Revolutionary Food
How urban gardening leads to structural and personal revolutions
"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend to the soil is to forget ourselves" - Mahatma Gandhi
Introduction
As someone who has always been interested in food, yet have grown up in the concrete jungle known as the city, I find the topic of urban agriculture to be fascinating. With advancements in the food industry and the fast pace lives we lead fueled by technology, we are being pushed farther and farther from the food we eat. In cities, food is simply served to us. Few people understand where it comes from, what processes go into the creation of the food, and if packaged, what is exactly inside. As Vandana Shiva says, "there is a serious divide between the people and the food they eat".
The focus of this paper is to uncover the reasons behind why city dwellers, specifically in South Central L.A., are disrupting the farm city divide. By growing their own food, these men and women are not only feeding themselves with nourishment, but also knowledge, community belonging, health benefits, and the ability to assert their own agency within the structures of Los Angeles. By looking at and investigating urban agricultural practices in South Central Los Angeles, I hope to uncover that the symbolism behind gardening is a strong expression of agency as a structural and personal revolution.
As someone who has always been interested in food, yet have grown up in the concrete jungle known as the city, I find the topic of urban agriculture to be fascinating. With advancements in the food industry and the fast pace lives we lead fueled by technology, we are being pushed farther and farther from the food we eat. In cities, food is simply served to us. Few people understand where it comes from, what processes go into the creation of the food, and if packaged, what is exactly inside. As Vandana Shiva says, "there is a serious divide between the people and the food they eat".
The focus of this paper is to uncover the reasons behind why city dwellers, specifically in South Central L.A., are disrupting the farm city divide. By growing their own food, these men and women are not only feeding themselves with nourishment, but also knowledge, community belonging, health benefits, and the ability to assert their own agency within the structures of Los Angeles. By looking at and investigating urban agricultural practices in South Central Los Angeles, I hope to uncover that the symbolism behind gardening is a strong expression of agency as a structural and personal revolution.
Background of South Central L.A.
The city of Los Angeles has a long history of being a urban center of the west coast. It became a part of the United States of America in 1848 and was incorporated as a city in 1850, but was founded long before that by local people and by the Spanish missions. Throughout its history, even in the 1920's, Los Angeles was built on farming. With groves and farms across the county, many relied on farming for work and food due to the rich soil, great growing conditions, as well as ample amounts of sun. With new regulations, incorporations of communities, and the changing of zoning laws that led to an increase in price of land all served to push farming outside the city center. Later years would bring more highways, less land, and more disruption in many central communities. One such community that has served a space for the marginalized people of L.A. is South Central Los Angeles, sometimes and more recently known as South L.A. in order to rebrand itself away from the connotations of South Central.
Home to many riots that have changed history like the Watts riots and LA riots of the 1990s, jazz and rap music, as well as gang violence, South Central has been placed on the national stage. The total population of South Central is 749,453 with 14,671 people per square mile, one of the highest densities in the county. In previous decades, South Central has been an area of change and culture that has been vital to the entire city of Los Angeles. Geographically, South Central is located between some of the major highways in Los Angeles. To the west the 405, the north the 10, to the south the 105 and the 110 cuts through on the eastern communities. All of these structures built by the city government not only serve another community as a way to get from the safe suburbs to the city, but they also serve to disconnect the people from this community. Having huge roads with underpasses, concrete, and dark spaces separates neighborhoods and divides people physically as well as spiritually. These highways symbolize the oppression of the community and serve to lock these communities within, like large gates. South Central is demographically a mix of people with its two largest racial groups being black and latino, 38% and 56.7% of the population respectively. With low annual income, most people making less than $30,000, and few making it past a high school education, this community is struggling. As a report on concentrated poverty shows that this area is amongst the poorest in the county with an average of 17%, but in some areas going as high as 25% of the people living below the poverty line[1].
