Connecting an Emergent Movement

What follows is a paraphrase of the presentation about emergent movements and asset-based community development that I gave at the COPE (Childhood Obesity Prevention Education) Coalition meeting on Tuesday evening, 4/30/2013. COPE is a comprehensive coalition of public and private sector agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals in our capital city working to address childhood obesity. The focus is on holistic prevention strategies rather than weight loss. Many Tallahassee Food Network partners received $10,000 COPE mini-grants to scale-up their efforts.  Learn more on the COPE webpage.

Tallahassee Food Network hosts monthly Collard and Cornbread Gatherings to connect folks and spokes of the food movement to one another around good food.

Good Evening!

My name is Nathan Ballentine. I'm here tonight as a co-founder of the Tallahassee Food Network. Folks around town know me as the Man in Overalls.

Before I get started, I'd like to take just a moment to recognize, to appreciate the incredible people in this room, the skills they possess, the amazing work that I know they're doing.  I only know a tiny amount of what we're all up to, all the skills in the room, connections they have, and I know it's incredible.  Now, imagine: what if we all knew what everyone else in this room knew? I'm not saying we need to know what they know, but we need to know that they know it. If we know what it is that the other people in this room know, then we can step up our game because then we can call on each other and turn to each other with dreams and ideas that draw off all that greatness.

Before we get started, to get us thinking along these lines, I have a couple questions for you. I want you to turn to a neighbor that you didn't come here with. You've only got a minute (thirty seconds each), and I want you to share a couple stories with each other. First: What is a skill that you have that's related to food? (You might know how to bake potatoes; you might know where to look for grants related to food security). Then next, you can answer one of two questions: What is a resource that you have, currently, that's food related? (For example, I've got a bag of potatoes at home.) Or, who do you know that has skills related to food? (My mother knows how to cook cornbread in an iron skillet).

(After a minute).

What kinds of skills did you hear your neighbor mention? (Cooking. Gardening. Canning. Nutrition. Mentoring. Partnering.)

What kinds of resources do y'all have or who do you know? (Family land. University departments with student interns and professors. Pots and pans. Gardening tools. Time. Grandparents. The Internet.)

Wow. Great responses.

I ask these questions because the Tallahassee Food Network is working to build partnerships amidst the food movement to grow community-based food systems that ensure access to good food, which we define as healthy, green, fair, and affordable. To do so, we're going to need all these skills, all these resources and connections. Everyone has a role to play.

The Food Network is especially interested in building a movement that bridges lines of division, however you think about those things: race, geography, age, income.

Those of us who founded the Food Network-- Miaisha Mitchell, Qasimah Boston, Joyce Brown, and I-- realized early on that in many ways we've got parallel movements going on. Let me give you quick example. If I get invited to a white church to do a workshop on gardening, it's because their sustainability committee invited me. If I get invited to a black church to do a workshop on gardening, it's because their health ministry invited me. So we've got similar conversations, similar work going on in different segments of our population. Yes, there is some overlap, but largely we've got disparate, parallel yet disparate movements. So we ask ourselves, how do we encourage overlap, collaboration, relationships, and synergy?

Let me introduce another way of thinking about these things. It's called "emergence." Emergence is what happens when a collection of individuals are able to asses their local situation, communicate, and take appropriate action. When they do so, they display an intelligence that is greater than the sum of their parts. Think ant hills, bee hives. We do things like this all the time. This is what we're doing amidst COPE.  Emergence is how the food movement is operating. We're all assessing the world based on the information we know, communicating with the people we have access to, and then taking steps: growing gardens, cooking dinner, managing farmers markets, teaching nutrition.

Given this reality, the question becomes "How do we facilitate an emergent movement?" Especially in light of the challenges.

For example, folks run in different networks, in different circles. Let's take Facebook for example. I hear people say, "We put it on facebook so everyone will learn about it." Except, not really. For starters, not everyone is on facebook. But even on facebook, if I post something it's accessible only to my network, and by-and-large, my network looks a whole lot like me. For most of us, our networks tend to look a lot like ourselves-- however it is that we choose to identify ourselves.

Geography is a challenge. There are the neighborhoods that we know and tend to stick to and there are those where we don't tend to go.

Communication mediums. Some people communicate through facebook. Others get their information via front porches or folks walking up and down the street; others through fliers, others by emails or the radio.

