In light of the current state of our economy could there be a more profoundly appropriate time to be introducing our new initiative that moves the working poor beyond charity toward self-reliance? Here is all the dirt on how FAIR SHARE, our sustainable urban agriculture project can make a significant, tangible difference in the lives of some of our neighbors struggling against poverty. The project strengthens the efforts of emergency food providers, empowers people in need to better provide for themselves, and demonstrates viable economic incentives for bringing food production closer to home… right into the city.

We began working on this project as a result of the rising food and fuel prices earlier this year and the hard reality that local food banks were becoming overwhelmed with rising numbers of people in need of emergency food relief each month. As you can imagine, that situation will probably be getting worse. In 2006 the census revealed a poverty rate in the city of nearly 30% and one can assume that the numbers are deepening.

The question for me was how to create a cost-effective project locally that is already proven to work and can be replicated in other communities to address the issue of food security- ensuring that folks can provide sufficient food… fresh nutritious food in the kitchen.

Well, you can grow your own with a backyard movement similar to the Victory Gardens of a generation ago. During wartime, Americans produced about 80% of their food themselves to make ends meet. The average lawn in America could be producing hundreds of pounds of fresh food. The Victory Garden movement is certainly a valid model, if you have a yard. Many urban residents do not.

Another powerful model can be found today in Cuba. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the Cuban people found themselves suddenly without any of the resources their partner provided. No more oil flowed across the shipping lanes to fuel Cuba’s industrialized agriculture business; no fuel for tractors; no fertilizers; zip. People were in dire need but took initiative and began growing food organically on every vacant space available. The government recognized the movement and brought in experts in organic agriculture to begin training new farmers; across the fields and on the vacant lots of the city. The result was the discovery of a sustainable solution to a disasterous dilimma and an organic agriculture model for the world to learn from.

As we looked at similar urban garden models across the U.S. and Canada, and there are many powerful programs underway, we were convinced that sustainable urban agriculture is a proven, time-tested successful approach for empowering the working poor of any city- large or small, and can provide not only community food security but new entrepreneural micro-enterprise with the potential for much needed economic growth in center city neighborhoods.

We chose the name FAIR SHARE because we felt like it reflects a sense of justice. People want their fair share… people do their fair share. We are not a relief agency yet we want to strengthen those efforts in order to empower people with a greater sense of self-reliance; helping people to help themselves. To paraphrase what Bill Moyer once said, charity provides the crumbs from the table and justice provides a place at the table.

So we have sunk our shovel into the city soil. Through our partnership with the Daytona Beach Lion’s Club we have permission to begin cultivating about 10,000 square feet on their property right in the middle of town. Our partnership with the Volusia County Extension Service will provide all the technical information and guidance for organic growing methods and assistance from the Master Gardener program volunteers. Another significant partnership is with Halifax Urban Ministries, our area’s largest food pantry. This partnership provides assurance that the fresh food we raise locally will be distributed directly to low-income households here in our center city neighborhoods, and specifically, single mother households with young children.

Whenever possible we can install a kitchen garden in the yard. We can also provide opportunity to participate in a community garden. In time we want to offer “market garden” training to young people to begin growing fresh produce to sell through the local farmer’s market or directly to a local restaurant. 

Our current industrialized corporate owned food system is not working very well for the average consumer and the system is becoming increasingly toxic to the environment; depleting the very land upon which it depends. It is addicted to oil from production to distribution. We need a new generation of farmers- urban farmers, who will take up the spade fork and work toward growing a more sustainable food system for us all.

It is time for all of us to do our FAIR SHARE… digging in and rooting out poverty.