We've been reading Will Allen's terrific The Good Food Revolution, which puts the urban gardening movement in the context of his own life, his family's story, and the larger picture of the Great Migration of African American people from the South to the North. I really appreciated his historical perspective on how the move north, for many people, exchanged one set of problems for another, including the loss of a direct connection to the land and the ability to grow and eat healthy food. Allen's work is so inspiring -- he's learned to grow food in a northern, industrial city, recruit people to get involved in farming, and teach people about composting, tilapia growing, beekeeping, keeping chickens... His organization Growing Power really does grow like a weed, like a bean plant, like a blackberry bramble -- spreading, growing new roots, starting seeds everywhere.

The urban food movement might be the most hopeful thing now happening in our culture. It's a direct response to problems of unemployment and poverty, diet-related health problems like diabetes and heart disease, and the consolidation of our food system by a few multinational corporations. Growing our own food -- from rural farms to city lots and rooftops -- is as revolutionary as it gets. Also nonviolent, healthy, and fun!