes its not possbile, because its expensive.  But she tries to do it when she can.  So, I’m like, my cow that I’m eating is being fed hormones.  That’s kind of gross.

Q:  You eat more at home now?
Answer:
Yeah, I really do.  I drink less soda, I more like water.  I make my mom make agua frescas.  It’s more better.

Q:  Has your family changed anything about the way they eat?  After being in the program has anything changed about your family?
Answer:
Yeah, it has.  Because I’ve told my dad and my brother and my mom, look, let’s do this, let’s eat at home.  It’s cheaper, its easier, we could always eat the leftovers and my dad agrees to it.  My mom also agrees to it, and my brother is just like okay whatever, food is food.  In a way it has.

Q: If you had to say that you learned 3 things in the program, what would they be?
Answer:
Hmmm, I learned how to eat better.  I learned how to plant  fruits and vegetables and stuff, and that’s like a really good skill.  And also, I opened my eyes to how the food system works, now, its like they’re feeding us garbage in a way.

Q:  Since being in the program, have you ever taken any of the information and used it directly in some way?
Answer:
Well, I’ve told my mom we should have a little garden.  We planted tomatoes in our backyard and they grew and we used them.  And my aunt she planted squashes and little red cherry tomatoes and chilis in her backyard and we used those.

Q:  Did she do that before?
Answer:
Kind of,  but I told her, look this is good and she started doing more of it, planting more plants.

Q:  How do you feel about your ability to change your community and your family?  Your power?
Answer:
I feel like I could, if I had the support from them, from people.  Then I could be able to educate people on the way that food is made and they way we should eat better.  Because diabetes and obesity is a big thing now.

Q:  How do you know about that?  Does anyone in your family have it?
Answer:
My great grandpa died because of diabetes, my grandma has diabetes on my mom’s side.  And my grandpa, just recently died on my dad’s side had diabetes.  So, it’s on both sides, so I’m really worried about that.  I got myself checked over the summer.  I don’t have diabetes, but I’m watching out, what I eat and stuff, because it could happen to me.

Q:  Do you think teenagers in Richmond are healthy?
Answer:
There are some.  But there are others.  There’s not that many good choices, both parents work a lot.  And then like, fast food is good, it’s kind of addicting in a way.  So I would say no.  But, generalizing, I would say any teenager is not healthy in any way.  Because one, its very easy for them to go buy fast food.  And two, they don’t care.   They haven’t been told about this stuff.  Grownups, they read it in the newspaper, they educate themselves, but the younger generation, they don’t really pay attention.  Like me, I didn’t really pay attention, until I got into this class.

Our Great Food Problem and Several Small Solutions: A Call to Sow

(More housekeeping. This was originally written in July, 2007 and included in a 5% Local e-newsletter. )

Great problems call for many small solutions

Our Great Food Problem and Several Small Solutions: A Call to Sow

GREAT PROBLEMS

A CALL TO SOW

Greenway Vision

Just doing some housekeeping. This vision statement was originally developed by Urban Tilth for the Friends of the Richmond Greenway back in August of 2006. Berryland is now a reality and the Lincoln Edible Forest with 50+ (and still growing) food bearing trees is a lot like the Linear Orchard described below. The Watershed Project has completed a native plant garden. Not in the vision statement, but an exciting new addition to the Greenway Gardens is the Medicine Garden being developed by Iyalode Kinney of CURME (Communities United Restoring Mother Earth) and CYCLE with support from Urban Tilth.

Gardening Along the Richmond Greenway

Our Vision
It is early on a sunny Saturday morning in August of 2010, a perfect time for a stroll along the Richmond Greenway. You enter the Greenway at 23rd Street, where you, you greet three neighbors who have just finished tending their community garden plots. They invite you into sit with them in shade of the grape arbor which serves as the Community Garden Living Room. They need the help of an objective judge to settle their long-standing rivalry over who grows the tastiest tomatoes. You are happy to sample their prize entries, but wise enough to declare the contest too close to call. Explaining that you’ll need more samples in the future before you can issue a final ruling, you move on.