With little access to fresh groceries as well as disposable income to spend on such food, these people are forced to eat through convience stores and fast food chains. The reasons for farmers markets and grocery stores not building or setting up shop in South Central is not specified, but it is likely that most people believe it won’t be profitable.When comparing South Central to the rest of the Los Angeles, it is easy to see the differences in wealth and education, but more importantly in health. Due to the lack of resources like income, grocery stores, and education many of the people in South Central stick to what is given them, like fast food chains. As the graph shows below, many of the residents in South Central are obese, have diabetes, as well as other major health issues that are extremely costly and deter value of life in the future. The Atlantic states that in South Central, over 75% of adults are overweight or obese[2].
The city of Los Angeles has a long history of being a urban center of the west coast. It became a part of the United States of America in 1848 and was incorporated as a city in 1850, but was founded long before that by local people and by the Spanish missions. Throughout its history, even in the 1920's, Los Angeles was built on farming. With groves and farms across the county, many relied on farming for work and food due to the rich soil, great growing conditions, as well as ample amounts of sun. With new regulations, incorporations of communities, and the changing of zoning laws that led to an increase in price of land all served to push farming outside the city center. Later years would bring more highways, less land, and more disruption in many central communities. One such community that has served a space for the marginalized people of L.A. is South Central Los Angeles, sometimes and more recently known as South L.A. in order to rebrand itself away from the connotations of South Central.
Home to many riots that have changed history like the Watts riots and LA riots of the 1990s, jazz and rap music, as well as gang violence, South Central has been placed on the national stage. The total population of South Central is 749,453 with 14,671 people per square mile, one of the highest densities in the county. In previous decades, South Central has been an area of change and culture that has been vital to the entire city of Los Angeles. Geographically, South Central is located between some of the major highways in Los Angeles. To the west the 405, the north the 10, to the south the 105 and the 110 cuts through on the eastern communities. All of these structures built by the city government not only serve another community as a way to get from the safe suburbs to the city, but they also serve to disconnect the people from this community. Having huge roads with underpasses, concrete, and dark spaces separates neighborhoods and divides people physically as well as spiritually. These highways symbolize the oppression of the community and serve to lock these communities within, like large gates. South Central is demographically a mix of people with its two largest racial groups being black and latino, 38% and 56.7% of the population respectively. With low annual income, most people making less than $30,000, and few making it past a high school education, this community is struggling. As a report on concentrated poverty shows that this area is amongst the poorest in the county with an average of 17%, but in some areas going as high as 25% of the people living below the poverty line[1].
With little access to fresh groceries as well as disposable income to spend on such food, these people are forced to eat through convience stores and fast food chains. The reasons for farmers markets and grocery stores not building or setting up shop in South Central is not specified, but it is likely that most people believe it won’t be profitable.When comparing South Central to the rest of the Los Angeles, it is easy to see the differences in wealth and education, but more importantly in health. Due to the lack of resources like income, grocery stores, and education many of the people in South Central stick to what is given them, like fast food chains. As the graph shows below, many of the residents in South Central are obese, have diabetes, as well as other major health issues that are extremely costly and deter value of life in the future. The Atlantic states that in South Central, over 75% of adults are overweight or obese[2].
These health concerns are brought upon these residents because often times there is no other solution for food. This causes what is commonly known as a food desert. Food desert is defined by the US Department of Agriculture as a region "without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food...Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options", which defines South Central[3]. After the 1992 Riots, there was a lot of hope that South Central would be rebuilt and gain access to the resources that they lacked like new businesses, job training, etc. The Rebuild L.A.(RLA) initiative sought private and public money to bring more grocery stores into the area. As of 1995, the typical store in South Central served over 16,000 people while stores in other parts of Los Angeles served only 7,000 people per store. A grocery store is defined as a space with at least 10,000 square feet that serves proteins, grains, dairy, and fresh juices[4]. The proposal had planned to gain 32 new grocery stores in the area, which would give more people access to food, but only 16 were realizes and with unfortunate circumstances many old stores closed leaving the area with only a net 5 new stores. As The Next Los Angeles: The Struggle for a Livable City[5] states, the RLA failed in a few regards. First that it didn’t achieve its goals, but secondly it focused on gaining connections with the private sector instead of focusing on engagement with the community.
