Haiti is an amazing test case of the risks and failures of the global food economy.  Yet most recovery funding is being guided toward the same failed models of the past.  Hands That Feed is a non-profit documentary that explores Haiti’s agricultural collapse, its role in the post-quake crisis, and the alternative, grassroots sustainable agriculture-based recovery models that seek to restore Haiti’s food supply and environment.  There are 4 days remaining for the public to decide whether this film is made.

The importance of Hands That Feed was recently written about on Civil Eats, Grist.com, Food First, Elephant Journal, Change.org, and more than a dozen other food, haiti, and social justice blogs.  The film is supported through grassroots funding on Kickstarter, and if it doesn’t hit its goal by Monday, the project simply dies.

Even former president Bill Clinton is admitting the incredible error of the policies he championed in the 1990’s, both in Haiti and globally.  The following video opens with Clinton’s striking admission before the US Senate on March 10th, 2010.  It then goes on the introduce the concept of Hands That Feed:

When will the international aid industry and policy-makers begin to actually act upon the implications of Clinton’s reversal?  This is like turning a battleship.  Yet  Haiti’s strong agricultural traditions and demographics, combined with its ecological imperatives, have made the country a testing ground for emerging, alternative development models – approaches which use sustainable agriculture and agro-forestry as the basis for fostering self-reliance, vibrant rural economies, food security, and ecological restoration.  Despite great efforts in the field, in order to secure the attention and funding required to truly shape a new future for Haiti, I believe it is absolutely critical that these demonstrated successes be brought to global consciousness through successful media.  Thus Hands That Feed.

Furthermore, Haiti stands as an extreme test case of a failed development exercise in America’s backyard.  Yet Haiti’s social and ecological challenges mirror those faced throughout much of the Developing World.  Sustainable food security is the global challenge of the 21st century – the medium through which myriad other crises will be experienced. Haiti’s collapse, and the potential to rebuild sustainably, stands as an unparalleled “teachable moment” for the world that must not slip by.

As an avid gardener, garlic is one of my favorite crops to grow.  Why is it so rewarding?  First of all, I love to eat garlic.  As a garlic grower and eater, I can choose great-tasting varieties of garlic that are not commercially available in grocery stores.  Knowing that I grew the garlic that I’m eating  makes it taste even better.  Second off, garlic is a crop that stores very well.  Therefore, it is possible to grow enough garlic at home to meet some or all of your garlic needs throughout the year, without an extensive preservation process required by many other crops.  Third, garlic seed is easy for the home gardener to save from year to year, making it possible to grow the crop each year without purchasing more seed.  Finally, I love the growing season for garlic.  Since garlic is planted in the autumn, grows over winter, and is harvested in early/mid summer, it is a wonderful “off-season” crop that does not compete for garden space with other crops during most of the growing season.  After garlic is harvested in late June or early July, there is still time to plant a summer crop of basil, beans, or summer squash in the same bed, especially if transplants are utilized.

Garlic Growing Basics

The first step in growing garlic is acquiring garlic seed.  Garlic “seed” is actually each individual clove divided from a whole garlic bulb.  If you are growing garlic from year to year, save the biggest and best 10% of bulbs from your previous harvest for planting in the fall.  This selection process should yield seed quality improvement from year to year, adapted to your individual soil and climate. Otherwise, purchase garlic seed from a seed catalog.  My favorite supplier of garlic seed is Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (www.groworganic.com).

The two basic types of garlic are softneck and hardneck varieties.  Softneck varieties are what we generally find in supermarkets.  They keep longer than hardneck varieties and have more subtle flavor profiles than hardnecks.  Hardneck varieties tend to have more dramatic and distinct flavors.  They are easy to peel and have bigger cloves.  I suggest growing a combination of hardneck and softneck varieties.  Eat the hardnecks first (and enjoy their dramatic flavors) and eat the softnecks later, since they will store longer.