We're also dealing with different languages.  I'm not talking about spanish and french and english. I'm talking about styles. A few weeks ago, Efrayim the farm manager at the iGrow Farm -- a so-called black man was talking on the phone with Jen, a so-called white female FSU student intern. At the close of their conversation Jen said, "Ok, so I'll see you Friday," and Efrayim said, "Alright." Then Jen said, "I guess we've got our plan then," and Efrayim said, "A'right." Then Jen closed, "So I'll see you Friday. Sounds good," and Efrayim responded, "A'right...." They were both trying to get off the phone, but they didn't speak each others' languages.

So again, the question is: How do we facilitate an emergent movement amidst all the challenges?

One strategy that we use in the Food Network-- though we don't talk about it all that much-- is ABCD, Asset-Based Community Development. The idea is that every one of us in here, everyone in Tallahassee no matter where we are has skills, resources, and connections to bring to the table. This is where those stories we shared with one another come in. This is where knowing what it is that your neighbor knows fits in. This is where your grandmothers' recipes fit in. In the Food Network, the idea is that the more folks we have at the table from all walks of life* and the better we all know each other and know what the others know, the better we'll be able to grow those community based-food systems because we'll be able to partner, we'll be able to fill each others' gaps and enable each others' dreams.

Let me give a quick example of how we do this. On the second Thursday of every month, the Food Network hosts a Collards and Cornbread Gathering where we share stories, ideas, and projects with one another amidst the food movement. At our last gathering, Mr Bellamy, who coordinates the Frenchtown Heritage Market gave a two minute update about how he's working to make it so folks could purchase fresh veggies at his market using SNAP/EBT. (As y'all know, a lot of people buy groceries with SNAP/EBT; unfortunately, to date, none of our farmers markets in town accept SNAP/EBT. Largely, this is because most of our farmers markets are in parking lots or fields or other places where access to a phone-line is hard to come by. But comeon! We've got YouTube on our phones, and iGrow can accept credit cards with a device that plugs into the ear phone jack on an iPad. As it turns out, FL Dept of Children and Families is working on a wireless device for SNAP/EBT for farmers markets, and Mr Bellamy is one of the first to act on it.) Sitting across the circle from Mr. Bellamy was Claire Mitchell who works with the Red Hills Small Farms Alliance, which also wants to accept SNAP/EBT for their online farmers market.  Claire says, "Wait, who did you talk to at DCF?" Then a minute later, "What was the website? Where was the office?" In a manner of minutes, because we're sharing what we know-- because we know each other and get together-- we're growing the movement and the community-based food systems that will ensure access to healthy, green, fair, and affordable food."

- - -

A few after thoughts:

*In the realm of assets, amongst the most overlooked skill-sets and knowledge bases are indigenous mores, customs, patterns of speech, historical knowledge, visual aesthetics, friendship networks, music preferences, and long-standing neighborhood tensions, i.e., generally, knowing the culture of a community.

Having grown up in Indianhead Acres (which was one of Tallahassee's first segregated suburban developments, and, consequentially, remains predominantly Euro-American) I know the folks on the neighborhood board as well as the unofficial leaders who others will follow because they're known and respected. I know where the creek is in the park and the place where I made a fort as a child. I know who bought my sister's Girl Scout Cookies, and who was diabetic-- or said they were. I know how to pronounce "Chowkeebin Nene" and can find my way from Koucky Park to Hartsfield Elementary and chime off the names of 20 neighborhood families in between.  People know me because I gardened on "the corner" from the time I was eight until I graduated high school.

Post college when I returned to the neighborhood, given my roots, I could conceive of community initiatives and projects that were within the understanding and acceptance of "my people" because, to a certain extent, I thought (and think), how my neighbors think.  The same is true of folks in Frenchtown and Killarn and Betton Hills and South City. Such localized community expertise is irreplaceable in growing a food movement that will work for everyone.  This is why, amidst my life and work in Frenchtown (a predominantly African-American community), as much as possible, I take my direction from-- I defer to folks who have roots and/or long-standing ties in the neighborhood. Although I've developed and investigated lots of successful community food projects and found many working models-- I wasn't raised in Frenchtown, so I don't know, de facto, what will work here, especially in light of Frenctown culture, with all the intricacies inherent.