Not only is there a lack of grocery stores, but the main source of food comes from fast food chains. Without clear numbers online, I searched the yellow pages on the defined South Central area and found that there are 26 McDonald’s, 12 Burger King’s, 15 Taco Bell’s, and 13 KFC’s. Although fast food restaurants are everywhere, there is a disproportionate amount in this area relative to what else is offered. Ample solutions are found when alleviating the consequences of a food desert, like rebuilding of policy, new infrastructure to support big chains of grocery stores, and farmers markets, but here I would like to focus on gardening as a way to achieve a self-sustaining solution with more positive consequences for the community.
Gardening in Los Angeles
As noted earlier, Los Angeles used to be fertile farming land and it is still possible to reverse all what the concrete jungle has done. The following is an example of how the people of South Central grew a garden. In the center of the booming city of Los Angeles, there was a garden 14 acres large at the corner of East 41st and Alameda Streets. One of the largest pieces of urban agriculture in the United States and was in operation from 1994 to 2006[6]. This land project started as a way to heal the community from the riots of the early nineties. By growing their own food, feeding their families, and working together, this community started to take shape and grow. Doris Block, one of the main gardeners said, "land, people, food -- it's a pretty simple idea. Happy days”[7].
In 2004 the gardeners were suddenly kicked out of the South Central Garden by the city in order to build a shopping center by a man named Mr. Horowitz. The documentary The Garden (2008) provides information on the backroom deals and corruption within the system that allowed for these people to be kicked out without any discussion or deliberation. Because they loved this area so much, these gardeners fought back and stayed as long as possible until they were finally bulldozed out in 2008. As of May 2014, the land is still empty. I use this example as a way to show that agency is possible through gardening. These people exemplified all that I want to prove with the rest of this section. Gardening not only provides food, but also community belonging, purpose, even an economic base because they can sell their crops. These gardeners and case shows the authority that the government has and lack of rights and power marginalized groups have within South Central L.A, so little power that the government can suddenly strip these people of their land for no apparent reason at all and without consideration and deliberation on both sides.
Gardening in the urban landscape has become a common practice amongst city folk yet again. Throughout history and still in many places around the world, urban agriculture is commonplace. In America, the idea of a victory garden was used in order to build moral at home and help the war effort, since many farmers went off to fight it was necessary to grow one's own food. But by the the time these men came home from war, grocery stores took over home grown goods. Today, gardening in Los Angeles is commonplace even outside of the South Central Garden. Ron Finley is a man that believes in the power of gardening[8]. He has coined the term Gangsta Gardening, which is his way of expressing that gardening can be cool. He has also said that we should be “pimping our parkways” in order to get the most out of the land. He wants the youth of South Central to see that gardening is a great lifestyle that can lead toward a healthy future. Gardening brings new life, low cost food, and can be very fun. In the documentary Urban Fruit[9], the filmmakers makes a point to showcase Finley’s effect on the community around him. Finley says, “South Central Los Angeles, home of the drive through and the drive by” and by gardening, he believes he can have a positive effect on both of those things. By creating healthy alternatives, for work and eating, Finely is changing his neighborhood.
Finley does a remarkable job at understanding that the resources at hand to create change are already available. He creates gardens in all sorts of spaces so that people can take the food as they please. This land is called various things depending on where it is, but often referred to as a median, boulevard, parkway, road verge, among other things[10]. He hopes that if people “steal” his vegetables they will be inclined to help in the process of growing the community. As Jac Smit and Joe Nasr speak to in their article on urban agriculture, cities need to go from consumers to “important resource conserving, health improving, sustainable generators of products”[11]. Finley and his fellow volunteers see themselves as the new producers of these goods for the rest of the community. Another aspect of Smit and Nasr's logic is the creation of closed loop systems. Communities, not just South Central, would be more sustainable and self-sustaining if they created closed loop systems instead of relying on inputs and outputs in and from the system. As Smit and Nasr mention, a closed loop is one that takes inputs, but rather than releasing outputs like an open loop system, it keeps the outputs and regenerates them into something else. With gardening, this is compost. Taking post consumer and solid waste is a great way to give the soil back important nitrogens and other things it needs to grow new food.