Garlic prefers a slightly acidic, well-drained, sandy-loam soil with decent soil fertility, though I have had success growing garlic in a variety of soil types.  Prepare the garlic bed by digging in well-cured compost between late September and late October (in the Northern hemisphere).  Using a furrowing tool of some sort, dig rows 18” apart and about 2” deep.  Break apart garlic bulbs into individual cloves, and plant each clove blunt end down, 4-6″ apart.   Be conscientious about choosing the largest cloves for planting, as there is a correlation between clove size and ultimate bulb size.  Cover the cloves with soil.  You may want to add a compost, leaf, or straw mulch, lightly in southern climates (1 inch), or heavily in northern climates (up to 8 inches).  Talk to experienced local garlic gardeners in your area to determine mulch requirements in your climate.  Living in northern California and southern Oregon over the last 20 years, my climate has been mild enough that mulch has not been necessary.

After planting, water in the garlic and maintain soil moisture throughout the growing season.  Garlic shoots should appear within a few weeks.  While the garlic grows, make sure you keep weeds out of the bed, especially in early spring when weeds tend to compete vigorously with the garlic.  By late spring/early summer, it will be much easier to keep the weeds down, as the garlic plants will get bigger and will compete much better for light and space.

The garlic plants may send up a flower stalk in the spring.  If they do, cut off the stalk, which will signal to the plant to put energy into the bulbs, rather than the flower, and will result in larger edible yields.

Harvest in the summertime (generally late June/early July) when the foliage falls on softnecks or when the bottom leaves dry out on hardnecks.  When the garlic leaves start to turn brown, stop watering the bed for a couple of weeks.  Use a garden fork to loosen the soil and then pull up the plants by hand.  Immediately put the whole garlic plants in a shady, dry place with good air circulation to cure.  Curing takes several weeks to a month, depending on the local climate.

When the garlic is done curing, cut off the tops and roots.  Use an old toothbrush to brush off dried-on soil and remove the outer layer of “skin” to clean the garlic.  Store in mesh bags in a cool, dry area.

Put aside the biggest and best bulbs for storing until planting time in the fall.  The rest can be eaten.  Hardnecks will store for up to 6 months, while softnecks will store for up to a year.  First thing, try making a yummy summertime pesto utilizing your home-grown garlic!

Today, urban agriculture, “urban ag”, is not simply about delicious, local food, it’s about creating new food production and delivery systems, it’s about public health and food justice. Boston chefs, community advocates and entrepreneurs are broadening the dialog and shortening the distance between farm and table. Never mind the 100 mile diet, how about 100 blocks, or 100 steps?

Meet a few new urban farmers, giving us a window into the promises and the challenges of urban agriculture in its many forms.

Since 1992 The Food Project has been bringing young people and adults together to learn about creating new food systems through urban agriculture. Today they farm 4 acres in 7 urban communities and 36 additional suburban acres. Most recent harvests included over 200,000 pounds of produce, with nearly 50,000 pounds donated to various hunger relief organizations. The rest is primarily sold via 492 CSAs and 4 farmers’ markets in low-income neighborhoods including some located in what were previously food deserts. The documentary Planting for Peace: Bury Seeds, Not Bodies (“P4P”) shows the impact of urban agriculture and support from organizations like The Food Project.

I met the film maker, Mike Cermak at a youth growers event prior to the screening of Fresh, the award-winning film by Ana Sofia Joanes. Cermak’s documentary tells the story of urban ag’s power to change young lives, documenting La Nuestra Huerta (supported by Neighborhood of Affordable Housing in East Boston and ReVision Farm in Dorchester. P4P shows how gardens and farming are used to teach valuable skills to youth against the backdrop of urban violence. Young gardeners named the two raised beds “Hope” and “Faith” – hope that they can bring change to urban food systems and enhance lives. And faith, that they can grow, sell, reinvest and replenish the food desert and work for food justice.

One of the challenges highlighted by the experience of youth gardeners is the inflexibility in school lunch systems. The gardens, often located near schools, grow more than food. They grow life skills. And yet, the young growers are unable to sell their produce into their own schools.