A short distance away, you notice an intent teenager and his five year-old sister in a large, neat, fenced-in garden plot.  The young man hustles to harvest green beans, tree collards, zucchinis, and bundles of cilantro. He pauses only to give instructions to his sister who is filling ten paper bags with the produce. A sign explains that this is a Community Support Agriculture micro-farm managed by the young man with the help of a local non-profit. Neighboring residents can purchase subsidized produce bag subscriptions with Food Stamps, ensuring them a steady supply of affordable, fresh organic produce. Between the subscription charge and the subsidy, the young man earns $10 for each bag of produce he delivers, about $200 a month (minus the pocket money he gives his young sister). The work is hard and the hourly rate comes out to be pretty close to minimum wage, but he knows his contribution to the community is important and the experience running his own business is invaluable. You wave to them as they notice you, and you move on, not wanting to keep them from their work.

At 21st Street,, you pass a series of trees heavy with fruit…apples, pears, lemons, figs, and a dozen more varieties that you don’t recognize. You have arrived at the Linear Orchard.  Signs at each tree and a central interpretive kiosk explain each variety, cultivation techniques, ripening times, and serving suggestions. The kiosk also has flyers announcing dates of various workshops offered here throughout the year: winter and summer pruning, drip irrigation, and fruit tree grafting. You are in the mood for an apple, but the early ripening Gravenstein tree has been picked clean and the Braeburns aren’t quite ripe yet. You make a mental note to return for the Braeburns in two weeks and move on.

A hummingbird passes directly in front of you, pauses in midair and then flits off, leading your eye towards the California Native Plant Garden. You watch it feast frantically, bouncing between the scarlet flowers of a California fuschia. A sign explains the importance of native plant gardening for both water conservation and preserving local biodiversity.

As you pass the Peace Garden, near the intersection with 18th Street, your mood grows somber. A variety of trees, flower beds, murals, and 3-dimensional garden art memorialize individual victims of violence. You pause, whisper a prayer, and walk on in silent reflection.

Joyful shrieks lift your spirits as you reach your final destination…Berryland. Here, dozens of children of all ages, race between thirty varieties of berry bushes. Some of the children can’t contain their delight when they find a hidden pocket of ripe raspberries and call out to their friends. Others keep their discoveries to themselves and munch away quietly savoring the taste of late summer. A young neighbor you know runs up and blurts out the berry report: “Yellow raspberries are perfect right now, but the red currants won’t be prime for another couple weeks yet!” She scampers off to feast some more. After three years, the neighborhood kids have learned to mark the seasons by the delicious treats ripening along the Greenway. You sample a few berries, but decide to leave most of them for the kids. Not only does Berryland help the children get their 5-a-day servings of fruits and vegetables, but it also helps develop the habit at a young age of eating a wide variety of produce early—an important factor in preventing many common chronic health problems.

Inspired, refreshed, and connected, you head home passing through an archway decorated with tiles made from brightly colored artwork created by Lincoln Elementary school students. As you walk, your mind wanders, reflecting on all of the benefits the Greenway has brought to the community. You resolve to make your Saturday Greenway stroll a regular event.

The Details
Benefits:
The open space along the Richmond Greenway is an extremely valuable community resource. The Friends of Richmond Greenway can coordinate a variety of non-profits, community groups, city agencies, schools, and individual residents who wish to develop both food and ornamental gardens in this space. If just a small percentage of the area along the Greenway were set aside for diverse gardening projects, the community could reap significant benefits. These gardens could:
-Provide a source of affordable (or free), organic food.*
-Create an opportunity for physical activity (gardening and walking to gardens).*
-Draw community members onto the Greenway, both as trail users and developers of projects and gardens.
-Help connect community members to the natural world and to each other.
-Provide a forum for education, youth development, and fun.
-Provide jobs for Richmond youth and young adults.
-Increase the self-sufficiency of Richmond residents and help empower Richmond to develop a more local, healthy, and sustainable food system.*

*Note: By making it easier for local residents to make healthy choices in terms of food and leisure-time activities, gardening along the Greenway could help Richmond residents decrease their risk several chronic epidemic diseases. In many respects, gardening along the Richmond Greenway should be seen as a public health initiative directly confronting some of Richmond’s most serious health problems.