Ron Finley started his farming on medians, but shortly thereafter was reported for growing food and sent a fine of $400 because he didn’t have a permit to grow anything but grass on the median or parkway as it is mentioned in the article. Outraged, he went to the city council and after a few months of bargaining, they waived the citations and are working on a better solution[12]. Although the city still seems to think that aesthetics are more important than practical food, progress is being made. As Finley puts it, “Why am I going to grow grass? It's stupid, especially in this economy”[13]. L.A. Green Grounds was a volunteer program started by Finley that serves to rebuild vacant lots of medians in order to grow food for the people and not just grass. The program encourages residents to host “dig-ins” in order to get community support to turn lawns into edible landscapes[14].
Finley does a remarkable job at understanding that the resources at hand to create change are already available. He creates gardens in all sorts of spaces so that people can take the food as they please. This land is called various things depending on where it is, but often referred to as a median, boulevard, parkway, road verge, among other things[10]. He hopes that if people “steal” his vegetables they will be inclined to help in the process of growing the community. As Jac Smit and Joe Nasr speak to in their article on urban agriculture, cities need to go from consumers to “important resource conserving, health improving, sustainable generators of products”[11]. Finley and his fellow volunteers see themselves as the new producers of these goods for the rest of the community. Another aspect of Smit and Nasr's logic is the creation of closed loop systems. Communities, not just South Central, would be more sustainable and self-sustaining if they created closed loop systems instead of relying on inputs and outputs in and from the system. As Smit and Nasr mention, a closed loop is one that takes inputs, but rather than releasing outputs like an open loop system, it keeps the outputs and regenerates them into something else. With gardening, this is compost. Taking post consumer and solid waste is a great way to give the soil back important nitrogens and other things it needs to grow new food.
Ron Finley started his farming on medians, but shortly thereafter was reported for growing food and sent a fine of $400 because he didn’t have a permit to grow anything but grass on the median or parkway as it is mentioned in the article. Outraged, he went to the city council and after a few months of bargaining, they waived the citations and are working on a better solution[12]. Although the city still seems to think that aesthetics are more important than practical food, progress is being made. As Finley puts it, “Why am I going to grow grass? It's stupid, especially in this economy”[13]. L.A. Green Grounds was a volunteer program started by Finley that serves to rebuild vacant lots of medians in order to grow food for the people and not just grass. The program encourages residents to host “dig-ins” in order to get community support to turn lawns into edible landscapes[14].
Gardening as Revolution
Gardening in South Central speaks both to a structural revolution as a personal revolution. The first can be understood as a total push against the structure that society has set in place. That is the fast food chains catering to the local market, the highways that lock South Central residents within the area, and the expectations of the marginalized society. Through gardening, these people are breaking free from stereotypes and spaces they have been led into, like health consequences of fast food and not having access to healthy fresh food. These people aren't gardening because they are literally hungry, I believe that they do it to express and assert their own agency within the dictated framework of their lives. By having readily available food, these people are not reliant upon anyone but themselves. The symbolism of gardening is the growth of life that comes from planting a seed and caring for it. By caring for these pants and taking on a focus other than themselves, these people are pushing the bounds of the structures around them because they are symbolically putting themselves first, even though the laws, policies, and other barriers around them aren't doing the same thing. Prioritizing themselves, their lives, their health these people are telling the structures around them that they do not need to be confined or defined in order succeed. Structures like the lack of grocery stores and real food, being in a food desert, is something that one person can fix. By growing one's own food, one replaces the need for the store in the first place. Growing one's own food is symbolic for independence. These people are standing up for their right to their part of Los Angeles by caring for themselves and using the land as it should be used.
