Street roots
Aug. 17, 2012
All is not lost, despite what the liberal diet tells you
BY TOM WATSON
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
t’s an article of faith for urban liberals
that the food system is broken. By
shopping at farmers markets, eating
organic foods and growing their own
vegetables, these progressive-minded folks
make a statement that corporate, chemical
laden, factory-farmed foods are not fit for
their families.
But a vital ingredient is missing from that
perspective: the connection between healthy
food and social justice. In his new book,
“The Good Food Revolution,” Will Allen
helps us bridge that gap.
Generously and forthrightly sharing his
life story and his passions as he makes the
case for a new food system, Allen inspires
us to move beyond self-interest when
considering greener and healthier food.
Assisted by the able writing of journalist
Charles Wilson, Allen gives us the straight
talk we yearn to hear from politicians.
The son of Southern sharecroppers, Allen
grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and
was the first African-American basketball
player for the University of Miami in 1967.
He played professional basketball in Europe,
managed a disco in Wisconsin and worked
as a successful regional sales rep and
manager for years for KFC and Procter &
Gamble.
But Allen loved to grow vegetables, and in
1993 he bought five old greenhouses and
adjoining property in Milwaukee and
opened Will’s Roadside Farm Market. Since
then, he has forged a national reputation as
a leader in the urban food movement by
doggedly pursuing these dreams: grow food;
make healthy food available in the city to all,
rich and poor; and educate youth and adults
alike about why we need a food revolution.
This book is more than just an
autobiography with a point of view. Allen
and Wilson flesh it out with dozens of
concise and illuminating depictions of
people important to Allen’s life and work,
I
The Good Food
Revolution:
Growing Health
Food, People and
Communities, by
Will Allen
from his steadfast mother, Willie Mae, to his
inspirational longtime co-worker, Karen
Parker.
These gripping personal stories woven
through the narrative provide a strong
foundation for Allen’s incisive historical and
social commentary. Early in the book, Allen
notes that in 1920, African Americans
operated more than 900,000 farms in the
u.s. But today, only 18,000 black people
name farming as their primary occupation.
Allen believes many blacks have wanted to
disassociate themselves from farming
because of its historical connections with
slavery and sharecropping, but he suspects
that other urban blacks may share his own
love and affinity for farming. He sees urban
food-growing, by people of all races and
ethnic backgrounds, as a key to restoring
balance in our food system and economic
and social justice in our society.
Allen decries the American government’s
support of massive-scale corporate farming,
which began in the 1970s. “If we are going
to foster a revolution in the methods of
American agriculture,” he asserts, “we must
pioneer ways to make small-scale farming
economically viable.”
In the heart of Milwaukee, Wise., Allen’s
nonprofit food-producing and educational
organization, called Growing Power, has led
the way by trial and error. Allen and his
crew grow some crops vertically and use
millions of worms to produce rich nutrients
for the soil. They raise fish in large tanks.
They have employed street kids and former
convicts. Allen was an early adopter in using
food scraps and agricultural waste for
composting, and the book includes detailed
tips for making your own compost. He
fervently believes that healing damaged
urban land is vital to successfully growing
food in cities.
Allen also has faith in renewable energy:
“My intention in time is to build a facility
that is entirely off the grid and that uses
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only the power of the sun, the earth and
decaying waste to grow food. I’m not there
yet, but I believe I can make it happen.”
Based on the successes and learning
experiences described in this book, a reader
can also believe it.
The greatest lesson for future leaders of
the urban food-growing movement might be
this, in Allen’s words: “All of these
innovations at
Growing Power came
from relationships.”
Allen and his
organization have
W ill U le n fervently believes
worked with and
that healing ia m a f e i urban
educated individuals
land Is v ita l t® saecessfally
from all walks of life.
They have partnered
grow ing fo o l In cities«
with companies,
organizations and
governments.
In 2011, Growing
Power, which is now
expanding nationally, even accepted a $1
million grant from Walmart. Allen says that
resulted in the “largest wave of criticism I
have ever experienced,” from social activists
upset about Walmart’s record on labor and
social issues. But he says he would rather
take that money and try to do some good
with it than worry about being called a
sellout.
“The Good Food Revolution” is a real-
world guidebook to positive change.
Although Allen comes across as heroic at
times, not so much through his own words
but through his actions, let’s hope this book
does much more than just enhance his
image as a leader in the environmental and
urban food-growing movements.
“Join us,” urges Allen. “Pick up a shovel,
get your hands dirty and let’s begin.”
Reprinted from Real Change News, Seattle,
Wash.,