It was just past 9 am and the sun was already beating down on the dozen or so teens assembled in a small corner of Chicago's Grant Park. Wisely, Jessica Ellis assumed a spot in the shade. The 18-year-old had picked up a few tricks since she started working at the well-manicured farm just west of Columbus Drive two years prior. As she sat and washed freshly-harvested collard greens and cabbage, her peers bee-lined to the farm beds that formed the perimeter of the park, beginning the more arduous work of trimming and bundling a variety of lettuces. None seemed to notice the heat; the volunteers dug away, sharing a laugh in between snips. Ellis noted that the work made the trek down from her Cabrini Green home worthwhile. "I like planting and getting my hands dirty," she said.
This uncommon but picturesque urban scene took place on a piece of property operated by Growing Power, a national nonprofit organization and land trust dedicated to developing sustainable community food systems. Will Allen, a former NBA player with an agricultural background, created the organization a decade ago after purchasing the last remaining farm in Milwaukee. Following a brief foray into the world of for-profit food production, he pivoted, developing a comprehensive, non-profit agricultural complex complete with greenhouses, composts, outdoor pens for livestock, and a small retail store. He also implemented an urban farming training program that teaches schools, government agencies, and community members how to operate and sustain farms themselves.
In 2002, Allen's daughter Erika expanded the organization's reach 90 miles south to Chicago, where she had been living, studying, and working for 15 years. In just six short years, Allen, her staff, and local residents have collaborated on three projects: a traditional community garden adjacent to Cabrini Green, a half-acre site in Jackson Park on the city's South Side -- used for both high-intensity food production and as a community garden for local gardeners -- and the plot downtown. On just 12,000 square feet of land in what Allen calls "the front yard of Chicago," Growing Power cultivates 150 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. On top of the farming work, Allen's staff participates in farmers markets, supports other small projects like school gardens, and serves as a "leadership hub" for folks who are interested in the work. "People find us," says Allen. "They find us, they invite us in, and we assist.”
More and more people are doing just that. Growing Power is one of several organizations in Chicago working to improve access to quality food through urban agriculture. While historically food production has taken place in the open spaces of rural America, a growing number of urban denizens are beginning to till city plots in hopes of addressing a variety of intractable social injustices. Although limited in scale, the movement is maturing and could soon become a pivotal player in the nation's fight to cut carbon emissions and empower underserved communities.
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Searching for a politically convenient scapegoat to the nation’s mortgage meltdown, conservatives have focused their attention on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), a law passed by former President Jimmy Carter that requires banks to lend throughout the communities they serve. As the theory goes, CRA regulations placed tremendous pressure on banks to extend loans to people who were unfit to borrow, leading to an explosion in subprime mortgages and eventually a rash of foreclosures.
