Growing Power

[Alan]

Though Will Allen is not yet a member of Homegrown Goodness and may not have the time with all of his many projects to post here, I plan on contacting him in the near future for both and interview and an invitation to join in here. Will Allen is a former basketball player who now spends his time running the not for profit public education gardening community called Growing Power. Will is doing some amazing work with a three acre mini-farm (along with other community gardens including a 30 acre farm project Growing Power has entered into with the Boys and Girls Club) in an urban setting using vermicomposting, aqua-phonics, and vertical growing in greenhouse setting. This year he was awarded the MacArthur award for his contributions. If you have a moment, check out their website at www.growingpower.org or better yet go to youtube and check search for growing power. Very inspirational in my opinion, I have gleaned many new ideas for my own agricultural productions just from the web-site and the videos. Check it out!

[plantsnobin]

I became aware of this guy some time ago, don't remember where. I had read about him, and then maybe saw a documentary type thing 2 or 3 years ago. What is great about this is that it is really on a pretty small scale, gives us hope that we can accomplish the same thing. Alan, did you ever hear from that lady who was at the co-op meeting? The one who was doing the inner city garden? Wish I had got her name. I am all for the city gardens, but the truth is, I bet most of our 'rural' kids don't know where food comes from any more than the urban kids do. I live in a town of maybe 4,500 population, but even the 4H kids don't 'garden'. If there is to be any hope for the future of civilization, we must start with the kids.

[Alan]

I never have heard back from the lady in Louisville unfortunately and didn't have the foresight to get her name or number either, hopefully she will make contact at some point in time in the near future however. I have however been following closely the work of Breaking New Grounds in Louisville Kentucky and their goal of establishing a five acre mini farm. I believe they were started by Heine brothers cafe as a not for profit way of composting their huge number of coffee grounds every year. They are doing some exciting work and from what I understand Will Allen's' influence is directly responsible for the project, my friend Paul turned me onto them and the important work they are doing. I plan on riding down and checking them out sometime in the spring if you would like to ride with me.

I agree that it has to start with the youth and I know that most kids even here in these rural areas have no clue how to produce food for themselves and their families unfortunately. Schools don't value agriculture programs and they are the first to go in times of crisis, the few that do make it are controlled heavily in Indiana by Purdue extension who despite their best efforts don't have the farmer or the best intentions in mind.