A comment that I frequently hear is “But what can I do about it?” I say this a lot myself. Many of us feel that any efforts we make as individuals to improve or change things make no difference at all. Maybe we need to look at things differently. Rather than trying to improve or change things individually we might try to make a difference collectively.
Solutions:
One thing that everyone can agree on is that food is a great thing to have around. As we all know, food insecurity has far too much presence these days.
Iowa imports between 80%-90% of the food that we actually consume. Some of our “fresh” produce comes from as much as 1500 miles away. Iowa has productive soil, but most of our crops are either exported, used as animal feed, made into ethanol, or returned to us as ultra processed food which is very bad for your health.
Garden produce typically comes from about 100 feet away or less. Garden produce is good for you. I have never witnessed a garden with an erosion problem. Gardening is a good idea.
Stewardship:
I believe that the natural world is a precious gift to mankind. Those of us who are alive today are merely borrowing everything on Earth from future generations. Resources should be used very judiciously. Especially non-renewables such as fossil fuels and mined materials and water.
Gardening is not an “extractive” activity. It is one of the most environmentally friendly efforts that you can engage in. Garden produce is not only good for your physical health. The mental and spiritual benefits of gardening are often overlooked. Solace can be found by touching the earth. Composting things like table scraps and grass clippings keep them out of the waste stream. Synthetic and mined fertilizers are not really necessary if you compost to scale. Gardening barely impacts the many living organisms in the soil. Gardeners tend to be eager to share knowledge of gardening skills with others. This encourages a sense of community.
Security:
Victory Gardens came on the scene during WW1. They gained momentum during WW2. They gave Americans an opportunity to contribute to the war effort by growing much needed food. Backyards and public spaces produced around 40% of the nation’s food during this time.
A measurable collapse of our national agricultural system is not a far-fetched concept. I believe that if it occurs it will happen abruptly. In a scenario such as this, something like an established national Victory Gardens food production system would prove to be very valuable indeed.
A productive garden does not happen overnight. Site location, soil preparation, and maintenance is only part of the process. Things like asparagus and raspberry beds can take years to become productive. A fruit or nut tree can take a decade or more. Gardening skills evolve over a lifetime. The time to start a garden would be now. This year.
Activism:
If you are one of us who ask ourselves, “But what can I do about it?” then consider gardening. If done collectively on a large scale like the Victory Gardens of the WW2 era, it could at least address some of the dilemmas that we find ourselves in today. It could make people feel like they are contributing to something. It would not require the passage of a law to set it in motion.
$100 worth of hand tools can get you started. Gardening does not really require that much time. Especially if you start out small. If a backyard or a public space is not an option for you then consider container gardening or using your farmers market extensively.
Activism means “Doing something about it.” I guess, to a degree, gardening could be considered a form of protest against hate, greed, and insecurity in a quiet, loving kind of way. But without the risk of getting arrested.
(signed)
Jeff Milks
Oelwein
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