Community Gardens and the LA Food System

What's happening to our food system to make communities of faith, neighborhoods and schools come together and rethink the way they interact with food? What are emerging community gardens really saying? This piece discusses how health, the environment, malnutrition and social justice influence Angelenos to question their local food system, and do something about it.

Over the last several months, I’ve attended various events that suggest Los Angelenos have lost trust in what they’re eating.  Last month, I visited Temple Isaiah in West Los Angeles to hear a panel titled, “Just Food: The 411 on Good Food Procurement” in an effort to better understand how the environment, food workers’ rights, consumers’ health and small farmers’ viability all relate to price and convenience.  Following this event, I participated in "Guerrilla Gardening: Changing the World through Food" at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills to discuss new ways to meet our challenge to feed the hungry. I watched “Fruit Hunters” starring Bill Pullman, and learned of a small community in the Hollywood Hills coming together and creating what is now the “Hollywood Orchards” – a “virtual orchard” that engages local residents to learn about sustainable agriculture and food preservation.  From a distance, I’ve seen the 24th Street Elementary School in South Los Angeles build a garden with over 50 fruit trees and vegetable beds created by children and managed by teachers.  This is only a snip-it of what I’ve heard, seen and encountered since January 2013.  Why the sudden changes?

The first point that came up consistently was, without knowing which farms the food is sourced from, how do we know as consumers whether or not they have been genetically modified, sprayed with pesticides, or preserved?  With the continued outbreaks of e. coli, salmonella and various strains of the flu, more and more residents are starting to be concerned about the safety of their food. How long will it be before we are immune to antibiotics?  What are the long-term effects of ingesting meats injected with growth hormones? Which community will sustain an outbreak next? These questions have started to rival apocalypse conspiracy theories, but unfortunately, they are a grim reality.

Coupled with health concerns, Californians have taken it upon themselves to be environmentally conscious.  Owning a hybrid vehicle and installing solar panels is no longer enough – we must be able to be self-sufficient.  With recent reports noting that Americans waste almost 40% of edible food, how do we treat this matter efficiently?  In my discussions with community garden volunteers, I’ve been told that it’s not just about growing fruits and vegetables – it’s about continuing the cycle of life.  Barbara Linder of Greystone Mansion Community Garden explained that planting seeds, harvesting food and eating food is not where it ends.  Rather, it’s about utilizing organic plant waste to begin the cycle over again.  Members of her local community garden dispose their waste into composting bins, and use the fortified soil to replant the seeds.  

Paradoxical to an overabundance of food, a million county residents struggle with hunger at some point in the year.  The hardest hit areas are those that are rampant with poverty – namely, South Los Angeles.  With rising health risks such as obesity and high blood pressure, residents of underserved communities are eager for access to healthy foods.  In an effort to combat these issues, grassroot organizations, such as the Garden School Foundation, have implemented “classroom gardens.”  The organization claims, as children learn about caring for food, plants, and the soil, classes demonstrate to youth that what they do matters—a lot—to the world around them and to their own lives.  In this case, it not just the food that is important - it is the lessons from the garden about empowerment and social justice that stimulates teachers and community members alike to keep community gardens alive.

While the concerns of our food systems grow, community gardens have started to pop up all over the city.  The idea is no longer hidden in one area – it has multiplied across neighborhoods including Westchester, Hawthorne and Inglewood.  We are welcoming people from all backgrounds to challenge our food system based on reasons of injustice, hunger and responsibility.  That being said, I’ve only briefly touched on some of the reasons why communities are rethinking their food system.  Now the question is, who will rebel next?