Environment

Will Allen, Pioneering Urban Farmer

Published

10 years ago

May 27, 2015

By Paul Rockwell

“My return to farming was a kind of homecoming,” writes Will Allen in his riveting autobiography, “The Good Food Revolution”.

His parents were sharecroppers who fled North in the Great Migration, and it was hardly easy for Allen to return to the soil.

The history of agriculture in the U.S. is largely the history of racial oppression, and farming, his friends said, is “slave’s work.”

But for Allen, the great tragedy of African-Americans today is that, in losing touch with the land, they lose valuable skills: how to grow and prepare decent food.

Heart disease, diabetes, obesity—diet-related disease—is reaching epidemic proportions in low -income communities.

As CEO of Growing Power, Allen is widely recognized as the preeminent practitioner of urban agriculture in America. He was a basketball star, then a corporate executive, before he founded Growing Power in a food desert, on a two-acre lot less than half a mile from Milwaukee’s largest housing project.

He first sold food out of the back of a truck, then set up a farm stand, and soon his store became the only place for miles around to carry free-range eggs, home grown honey, and grass-fed beef.

He purchased a few rundown greenhouses, where he transformed city waste and food scraps into rich compost, life-giving soil. His innovative methods, vermicomposting (using worms to fertilize soil) and aquaponics (a closed system of growing plants and fish), yielded remarkable amounts of food in small spaces.

Through trial and error, Allen’s staff developed models for growing food intensively and vertically in a world of asphalt.

“We found ways to make fresh fruits and vegetables available to people with little income. We created full-time agricultural jobs for inner-city youth,” he said. “We began to teach people to grow vegetables in small spaces and reclaim some small control over their food choices.”

Allen’s energetic daughter, Erika, runs Growing Power at the Cabrini-Green-Public Housing project in Chicago, where the Fourth Presbyterian Church transformed an old basketball court into a verdant community garden.

Allen is extremely popular with kids. He works alongside students, teaching them the basics of soil cultivation.

“Most young people from the inner city have never had a face-to-face encounter with a vegetable that has been plucked from the earth…Children come to my facility for the first time with their pockets filled with candy, acting wild. Something changes in them when they walk up to my worm systems and put their hands in the soil for the first time. They mellow. It can be a spiritual thing to touch the earth if you have been disconnected from it for so long,” Allen said.

Growing Power includes an agricultural program for youth offenders who are transitioned out of the detention system through Farm-City Link.

A hopeful revolution is changing America’s food system. The Allen story demonstrates that growing your own food locally under conditions of self-determination is transformative. Karen Parker, the dynamic African-American co-director of Growing Power, says, “It’s a wonderful thing to change people’s lives through changing the way they’re eating.”

Her own parents, she adds, would have lived much longer with a healthier diet.

Farming, Allen insists, is not a fad. It’s hard, physical labor, but it’s not “slave’s work.”

The past has no power over Will Allen.

Paul Rockwell is a columnist for In Motion Magazine and lives in Oakland.

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Activism

LIVE! — TOWN HALL ON RACISM AND ITS IMPACT — THURS. 11.14.24 5PM PST

Join us for a LIVE Virtual Town Hall on the Impact of Racism hosted by Post News Group Journalist Carla Thomas and featuring Oakland, CA NAACP President Cynthia Adams & other Special Guests.
Thursday, November 14, 2024, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

Published

2 weeks ago

November 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Discussion Topics:
• Since the pandemic, what battles have the NAACP fought nationally, and how have they impacted us locally?
• What trends are you seeing concerning Racism? Is it more covert or overt?
• What are the top 5 issues resulting from racism in our communities?
• How do racial and other types of discrimination impact local communities?
• What are the most effective ways our community can combat racism and hate?

Your questions and comments will be shared LIVE with the moderators and viewers during the broadcast.

STREAMED LIVE!
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Business

Gov. Newsom Issues Executive Order to Tackle Rising Electric Bills

Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order to help alleviate the financial burden of skyrocketing electric bills on residents. This directive instructs the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and Energy Commission to identify strategies to lower electricity costs and prevent rapid increases in the future.

Published

3 weeks ago

November 6, 2024

Oakland Post

iStock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Among the key actions proposed, the governor emphasized a closer examination of utility expenditures related to wildfire mitigation, which accounts for about 13% of residential electric bills.

Newsom underscored the state’s commitment to balancing affordability with environmental goals.

“We’re taking action to address rising electricity costs and save consumers money on their bills,” said Newsom. “California is proving that we can address affordability concerns as we continue our world-leading efforts to combat the climate crisis.”

California now has the second-highest electric rates in the country, trailing only Hawaii, with residential bills having surged as much as 110% over the past decade. The largest utilities, including Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric, have seen rate hikes of 20% to 50% in just the last three years, approved by the state’s regulatory bodies.

The executive order also directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to explore increasing the California Climate Credit, which provides some relief on energy costs for residents. Additionally, the PUC is urged to pursue federal funding opportunities to further reduce electric expenses.

While consumer advocates welcomed the governor’s focus on lowering costs, concerns were raised regarding potential cuts to essential clean energy programs. CALPIRG, a consumer group, pointed out that the real issue behind high utility bills is wasteful spending by utilities and urged greater accountability.

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Bay Area

California Ports to Receive Over $1 Billion in Federal Funds to Decarbonize

Last week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will allocate over $1 billion to seven California ports for zero-emission (ZE) infrastructure and climate management plans. In an Oct. 29 press release, Padilla said this funding, part of the EPA’s Clean Ports Program and supported by the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality at ports nationwide.

Published

3 weeks ago

November 6, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

In an Oct. 29 press release, Padilla said this funding, part of the EPA’s Clean Ports Program and supported by the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality at ports nationwide.

Among the grants, the Port of Los Angeles received over $411 million, the largest award in the country. California ports are vital to the national economy, handling about 40% of containerized imports and 30% of exports.

“California’s ports move the goods that power our economy. This historic investment in our ports is a major step forward in accelerating the zero-emission infrastructure transition,” said Padilla.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka and fellow port officials echoed Padilla’s sentiments, with plans to acquire over 400 pieces of ZE cargo handling equipment, reducing emissions by 41,500 tons annually.

“This transformative investment will be a tremendous boost to our efforts to meet our ambitious zero emission goals, improve regional air quality, and combat climate change while accelerating the port industry’s transition to zero emissions across the country,” said Seroka.

Other ports, including Oakland, Stockton, San Diego, and San Francisco, will also use their grants to transition to ZE operations, improve regional air quality, and create job opportunities.

The EPA’s funding will support various projects, from electrifying cargo terminals to establishing the first high-speed zero-emission ferry network in the U.S. Ports will collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure these investments benefit their surrounding communities.

The port of Hueneme in Ventura County and the Port of Redwood City on the Southern San Francisco Bay will also receive funding, respectively.