Related Statistics and Quotes
Disturbing Statistics to Inspire Continued Action
Local
•In 1999, there were an estimated 1,798 children below the age of 18 living below the poverty line in the two census tracts immediately adjacent to the Phase I of the Richmond Greenway (Census Tracts 3770 and 3790). This represents 38.9% of all children below the age of 18 who live in these census tracts.
From  http://factfinder.census.gov

•“35.2 % of Richmond schoolchildren (5th, 7th, and 9th graders) tested were overweight (sample size=2,236).” This was 10% higher than Berkeley and San Francisco and nearly 4% higher than Oakland and nearly 9% higher than the statewide average (26.5%). These children are at-risk of serious debilitating chronic diseases such as adult obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
From a 2004 study called The Growing Epidemic: Child Overweight in California’s Cities and Communities conducted by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy

•“Approximately 50% of overweight adolescents become obese adults.”
From a policy brief titled An Early Warning Sign: Diabetes Deaths in California Legislative Districts by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy at

State
•“Physical inactivity, obesity, and overweight cost California an estimated $21.7 billion a year.”
From a report titled THE ECONOMIC COSTS OF PHYSICAL INACTIVITY, OBESITY, AND OVERWEIGHT IN CALIFORNIA ADULTS: Health Care, Workers’ Compensation, and Lost Productivity

•“Health authorities now recommend substantial increases in fruit and vegetable
consumption to prevent obesity and related chronic diseases. California
adults consume fewer than the recommended 5 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.”
From a report titled THE ECONOMIC COSTS OF PHYSICAL INACTIVITY, OBESITY, AND OVERWEIGHT IN CALIFORNIA ADULTS: Health Care, Workers’ Compensation, and Lost Productivity

•“Complex social and environmental factors that influence individual choices
about eating and physical activity play a particularly important role in the growing epidemics of both diabetes and obesity/overweight. These factors include. . .limited opportunities for physical activity in schools and communities; limited access to healthful foods in low-income neighborhoods; and increased television viewing.”
From a policy brief titled An Early Warning Sign: Diabetes Deaths in California Legislative Districts by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy

National
•“If current trends continue, an astonishing 32.8% of boys and 38.5% of girls born in 2000 will develop diabetes sometime in their lives.”
From a policy brief titled An Early Warning Sign: Diabetes Deaths in California Legislative Districts by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy

International
• “. . .WHO [World Health Organization] attributes approximately 3 million deaths [world-wide] a year from such diseases to inadequate fruit and vegetable intake — a risk factor almost as deadly as tobacco use or unsafe sex.”
From a UN Food and Agriculture Organization article titled Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption becomes a global priority

Gardening as One Part of the Solution
•“Put Fruits and Vegetables Everywhere! . . .Getting more fruits and
vegetables into low-income communities would not only help address hunger but the overall health of our state’s poorest residents.”
From the Touched By Hunger report from the California Food Policy Advocates

•According to a study of teen eating habits and behaviors (2000 California Teen Eating, Exercise and Nutrition Survey (CalTEENS)) by the CA Department of Health Services students who answered “yes” to the question “Have you ever worked in a garden to grow fruits and vegetables?” consumed on average 0.9 more servings of fruits and vegetables every day than those who answered “no”.

• “In 2000 more than 26% of adults [nationally] reported no leisure time physical activity.”
but
“The belief that physical activity is limited to exercise or sports, may keep people from being active. Another myth is that physical activity must be vigorous to achieve health benefits. Physical activity is any bodily movement that results in an expenditure of energy. Moderate-intensity activities such as household chores, gardening, and walking can also provide health benefits. Confidence in one’s ability to be active will help people make choices to adopt a physically active lifestyle.
From the Center for Disease Control Report “Overweight and Obesity: Contributing Factors”

• “Research shows that people who are exposed to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables during their childhood are more likely to continue eating them as adults.”
From a UN Food and Agriculture article titled Children are part of the Solution

•“Declaration of Quito, 2000: We are urging local governments to promote Urban Agriculture in their cities, develop tax incentives and other policies, and promote the collection of information on Urban Agriculture activities in their territorial planning processes…State and national governments to include Urban Agriculture in their programs to alleviate poverty, food safety, promotion of local development and environmental and health improvement.”
From the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Special Programme for Food Security  Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture briefing guide

• “The horticultural species [vegetables produced intensively with irrigation] have a considerable yield potential and can provide from 10 to 50 kg of fresh produce per sqm per year depending upon the level of technology applied.” From the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Special Programme for Food Security  Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture briefing guide (page 38)

The link below is for a word doc version of this which also has some yield estimates and charts. . .

gardening-along-the-richmond-greenway-march-2009

Richmond Greenway is cover story for Rails-to-Trails e-magazine

Follow the link below for an article about the Richmond Greenway which includes incredible pictures of the Lincoln School Farmers in action. This article appeared as the cover story of the Rails-to-Trails e-magazine in April. Bryce Hubner wrote the article and took the pictures.

