Big Green and Modern Farmer recently announced Million Gardens Movement, a national effort that encourages a million people to grow their own products. The initiative will officially start on March 20th on Plant a Seed Day.
The Million Gardens Movement is in response to COVID-19, which has disrupted supply chains, exacerbated food insecurity and severely damaged the mental health of many Americans. The movement’s sponsors –Modern farmer Publisher Frank Giustra and Big green Co-founder Kimbal Musk – do you believe home gardens have the power to create a more nutritious and sustainable food system.
“There’s never been such a crucial time to advocate for the power of home-grown food,” says Grammy-winning artist Eve in a Million Gardens movement Announcement video. “Simply planting a tomato can be an act of hope and resilience – whether it be in a community garden or in a fire escape or window box – it is small collective acts like these that are the biggest seeds for change. ”
Researchers at Princeton University point to the vegetable garden as a leading way to improve mental and physical wellbeing. And a recently published study by Harvard University states that eating just two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables a day can help Americans live longer. Meanwhile, home gardens deliver an average of $ 677 worth of products a year, according to a US government paper Journal of Extension.
The Million Gardens Movement encourages attendees to do so to register and share photos of their gardens with the hashtag #MillionGardens. The initiative is website Includes tips and resources from Modern Farmer and health and nutrition programs from Big Green. Modern farmer also says It will help connect growers with local food banks to donate products.
The movement creates “a cultural change in terms of gardening and the value of growing your own food,” says Giustra in a Press release. “We’re breaking down barriers by showing how easy it is to grow fruits, herbs and vegetables.”
The Million Gardens Movement also offers participants the opportunity to donate gardens to families in need. With a donation of US $ 10, a family can get a small green garden – a compact garden set ideal for people with limited resources, space, or knowledge. Kits provide instructions and access to online lessons so families can grow culturally relevant foods.
Big Green will donate the first 5,000 Little Green Gardens this week. The nonprofit is working with two other organizations – Conscious Alliance and Greater Chicago Food Depository – to distribute the kits along with over 9,000 kilograms of natural organic food to students and families across Chicago. Big Green will also support these Garden and Grocery distributions in schools in Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis and Memphis.
“Big Green and Modern Farmer created the Million Gardens Movement to make it easy for anyone to garden a family.” says Musk. “Planting a seed is an act of hope for a brighter tomorrow.”
Photo courtesy Jonathan Hanna, Unsplash