Gardening in South Central speaks both to a structural revolution as a personal revolution. The first can be understood as a total push against the structure that society has set in place. That is the fast food chains catering to the local market, the highways that lock South Central residents within the area, and the expectations of the marginalized society. Through gardening, these people are breaking free from stereotypes and spaces they have been led into, like health consequences of fast food and not having access to healthy fresh food. These people aren't gardening because they are literally hungry, I believe that they do it to express and assert their own agency within the dictated framework of their lives. By having readily available food, these people are not reliant upon anyone but themselves. The symbolism of gardening is the growth of life that comes from planting a seed and caring for it. By caring for these pants and taking on a focus other than themselves, these people are pushing the bounds of the structures around them because they are symbolically putting themselves first, even though the laws, policies, and other barriers around them aren't doing the same thing. Prioritizing themselves, their lives, their health these people are telling the structures around them that they do not need to be confined or defined in order succeed. Structures like the lack of grocery stores and real food, being in a food desert, is something that one person can fix. By growing one's own food, one replaces the need for the store in the first place. Growing one's own food is symbolic for independence. These people are standing up for their right to their part of Los Angeles by caring for themselves and using the land as it should be used.
“Growing your own food is like printing your own money.” - Ron Finley
The second revolution can be explained as a personal revolution. Human growth can be seen alongside the growth of the fruit and vegetables. The symbolism within the gardening is endless in terms of personal, spiritual, and communal growth and change. Tjeerd Deelstrat and Herbet Girardet in their article on Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Cities[15] found that gardening and growing food builds social, economic, and environmental sustainability for all involved. Through gardening, these men and women find empowerment through their actions, gain health benefits from the labor as well as the food they are consuming, make community connections, find a sense of belonging, and take part of the process of life by watching something grow from seed to fruit. When considering numbers from figure 1, it is simple to see that there are major health issues within this specific community. Gardening is a form of empowerment, but also is a form of exercise and living healthy. By investing time, seeds, water, and a bit of labor, the return is a healthier community in many forms from weight loss to spiritual health.
A personal revolution is something that Ron Finley strives for when he takes on young kids on the block. By creating a system of learning for his pupils and making gardening cool, Finley is seen as someone who is changing the future of the kids. Deelstrat and Girardet believe in the social aspect of gardening not because it brings us closer to other people physically, but taking part in a communal activity has a positive impact on our spirits and makes people happy. Gail Feenstra believes that the way food is grown and distributed contributes to effects not only on the environment and economy, but also on the social and spiritual well-being of the community[16]. Fenstra describes that because the hard work and labor is done by the individual they take part in each step in the creation of life. By caring for these fruits and vegetables, the people of South Central become more connected with the physical land they occupy, as well as the people around them because it is inevitable that they grow more than they can eat themselves and engage with their neighbors. By contributing to the gardening movement, people are changing their Foodshed. Feenstra defines Foodshed as being the area defined by the structure of supply. A local Foodshed is a geographic area where food is grown, but also where social and cultural elements of the community happen as well. Considering the aspects of Foodshed can be an important way to empower one's own actions and gain control of the supply of food.Finley states above that grass is almost a waste of time to grow because it is simply a weed, nothing comes from it and it takes up precious resources. If everyone grew vegetables, South Central could turn many public blighted areas, vacant lots, and medians into colorful, lively spaces that everyone could enjoy and eat from.
A personal revolution is something that Ron Finley strives for when he takes on young kids on the block. By creating a system of learning for his pupils and making gardening cool, Finley is seen as someone who is changing the future of the kids. Deelstrat and Girardet believe in the social aspect of gardening not because it brings us closer to other people physically, but taking part in a communal activity has a positive impact on our spirits and makes people happy. Gail Feenstra believes that the way food is grown and distributed contributes to effects not only on the environment and economy, but also on the social and spiritual well-being of the community[16]. Fenstra describes that because the hard work and labor is done by the individual they take part in each step in the creation of life. By caring for these fruits and vegetables, the people of South Central become more connected with the physical land they occupy, as well as the people around them because it is inevitable that they grow more than they can eat themselves and engage with their neighbors. By contributing to the gardening movement, people are changing their Foodshed. Feenstra defines Foodshed as being the area defined by the structure of supply. A local Foodshed is a geographic area where food is grown, but also where social and cultural elements of the community happen as well. Considering the aspects of Foodshed can be an important way to empower one's own actions and gain control of the supply of food.Finley states above that grass is almost a waste of time to grow because it is simply a weed, nothing comes from it and it takes up precious resources. If everyone grew vegetables, South Central could turn many public blighted areas, vacant lots, and medians into colorful, lively spaces that everyone could enjoy and eat from.