Rails to Trails Cover Story Richmond Greenway Bryce Hubner

City of Richmond EarthDay Proclamation supporting urban ag and local food systems

Proclamation honoring April 22nd as Earth Day 2009 and Celebrating Richmond’s Growing Community Gardens
Whereas Earth Day arose out of a grassroots effort dedicated to honoring the natural environment, and is now widely celebrated on April 22; and

Whereas Richmond is fortunate to have an active group of dedicated individuals and groups who are committed to greening Richmond through the creation and tending of our many community gardens located within the City of Richmond; and

Whereas these groups include, but are not limited to: CYCLE, the 5% Local Coalition, the Verde Partnership Garden, EcoVillage Farm Learning Center, the Library Garden, the Peace Garden, the HEAL Garden, the School Gardens of Richmond High, Lincoln Elementary, Dover Elementary and Richmond College Prep School. The efforts of these groups reflect and promote the spirit of Earth Day through their many activities and community contributions: and

Whereas it is essential to support our local efforts to build long-time food security, improve nutrition, and reconnect people with an understanding of where our food comes from and how it is grown; and

Whereas local food systems are an alternative to global corporate models where producers and consumers are separated through a chain of processors/manufacturers, shippers and retailers, while a local food system redevelops these relationships and encourages a return of quality control to the consumer and the producer; and

Whereas by focusing on local food production we can begin to reverse trends of increased energy inputs, pollution, and global warming from production and long-distance transport and distribution of food; and
Whereas community gardens empower residents to become more active in their communities, providing cross-cultural and intergenerational opportunities for community members to meet, work, exercise, and learn together; and

Whereas community gardens reflect the cultural diversity of Richmond, and include gardeners that speak a number of languages including English, Spanish, Laotian, and more; and equally important,

Whereas community gardens add beauty to our neighborhoods and provide much needed green space in higher density areas.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that I, Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of the City of Richmond, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby, honor the numerous individuals involved in the efforts of CYCLE, the 5% Local Coalition, the Verde Partnership Garden, EcoVillage Farm Learning Center, the Library Garden, the Peace Garden, the HEAL Garden, the School Gardens of Richmond High, Lincoln Elementary, Dover Elementary and Richmond College Prep School, and all community garden efforts in Richmond, and I urge all residents to actively participate in the greening and gardening efforts available in our community.

A big thanks to Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Nicole Valentino who conceived of and wrote this proclamation!

Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service on the Richmond Greenway 1.19.09

 The 2nd Annual MLK Day of Service on the Richmond Greenway is only 8 days away. This year, coming together as a community to honor Dr. King’s legacy and vision, and to work together to improve our own community seems even more appropriate than ever.

Here are the details:

When: 9:00 to 1:00

Where: 6th Street and the Richmond Greenway (between Chanslor and Ohio) right next to Lincoln Elementary School. Click here for map.

Why: To honor the legacy of Dr. King by coming together and working to improve our community.

What: There will be 8-10 work teams creating planting beds, planting shrubs, trees, and berry bushes, weeding, moving wood chips and compost, picking up garbage, painting garden signs,  etc. Although we have lots of work lined up, there is a good chance we will get hundreds of volunteers, so expect a day that is equal parts service and social.

What Else: Speeches by East Bay Regional Park Board Member Whitney Dotson and others, DJ Goodbeer, West County Grown Organic Soups, the first 300 volunteers will get a free t-shirt and all participants can pot-up and take home a strawberry.

How About For the Kids? Face-painting, worms, seed balls, reading corner and Junior Ranger Patches

What Can You Bring? Friends, family, and neighbors, work gloves and a trowel if you have them. (We’ll have a bunch, but there could be hundreds of volunteers).

RSVP:  Please email mlk@urbantilth.org if you plan to attend with your name, city, organization (if any) and phone number.

What About Groups? We are reserving many spots for Richmond residents and organizations, so please email park@urbantilth.org or call Park Guthrie at (510) 691-5051 if you have a large group you wish to bring.

Early Risers: We could still use more help setting up and directing traffic. If you are willing to show up at 7:00, please email park@urbantilth.org.

Click here for an 2009 MLK Flyer in Word Document-Spanish and English

Planning Meeting for the 2009 MLK Day of Service on the Richmond Greenway—Wednesday, October 1st from 6:00 pm to 7:30 at the Nevin Community Center @ 6th and Nevin

You are cordially invited to join the first planning meeting for the 2009 MLK Day of Service on the Richmond Greenway which will be on Monday, January 19th, 2009.

