June 2010

Planting a couple of tomato and basil plants can do far more than simply enhance a late summer meal. In this month’s Digest, fellows describe how the gardening revolution is providing the foundation for stronger communities, while also developing solutions for some of the forthcoming global challenges. Read more from the editor

I came to work at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy several years ago because I have a passion for working on the big picture issues impacting our food system.  I relished the opportunity to work on national agricultural policies and international trade – issues that impact the lives of people across the planet. I remain in awe of the infrastructural and logistical challenges to grow, fertilize, transport and process the volumes of food necessary for the growing global population.

We need to continue to monitor and advocate for sound food system decisions to be made in the halls of Congress, in the board rooms of agribusiness corporations, in the financial industry of Wall Street, and the global institutions of Geneva.  But the fellows featured in this Digest have convinced me and thousands of others that you don’t have to be a power broker to develop solutions. Planting a couple of tomato and basil plants can do far more than simply enhance a late summer meal.

First, gardeners are providing an example of what is possible. Without the model of so many gardening gurus, I probably never would have realized that my postage stamp-sized backyard was well suited for a raised bed garden and chicken coop. Thanks to the exposure to gardening neighbors and the outreach of advocates, our national mindset has shifted dramatically about gardening in recent years – what is very old has become new again.

Second, think about the scientific knowledge that is gained by the millions of gardening experiments that are occurring around the country. Backyard scientists are trying different seeds, soil amendments, companion plantings, pest controls, harvesting methods – an incredible number of variables that USDA and land grant researchers could never afford to duplicate. This is creating a knowledge base that will advance food production in ways that we can’t yet imagine.

And third, the gardening revolution has given a whole new twist to the persistent question of “who will feed the world?” Urban and peri-urban agriculture can potentially produce an enormous volume of food and will be an increasingly important source of food in a people-rich and fossil fuel-scarce world. Ending world hunger is not just about increasing yields on the large grain farms of the Midwest, Brazil, Ukraine, South Africa and other regions, but is also about providing the resources and technical assistance to allow gardens to thrive in small plots around the world.

In this month’s Digest,  Roger Doiron and Lisa Kivirist inspire us to get our hands dirty with the nitty gritty of kitchen gardening and practical tips for gardening with kids. Alethia Carr and Erin MacDougall’s articles about gardening efforts in Detroit and Seattle, respectively, illustrate how local government impacts gardening and urban agriculture. Our collection of podcast interviews by the “Food Sleuth”and Fred Bahnson’s description of the impact of a faith community’s garden are sure to inspire, and we hope you’ll be as excited as we are about the national movement that is exhibited in the development of FoodCorps, and Curt Ellis’s forthcoming Truck Farm documentary. Or maybe you’ll be motivated to policy action by Deb Eschmeyer’s analysis of the policy work that is needed, or Rose Hayden Smith’s eloquent request that President Obama summon us to service.  As we endure the heat of summer, we hope you’ll start rolling up your sleeves in one way or another.

Happy Gardening!

—Mark Muller, editor