Conclusions
Urban agriculture is not only trendy these days, but it is a useful resource in the fight of revolutions. Through many examples from groups like the South Central Farmers to Mr. Finley himself, people in South Central are fighting back against the opposing structures that limit them in their lives by growing their own food. These revolutions are against the structures in place like the fast food chains and food deserts, but also against themselves. Personal revolutions are possible through the laborious act of gardening. Growing something from seed to fruit symbolizes the change that can go through a resident of South Central. With gardening, citizens can take back their land, gain new sources of income and food, and change their lifestyle habits.
Urban agriculture is not only trendy these days, but it is a useful resource in the fight of revolutions. Through many examples from groups like the South Central Farmers to Mr. Finley himself, people in South Central are fighting back against the opposing structures that limit them in their lives by growing their own food. These revolutions are against the structures in place like the fast food chains and food deserts, but also against themselves. Personal revolutions are possible through the laborious act of gardening. Growing something from seed to fruit symbolizes the change that can go through a resident of South Central. With gardening, citizens can take back their land, gain new sources of income and food, and change their lifestyle habits.
Sources
[1]http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Los-Angeles-California.html
[2] http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/03/why-the-fast-food-ban-failed-in-south-la/388475/
[3]http://www.ers.usda.gov/dataFiles/Food_Access_Research_Atlas/Download_the_Data/Archived_Version/archived_documentation.pdf
[4]http://www.chc-inc.org/downloads/Food_Desert_to_Oasis_07-12-2010.pdf
[5]Robert Gottlieb, Mark Vallianatos, Regina M. Freer and Peter Dreier, "The Next Los Angeles: The Struggle for a Livable City", International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Vol 34 (2010)
[6]http://www.couchbaron.com/?p=63
[7]http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/22/entertainment/et-Garden22
[8]http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/fashion/urban-gardening-an-appleseed-with-attitude.html?_r=1
[9]http://www.cityfarmer.info/2014/06/11/urban-fruit-a-documentary-about-the-urban-farming-movement-in-los-angeles/
[10]]http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/17/making-a-garden-of-that-n_n_5502970.html
[11]Jac Smit, Joe Nasr, "Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities: using wastes and idle land and water bodies as resources", Environment and Urbanization, Vol 4, No 2 (1992)
[12]http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323699704578326840038605324
[13]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzZzZ_qpZ4w
[14] http://www.lagreengrounds.org/about
[15] Tjeerd Deelstra, Herbet Girardet, "Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Cities", Thematic Paper 2
[16] Gail W. Feenstra, "Local Food Systems and Sustainable Communities", American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 12 (1997): 30-35
[1]http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Los-Angeles-California.html
[2] http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/03/why-the-fast-food-ban-failed-in-south-la/388475/
[3]http://www.ers.usda.gov/dataFiles/Food_Access_Research_Atlas/Download_the_Data/Archived_Version/archived_documentation.pdf
[4]http://www.chc-inc.org/downloads/Food_Desert_to_Oasis_07-12-2010.pdf
[5]Robert Gottlieb, Mark Vallianatos, Regina M. Freer and Peter Dreier, "The Next Los Angeles: The Struggle for a Livable City", International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Vol 34 (2010)
[6]http://www.couchbaron.com/?p=63
[7]http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/22/entertainment/et-Garden22
[8]http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/fashion/urban-gardening-an-appleseed-with-attitude.html?_r=1
[9]http://www.cityfarmer.info/2014/06/11/urban-fruit-a-documentary-about-the-urban-farming-movement-in-los-angeles/
[10]]http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/17/making-a-garden-of-that-n_n_5502970.html
[11]Jac Smit, Joe Nasr, "Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities: using wastes and idle land and water bodies as resources", Environment and Urbanization, Vol 4, No 2 (1992)
[12]http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323699704578326840038605324
[13]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzZzZ_qpZ4w
[14] http://www.lagreengrounds.org/about
[15] Tjeerd Deelstra, Herbet Girardet, "Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Cities", Thematic Paper 2
[16] Gail W. Feenstra, "Local Food Systems and Sustainable Communities", American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 12 (1997): 30-35