On the Menu

Chefs like Steve Johnson at Rendezvous in Central Square and Marco Suarez of Ledge Kitchen & Drinks in Dorchester know that fresh is better. And local – really local – is as fresh as it gets. When produce comes to the kitchen from atop your own roof, you’re making significantly less environmental impact – no trucking, packaging, refrigeration. You’re also getting produce at its peak of ripeness, something that makes chefs swoon.

On a recent visit with Johnson, I got to see how he’s capturing water from rooftop air conditioning units to water his herb garden. Through capillary action the crates of herbs and vegetables take up the water as needed. Only rarely has he had to supplement the self-watering with additional H20. Johnson’s eyes light up when he speaks of the potential to recapture water that would otherwise be wasted. “This is one small building, imagine how much water could be captured from any one of these surrounding us?” One unit alone on his roof produces 15 gallons of water per day, it’s clean water, simply condensation from the air conditioning systems.

His Sunday menu features rooftop radishes and herbs. Rosemary is used in many ways including infusing the olive oil for the crackers served with each meal. Chiles show up in ceviche. Purslane, lovage, lavender, chervil, mint, even potatoes are grown in crates and he’s built a winter box of reclaimed cedar and windows to shelter the plants which winter-over on the roof. Johnson is not seeking to fully supply his kitchen from his garden. But, like other chefs, he gets enormous personal satisfaction from the garden and from sharing the experience with his kitchen staff, many of whom are new to the experience. They find inspiration in working with produce grown steps away from the kitchen. Look for mint to show up in Rendezvous’ inventive summer libations, too.

Johnson is humble about his “little garden” but it serves as a potent, and fragrant, reminder that even small steps can be inspiring.

From Empty Lots to Full Larders

Glynn Lloyd, City Fresh Foods’ CEO and co-founder of City Growers is committed to providing local, sustainable food for the urban community. He is also focusing his company on implementing a whole new model of food production and delivery systems. Both Lloyd and City Growers co-founder Margaret Connors know very well the challenges of growing and changing infrastructure, capturing funders’ attention, and managing a base of support.

City Growers was founded on the premise that unused space in urban areas could be developed for the purpose of renewing neighbors’ connection to their food sources. Reclaiming, remediating sites that are fallow or may have become environmental “brown fields”. City Growers successfully turns them into raised bed, organic gardens producing healthy food from space that was once wasted.

In a 1/4 acre plot behind the Sportsman’s Club in Dorchester, and on two acres in Milton, City Growers is building a model of a new food system. First, land is reclaimed, improved with raised beds of clean fresh soil before healthy gardens can be planted. Sometimes this involves negotiations with the city, or landlords, or both. Can they grow a model that provides green jobs? Can economic sustainability be built into the model? So far, one talented grower, “Farmer Tim” is sustained and other farm managers, workers and volunteers are being recruited and trained from local neighborhoods.

Delivering Change

Then, there’s the delivery models. Not only the actual physical delivery (much is done by pedal power!) of the produce, but also the management of the CSA and restaurant deliveries. Can the vagaries of Mother Nature be coaxed into meeting chefs’ regular need for inventory, and on what scale? So far several local restaurants have found delicious reasons to work with City Growers for at least some of their regular produce needs.

Big goals inspire and big challenges persist, but they remain optimistic about the value of the good agricultural practices and the promise of a new urban economy. New acreage is constantly being reviewed and added, zoning meetings go on, plantings are rotated and food — good, organic, local food — is grown by and sold to locals, finding its way into neighborhood restaurants and onto the tables of families, schools, child care and senior centers who once lived in food deserts. Standing among the newly replanted beds, with the sound of children playing nearby, you feel they are growing more than beets, arugula and lettuces. They are growing hope and a future for those kids that includes healthy, local food. They are growing a new food economy.

For further info:
The Food Project: “The Food Project’s mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system.”

Fresh: a film by Ana Sofia Joanes. Look for local screenings and follow news on the Fresh blog, including the series “Women Who Nourish Us.”