The Group Garden

Today's post written by YV Intern Cecilia Martinez.

What would you do if your community faced severe social problems like poverty and malnutrition? What if your city had one of the world's greatest gaps between the very rich and the very poor—a division that fell largely along racial lines. What if severe malnutrition was as pervasive as the severe poverty in your surroundings?

What would you do to solve these problems?

Rob Small’s answer is gardening.

Rob is an Ashoka fellow who is introducing group gardening in South Africa's cities. Through community gardening, Rob Small has been restoring a sense of community, while simultaneously encouraging the production of abundant, healthy food in formerly abandoned, unused spaces. In Robert’s mind, community gardening not only puts food on the table, but also heals social and psychological wounds and creates a new, rich sense of community and community pride. In a country where the unemployment rate is greater than 25% percent, and half of the population is at or below the material poverty line, Rob knew that introducing the concept of urban microagriculture would help alleviate urban poverty. Rob and his team provide resources–low-cost supplies and ongoing technical advice–to help communities start and sustain communal gardens. They also encourage communities to share and exchange resources and to create seed banks that ensure an abundant supply of seeds. Now, the community gardens have developed into strong platforms for further democratic efforts, both locally and in other psychologically traumatized cities.

To learn more about Rob’s work you can visit his website: http://www.abalimi.org.za

Do you see problems in your community? What steps are you taking to solve them? We want to hear from you!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42647587@N06/3935700016/