The planning meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 1st from 6:00 to 7:30 at the Nevin Community Center on 6th Street and Nevin, just down from Kaiser in the Iron Triangle.

Last year more than 150 volunteers turned out (in the rain, even) to honor the spirit and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by working together to tangibly improve our community. Volunteers on the Richmond Greenway:
—–built, filled, and planted raised garden beds at Lincoln School Farm and Berryland,
—planted California native plants and fruit trees,
—picked up garbage along the Greenway
—listened to speeches and performances inspired by Dr. King’s message
—shared a delicious lunch made from almost entirely West County produce
—danced to the tunes of DJ Goodbeer

This year we hope to bring even more folks out to the Greenway, especially Greenway neighbors. Please join us next Wednesday to start planning this important event.

Below is a list of possible committees. . .

(1) Community Outreach and Registration Committee—distributes flyers, contacts community organizations to get them involved, goes door-to-door to invite Greenway neighbors, etc. Also, organizes registration desk on day of event.
(2) Publicity and Design Committee—creates flyers, map, and program
(3) Projects and work crew leaders Committee—organizes various volunteer work crews and trains work crew leaders
(4) Work team hosts/Team Building Committee—plans team-building/socializing activity for work teams.
(5) Food Committee—solicits donations of West County ag products; organizes cooking and serving of lunch
(6) MLK Program, Entertainment and Tabling Committee—invites speakers, performers and DJ. Also invites organizations to table at the event.

Please send an email to park(at) urbantilth (dot) org or call at (510) 691-5051 if you plan to attend or have questions or suggestions.

We look forward to working with you to create a wonderful 2009 MLK Day of Service in Richmond.

Sincerely,

Doria Robinson, Park Guthrie, and Cheryl Maier

5% Local Coalition Foodshed Policy Packet—City Council and School Board Policies

5% Local Coalition Foodshed Policy Packet
Local Government Policies, Initiatives, and Programs to Grow a Foodshed in Richmond

I. You can ask your City Council to. . .
A. Adopt a resolution that:

• Recognizes existing community food production projects and their role in improving the local food system.

• Supports and encourages commercial market gardens, community gardens, school gardens, workplace gardens, backyard gardens, and edible landscaping.

• Creates a home gardeners award program celebrating home gardeners who improve the local food supply.

B. Prioritize support for food production in existing, relevant City agencies:

• Create an edible landscaping position in the Parks and Landscaping Division who would help community groups identify community garden sites, and develop and tend edible landscaping, berrylands, community gardens, and orchards on City-owned or other public land.

• Add gardening classes to the Recreation Department course offerings and create community gardens or edible landscaping at every Recreation Center.

• Create a Tool Lending Library managed by the Richmond Public Library.

• Put a Victory Garden in front of the new City Hall. Start a pilot gardening program for City Hall. Recruit County Health, Kaiser, or UC Berkeley to study health effects of city workers who have access to garden plots at their worksite.

C. Create an urban farm business incubator to promote sustainable, green jobs and access to healthy foods.
Work with the Richmond Redevelopment Agency and RichmondWORKS to create an urban farm business incubator. Such an incubator could create 8 full-time, self-sufficient jobs on just 4 acres of land, while increasing local access to fresh, organic produce and building local knowledge about sustainable food production and market gardening. (See attachment Urban Farm Business Incubator)

D. Explore ways to create a local funding stream to support both commercial and community foodshed development in Richmond. ?This position is actually included in the draft Richmond General Plan update, Health Element. Some possible funding mechanisms include:

• Soda License Fees (Click here for document  Nutrition Fee Policy)

• Benefit Assessment District to support foodshed development

• Direct a percentage of developer’s open space In-Lieu Fees to foodshed development

E. Write support for neighborhood farms and gardens into land use policies and development codes. The US Green Building Council’s Neighborhood Development-LEED Certification standards suggest reserving 5% of all residential development land for community farms and gardens. Neighborhood Developmen-LEED Certification also requires developers to fund neighborhood farm and garden infrastructure costs AND a community oversight mechanism. (Click for document LEED Neighborhood Development Local Food )

• Include standards for access to and availability of community gardens in land use policies. Were Richmond to set and reach a goal of 1 community garden per 1,000 households, it would have the highest density of community gardens in the nation. (See document Community Garden Policy Inventory from Planning for Healthy Places)
  

• Create a zoning use category specifically for urban farms and community gardens on public land.