I'll give you a simple example: Wendell, a friend with family roots in Frenchtown asked me a while back: "You ever notice how black folks never have picnics?" He explained to me that the word "picnic" is associated with "Picking a nigger," say, for a hanging party. Wendell educated me that black folks have "cookouts." For obvious reasons, had I mistakenly attempted to organized a "picnic" in Frenchtown as part of my work with iGrow, I would not have been received well by my neighbors.

The latter is an extreme yet real example of the importance of localized community expertise. (This is closely tied to ideas of cultural competence.) In such light, we need Wendell; we need Joshua and Clarenia on the iGrow team; we need Ms Mitchell and Mr Bellamy, long-time citizens of the neighborhood as well as Pee Wee and Bruce on Dent Street-- all Frenchtown neighbors with very different lives and perspectives-- as much we need the inspiration, models, and ideas provided by folks like Will Allen, Louise Divine, Malik Yakini, Mark Tancig and Vandana Shiva.

The beauty of ideas like Asset-Based Community Development, localized community expertise, and cultural competence is that we're all competent within the realm of our own experience, communities, and cultures. All of us have community-rooted and network-tied cultural skill-sets to bring to the table.

This is why, when it's time to grow the good food movement in your communities and circles, we need you on the team.

- - -  

If you're interested in this conversation about localized community expertise, cultural competence, and the challenges of building an emergent food movement that bridges lines of division, I've compiled a few items for additional exploration that have shaped my understanding:

• Malik Yakini, A Disturbing Trend
• Myles Horton, The Long Haul
• Julie Guthman, "If They Only Knew": Color Blindness and Universalism in California Alternative Food Institutions and Bringing Good Food to Others; Investigating the Subjects of Alternative Food Practice
• Stephen Johnson, Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software.
• Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals: A pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals
• Malcomb Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, and The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Lastly, below I've listed a handful of organizations with similar models and philosophies to the Tallahassee Food Network worth checking out:

• Food Systems New York City
• Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
• Network Center for Community Change in Louisville
• New Orleans Food and Farm Network
• La Via Campesina
• The Landless Farmers' Movement of Brazil
• The US Food Sovereignty Alliance

Blessings as you grow and intertwine the movement,
Nathan

Chinese "Secret Garden" & Spring Planting Tips

Hey there good folks,

I've got a quick little story for you and a couple of pointers as you begin your summer garden.

1.) Story: A Hidden Garden

Last week, Sundiata Ameh-El, co-coordinator of iGrow and I were installing raised beds around town together. Because we were in the area and because my father had told me about it, we swung by for a look at an unlikely farm. It's hidden behind a Tallahassee shopping center, behind a hedge on a steep hillside above a storm drain. It's absolutely gorgeous, everything a mini farm should be, and it's maintained by a gentleman from China who doesn't speak any English. (To protect his privacy, I'm being intentionally vague about his farm's location.)

Aside from the beautiful produce, the most impressive aspect in my opinion was the terracing itself. I've always wondered how indigenous peoples the world over have farmed on hillsides without loosing their beds to the first rain. Take a look.

Notice that there is a storm drain (aka the pathway) that's dug into the hill above the bed to divert water around. Wow, I thought, a subsistence Chinese farmer right here in Talahassee who's relocated following family, and has found a place to plant once more.  Well, not quite: after a failed attempt to communicate directly, Sundiata was able to locate his daughter who is bilingual. As it turns out, the man was a banker in China, and these days, "Was bored and wanted something to do." His daughter told us, "He is out here every day gardening, but we don't know what we're doing." She communicated her father's frustration with fava beans and cabbages that took too long to grow; she shared about chinese lettuce varieties that don't suffer from pest problems like our own. Sundiata asked questions about their methods of composting and shared his own practices... and so it turned into an agricultural exchange.

That's the power of food. If you step out a bit, it has a way of bridging lines of division.

2.) Food Garden Tips

It's spring planting time! Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, bush beans, squash, zucchini, watermelon, and all that other good stuff. See the attached "What Can You Grow in a Square" resource for specifics on planting including how much space things need, what to plant when, and a cool planting grid to plan your garden. Also attached is my "Food Gardening 101" that covers the basic 10 steps to go from grass to garden. -- If you're planting in a raised bed, the best/easiest way to maintain fertility is to top it off with mushroom compost. (Just fill it back up). If things grew well last spring, but didn't produce quite like how you'd want, you could add a little greensand or granite dust (say, 5lbs per 20square feet) to up the potassium and micro-nutrients that get overlooked. -- Last tip: Okra and sweet potatoes love the heat, so wait until May/June to plant them, preferably, plant them on the heals of an early spring crop like sweet corn or bush beans (i.e., after you grow and harvest the early crop, topdress with a little more compost, then plant your okra).

