USDA’s People’s Garden is a bounty of health and community
Food insecurity remains a threat to low-income residents. Urban gardens can help.
By Courtland Milloy
Washington Post
Updated May 30, 2023
Excerpt:
I recently visited the People’s Garden, which is located on the grounds of the Agriculture Department adjacent to the National Mall. The USDA is ramping up investment in urban agriculture — $157 million proposed for 2024 — and the People’s Garden was a good place to look for the kind of bounty we might expect.
The garden was lush with Swiss chard, cabbage, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts. A newly planted food forest of fig, apple and pear trees was also bearing fruit. Techniques for growing drought- and heat-resistant produce, such as Potomac pears, were paying off. In special underground containers, earthworms munched on dead leaves and paper — composting and yielding nutrient-rich soil.
“We really want to educate people on how to do this at home and in their communities,” said Margaret Campbell, a USDA employee who took me on a tour of the People’s Garden. “We want communities to know that the USDA has the services that can help them make gardening and small farming healthy and sustainable.”
But more is needed — as the coronavirus pandemic showed by disrupting food supply lines or causing food prices to spike. Within the District and surrounding areas, food insecurity remains a threat to low-income residents. Many live in “food deserts” where access to healthy produce is virtually nonexistent. Even among well-to-do residents, relatively few consume the recommended amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.