• Allow developers to include community farms gardens as a component of the required open space in new developments.

F. Involve other agencies to help fund and support foodshed development in Richmond. The County Health and Human Services Department, the Redevelopment Agency, the Chamber of Commerce, the Office of Neighborhood Safety, the WCC Unified School District, West County Waste Management, the County Agriculture Department, the UC Extension Service, the West County Business Development Corporation, and Rosie the Riveter National Park are just some examples of local agencies or organizations that have missions which would partially be advanced by growing a foodshed on our commons in Richmond/west Contra Costa County. City Council members could engage these organizations to explore jointly funding projects like a Foodshed Specialist position in Parks and Landscaping, an urban farm business incubator, or an Earth Victory Garden or Community Garden Campaign.

II. You can ask your school board to. . .

(1) Adopt resolutions recognizing the important work of school gardeners and the new Growing West County School Gardens group and encouraging all schools to develop gardening programs.

(2) Start a “Garden Bed for Every Child” campaign. WCCUSD students could be growing 25% of their total produce needs in as little as 100 square feet and 3 hours a week. (According to land use consultants at MIG, there are well over 150 acres of asphalt alone in WCCUSD schools, so we have more than enough space for 100 square feet of garden beds for each of the 30,000 WCCUSD students). Studies suggest and experience confirms that when students grow fruits and vegetables, you don’t have to work very hard to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. Such a campaign would put WCCUSD on the cutting edge of the fight against the epidemic of diet-related health conditions and would help address inequitable access to organic produce within our community.
(3) Create a school garden council. A school garden council could facilitate communication between the administration and school gardeners, work to develop district-wide funding to support school garden programs, coordinate donations of soil, mulch, and materials, as well as pool resources to develop curriculum.

(4) Start market-garden business programs at schools which supply most of the WCCUSD salad needs or provide fresh, organic produce directly to school families. You can grow 100 pounds of salad greens a week in as little as 2,000 square feet. In addition to being, fresh, healthy, and organic, this produce would also be “high-context” and more meaningful for WCCUSD students. Richmond High School has already started a market garden program and has sold more than $500+ of RHS agricultural products in the past six months alone. For the past two years, Verde Partnership Garden has hosted monthly or biweekly produce sales at Verde Elementary, providing more than 1,000 pounds of low-cost, fresh, organic produce to the North Richmond community. With school district support, every school could become a source of fresh, organic produce, empowering our students and their families to develop healthy lifelong eating habits.
(5) Ask Nutrition services to create purchasing preferences for both within-district and within-county produced food. The school district spends tens of thousands of dollars on produce annually; right now, nearly all of that money leaves our community. By spending those dollars locally, the school district could get fresh, healthy produce AND promote a local foodshed.
(6) Help develop performance-based garden curriculum standards. Right now, most of the curriculum standards related to gardening are knowledge-based. Students learn “about” plants and other subjects related to gardening, but do not acquire the skills to actually become independent gardeners who can produce enough food to improve their own diets. Imagine if physical education standards were strictly knowledge-based. It would seem silly to have physical education classes in which students only learned about various sports or healthy activities. Approximately half of the California state curriculum standards for physical education are performance standards. We could use this as a model for developing a district gardening curriculum. With burgeoning local interest in school garden programs, West Contra Costa County Unified School District could become a national leader in garden education by developing and adopting a set of performance-based garden curriculum standards (For example, “Demonstrate the ability to transplant a tomato seedling. . .”) rather than just squeeze academic and knowledge-based curriculum into a strictly educational garden program. Our gardens can do much more than be a place where our students learn “about” things.

Thanks Annie’s!

 Great news! On Saturday, September 13th, 2o08 Richmond’s own Annie’s Annuals will be hosting their annual Do It Yourself Sale. Even better news—10% of all plant sales will be donated to Friends of the Richmond Greenway to support projects on the Richmond Greenway (like the MLK Jr. Day of Service or Berryland). You can head on over right after the Berryland work day.

http://www.anniesannuals.com/

Thriving-in-the-burbs Blog is Live

Richmond’s own Rebecca Newburn has just launched a new blog intended to support grassroots movement towards more sustainable neighborhoods. Check it out at http://thriving-in-the-burbs.com/. She includes sustainable living newsletter templates that could be rewritten for any neighborhood. Earth Victory Gardens play a large role in her vision of more sustainable neighborhoods….Very exciting!