   

                                                                                          


   Happy planting, 

Nathan, the Man in Overalls 

iGrow Buckets now for sale online!

New: Man in Overalls Magic Mix delivery right to your garden. 
(1 yard delivered & added to your garden for $99) 

PS- I'm happy to answer food gardening quandaries by email or on Facebook.com/maninoveralls.

Sign up for semi-monthly updates from the Man in Overalls by emailing me with the subject line "Count Me In."

People Showed Up, Now What? -- Facilitating a Community Garden Interest Meeting

Southwood Community Garden looking great (12/2012)

So lets say you're starting a community garden. You've done your homework, so you realize that when you're starting a community garden, the community aspect is just as important as the garden aspect. In that light, before breaking ground or applying for land from the City of Tallahassee or Leon County, you'll likely organize a community garden interest meeting.

A year ago, I mentioned asset-based community development (ABCD) in a post about my friend and mentor, Amanda Edmonds at Growing Hope in Michigan.  At the core of ABCD is the premise that everyone-- and by extension, every community-- has assets: skills, knowledge, resources, people they know, and organizational affiliations that teams can fit together like pieces of a puzzle to better their community.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to put ABCD into practice when I aided Cristin Burns (marketing manager at New Leaf) in facilitating the Lafayette St Community Garden interest meeting. Below is an outline of that meeting:

Lafayette Community Garden Interest Meeting Quick Sketch

1. Welcome/Names/Introductions
2. History/Overview of Project: where the idea came from, land availability, pictures of site
3. Question: Will the Community Garden be Organic? -- Group decides: yes
4. Knowledge and available resource offers from Betton Hills Community Garden leader
5. What is your interest? What brought you here tonight?
6. Names again (+ something you'd like to grow)
7. Introduce Asset-Based Community Development: "Everyone-- every single person-- has skills, knowledge, resources, and networks that can help this community garden come into being." 
8. "Raise Your hand if..." Agriculture, communication, and group process skills-related questions to identify knowledgeable folks amidst the group.
9. ABCD Questions to Group (Record answers with names attached for follow up)
1. What, specifically, do you know? What knowledge do you have that could help the creation of this community garden project?
2. What resources do you have?
3. Who do you know that could help?
10. What steps will the team need to take between this meeting and an installed, thriving community garden?
11. What concerns do you have about the project?
12. What is step #1? -- Group decides: Field trip to Betton Hills Community Garden
13. Solidify plan to visit the Betton Hills Dec 8th
14. Ask for volunteer to take sign-in sheet, create email account, send notes out to group.
15. Closing: What's a word that captures what you're feeling or what you're taking away from tonight

~ ~ ~

If you're interested in the details and have a few more minutes, I've attempted to recreate a "play-by-play" of the interest meeting, so you can see some of the nuances of community organizing, group dynamics, and the way I facilitate meetings with an ABCD-mindset.

• Cristin heard through the grapevine (and later confirmed) that Scott, owner of the Moon had a piece of property he was willing to offer to a community group interested in starting a community garden.
• 4-8 weeks before the meeting, Cristin advertised/announced a community garden interest meeting through the Indianhead and Woodlawn Drives neighborhood associations and their newsletters, via the management at Tally Square Apartments, and in the Parkway Merchants Association network.
• 15 minutes before the meeting (hosted in the New Leaf Cafe): Cristin set up a powerpoint, a sign-in sheet, and arranged her handouts. 
• Folks signed in as they arrived. Cristin asked folks already sitting in the cafe, "Are you here for the community garden interest meeting?" She passed them the sign-in sheet and distributed copies of the American Community Gardening Association "How to start a community garden" handout.
• Cristin briefly introduced herself and asked others to do the same. We went around.
• Cristin provided an overview of the property: who owns the land, his willingness to lend it for a community garden, where it was, pictures via powerpoint, etc.
• Folks asked Cristin whether the garden would be organic or not. She deferred the question back to the group saying, "I'm not in charge. I just know about the availability of the land. This is not my project. It only happens if y'all-- if a group of people step up to make it happen. What do y'all think? Should it be organic?" Most folks nodded in agreement.
• Sue Hansen from the Betton Hills Community Garden offered a few gardening tips and tricks as well as info about free resources like the woodchip "fines" available at the county landfill.
• After a lull in the conversation, I asked, "Cristin, is it okay for me to ask a couple questions?" She passed the torch to me.
• I asked the group: "What interests you? Why'd you come out tonight? We've all got something that motivates us, and that's where we need to start because our motivations, our interests will inform the purpose and the design of the garden. So, what interests you?" After asking the question, I left silence. Everyone responded popcorn style (i.e., not in a circle).The answers were varied. Here are a few examples:
• Because I like to work with my family, to teach my kids how to work
• Taste
• I live just down the road and bike by the garden location every day on my way home from work. It'd be really cool to stop, take care of my plot, pick a few veggies, and go on home.
• I want to know where my food is coming from
• I want to learn to garden, so I can teach others
• The price of food is going up, up, up.
• As folks answered, I echoed them. That's where you repeat back what people are saying in the same words. It helps make sure the group hears the speaker. It also helps the speaker hear their own words, so they can make sure they're saying what they mean.  In addition, it creates a group dynamic where folks feel like a lot is going on. It fills that awkward silence that nobody likes to break. When folks answered with a single word or two, I drew them out, which means I asked them to expand on their idea, e.g., "Could you explain that more?" Lastly, I made sure that every person in the group was given a chance to share. This required leaving space (i.e., silence) after I echoed folks. It also required calling on specific people who were holding back.
• Next, I proposed that we do names again, more slowly because "I confess, I don't remember any of y'all's names." 
• Someone suggested that before we said our names, we should shift into a smaller, tighter circle so we could hear each other better. "That's a great idea," I said. Whenever you can incorporate group members' ideas while advancing the core purpose of building the team, discovering and building upon assets, do it. Even small ideas acted upon serve as seeds that can grow into ownership and project leadership. 
• We shifted in.
• We went around the circle giving our names.
• "Okay," I asked, "Who remembers at least two names? Three?" We then went back around, but rather than folks saying their own name, I proposed that the group as a whole chime the names to see if we could remember. "Just say the names you remember." As a group, we were able to name everyone.
• Next I introduced some ABCD ideas: "Everyone-- every single person-- has skills, knowledge, resources, and networks that can help this community garden come into being. Someone in this circle has grown something before. I'm almost positive someone has a few tools. And we all know people that could help us out. So... raise your hand if..."
• (agriculture-skill-related questions)
• You've ever grown anything?
• You've had a garden for a year or more?
• You've gardened or farmed for 5 years or more? ("Okay y'all, these are your ag-experts.")
• (communication-skill-related questions)
• You've ever talked to anyone?
• You've sent a bulk email to 10 people or more?
• You've managed a database? ("Ok, these are your communication experts.")
• (education/group-facilitation-skill-related questions)
• You've presented to a group of people?
• You've facilitated a conversation or led a workshop? ("These are your education and group coordinator experts.")
• "Okay. So now the question is: What do you know? Specifically. We need to know what the others in this circle know, and we need to write these things down,-- with names attached-- so we can follow up with the right people. What do you know?" Some of the answers included: 
• I... know how to grow tomatoes
• I grew up gardening with my parents, so I know roughly what to plant in what season
• I know how to send emails
• I can make calls. I do that for a living.
• Next question: "What do you have? What resources do you have?" Answered included:
• Shovels
• a tiller
• contact information for their neighbors who might help
• "Who do you know that could help?" I heard folks say:
• My brother who is a landscape architect could help with a site plan
• my church family has resources like tools and time and an interest in volunteering
• After the group laid some key assets on the table, we needed to develop a plan, an outline of how to proceed. It's always temping as a facilitator or group leader to feel like you need to provide all the answers, in this case a "plan of action." Much of the time, however, not having the answer is the best answer. Even if you feel like you may know the answer, asking a question and allowing the group to create the answer transfers ownership from facilitator to the group itself. 
• In this light, I asked, "Between now-- this interest meeting-- and an installed, thriving community garden, what steps do you anticipate the team will have to take? What things will have to happen between now and then? (In no particular order.) Folks responded with things like:
• We'll have to price materials
• design the layout
• start a committee
• have meetings
• do outreach to recruit others
• make decisions
• (For each of these answers, I, again, drew folks out. I problematized their answers: "What kind of materials? What will you do in the meetings? What kind of decisions will you have to make? What might outreach look like?" -- The point is to bring to light the details, depth, and additional questions that lay behind simple words, so the group as a whole can see the tasks before them. This also helps reveal additional knowledge and folks' expertise. If someone is particularly able to answer such follow-up questions, they are likely more knowledgeable on that particular topic. E.g., if someone says regarding materials, "We'll need 10-12 inch lumber to build raised beds plus 2-4 screws or lag-bolts per corner, and we'll have to calculate how much mushroom compost we'll need to fill them, which we can get from such-and-such company" that person clearly knows more than most about building raised beds.)
• Towards the end of this conversation, someone expressed worry about "Time" and "everything that needed to be done." Rather than gloss over the work and difficulty ahead, we embraced our concerns. "So and so," I said, "is worried he may not have enough time to dedicate to the project.  What other concerns to people have?" Concerns are real. If ignored, they'll often seed the doom of community garden projects even if they could have been addressed had they been out in the open.  On the other hand, If they're on the table along with the groups' assets, the team can likely find a way to plan and build their project-- to arrange their assets-- in such as ways as to over-come or accommodate folks' concerns. Some of the concerns mentioned were:
• soil contamination -- the group decided that they'd do a heavy-metal soil test and likely build raised beds no matter the results
• vandalism and theft -- folks with experience in prior (and other) community gardens shared their experiences and best practices
• having enough time to dedicate -- the group talked about various roles and levels of responsibility. E.g., some people would serve on the leadership team, others would be plot members, others volunteers, and some families could share a plot to reduce the days they had to water.
• To transition the conversation back towards action, I summarized, "So, we've talked about some of the steps the group will need to take, and we've shared concerns. Keeping all that in mind," I posed, "What is step number one?"
• A couple folks said, "Another meeting."
• Sue Hansen offered to receive the group on a tour of the Betton Hills Community Garden. There seemed to be a murmur of agreement with this idea, so I asked, "How's that sound? Next step is a group tour to the Betton Hills Community Garden? So y'all can ask questions of the garden team there...?" Hearing general consent, I questioned, "Is there anyone who doesn't think a tour is a good next step?" No one challenged the idea, and all agreed to the tour with enthusiasm. Note: a field trip to a successful community garden is an excellent first step after an interest meeting. There's nothing quite like seeing things growing and talking to folks who were in your same situation situation not all that long ago for equipping a community garden team with the inspiration and knowledge they need to move forward.
• To make sure the plan was confirmed, we immediately set a date and time for the tour. Sue gave directions on how to get there and gave out her phone number.
• "Before we leave, we need a volunteer that can take the sign-in list, start an email account for the team, and send out a summary of the meeting to everyone along with directions to Betton Hills." I made the statement, and then stopped talking. I did not attempt to explain how easy the task would be or minimize the responsibility in any way. I simply let it hang. Rhionon raised her hand after 3-5 seconds. "Awesome! Thank you."
• Out of the blue, someone else volunteered, "I'll be on the infrastructure committee." Then someone else said they'd be on "the garden committee to help make it happen."
• When someone offers to do something, especially offers to serve as a leader responsible for making decisions, make a note and acknowledge/appreciate their offer. Don't let it fade. By the same token, if you think someone would likely make a good leader, find a way to ease or request them into a leadership role.
• To wrap things up, I suggested we close by all offering a word that summarized what folks were taking away or how they felt. I heard:
• community
• proud
• teamwork
• garden
• skills
• It's gonna happen
• Goodbyes and Details
• Cristin made a copy of the sign-in sheet and sent it with Rhionon, so she could create the email account and get the notes, etc out to the group. (This is real empowerment and ABCD: passing responsibility to those who have offered their assets and leadership, i.e., leaning on folks in real, non-token ways from the get-go, building on folks' assets to create something positive that didn't exist before)
• I gave Rhionon my notes.
• Sue and Rhionon conferenced to make sure she had correct directions to the Betton Hills garden.
• Cristin and I debriefed and departed.

Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there are a million ways to facilitate a community garden interest meeting using asset-based community development principles.  Whatever your method, just remember that at the core of ABCD is a faith that people and groups have or are networked to the things they need to grow a better world -- not to mention a community garden on Lafayette Street.

Happy growing,
Nathan, Man in Overalls

iGrow Dunn St. Youth Farm

How does a team of dedicated youth and adults create a major food-producing, educational, and inviting urban agriculture demonstration project on a 1/3rd acre vacant lot? How much food can we raise? How many people -- especially young people-- can we engage in urban agriculture? Can we make money raising and selling healthy, green, fair, and affordable food?

These are the questions we've been wrestling with at the Dunn St. Youth Farm, the main initiative of iGrow-"Whatever You Like," the urban ag youth program of the Tallahassee Food Network. My job as the program coordinator is connecting the team with area experts and arranging hands-on experiences, so we can discover our own answers to those questions.

Youth began work on the farm in July. The picture below shows Tierra, Khadijah, and Martin smoothing out the compost-mix in a 4'x4' raised bed, which they planted with sweet potatoes.

Throughout the summer and early fall, the iGrow team visited other farms and gardens including Mr Duffee's Alabama St. Farm, Turkey Hill Farm, the Salvation Army Garden, the Aaket Center's garden, the Fresh for Florida Kids Food Garden, and the Leon County Extension demonstration garden. Of course, the iGrow Youth also drew from their experience volunteering at the Second Harvest Community Garden.

The next step was design. With the help of the Tallahassee Sustainability Group, the young folks brainstormed farm features like raised beds, fruit trees, a market stand, and compost area. Then they measured the site and designed the layout using Google Sketch-up.

September 15th, 35 youth and adults joined forces for the Dunn St. Youth Farm Cookout and Workday.  Over the course of 6 hours, the team built six 4'x40' raised beds and filled three of them with compost. Below are a couple pictures.

Since mid September, the crew has been planting, hauling compost and wood chips, building an outdoor classroom/meeting space, dealing with caterpillars, building more raised beds and engaging the neighborhood. (I nearly forgot: before the cook-out and workday, the youth did a workshop on door-to-door outreach with Sundiata from E.D.I.F.Y Mentoring, and then promptly knocked on doors and met the farm's neighbors to invite them to the cookout and to solicit their ideas about what kinds of vegetables the youth should plant. This list served as our initial planting list because core to the mission of iGrow is to provide access to healthy food amidst one of Tallahassee's food desert areas).

Currently the Dunn St. Youth Farm comprises 10 raised beds (total planting space of 1150 square feet) planted with collards, cabbage, carrots, kale, chard, arugula, lettuce, turnips, sweet potatoes, sugar snaps and broccoli.  Come check it out. The address is 526 Dunn St.

iGrow has workdays every Monday and Friday, 2:30-5:30. Starting 10/26, there will be a market every Friday, 4-5pm at the farm.

If you're looking for a way to engage in the food movement, or have young people in need of volunteer hours, send them our way. If you know folks who attend church in Frenchtown, please introduce us. Email iGrow for more info.

"Hey y'all. I'm Nathan Ballentine the Man in Overalls. Today we're going to talk about..."

Check it out!

I've been working with the FL Dept of Ag to create a bunch of "How To" Food Gardening Videos.  For example: "How to build raised beds," "How to plant," "How to water," and all kind of other basics.  Below are a few to get your started.  For the rest (and for the ones still to be released), stay tuned to the Fresh for Florida Kids Youtube Channel.




While I'm at it, I'll go ahead and show you a few other things as well.

I'm super excited about this: The City of Tallahassee TV station, WCOT did an "Eco-Smart" program on the new City Community Gardening Program.  It's half an hour and contains loads of info including the new process by which neighborhood groups can apply for and get access to city land on which to start community gardens -- a program that emerged from a partnership between the Tallahassee Food Network and the City of Tallahassee.



Lastly, I've got two more quick press items:

“The Man in Overalls” Bringing Gardening Skills to Tallahassee Communities
- blog post on Florida Blueblog.floridablue.com

"Growing up Green" 
- 6/7/2012 Tallahassee Dem article by Elizabeth Mack highlighting the iGrow Youth and my involvement with their urban agriculture endeavors.

That's it for now.  Thanks for all the continued support -- both for me and my business, and, more generally, for your work amidst the food movement.  Happy growing.