by Katie Elfering
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- It’s not just all talk about community gardens at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The government agency is putting its money where its vegetables are by starting up gardens of their own to help feed communities.
- As part of the Obama administration’s push to get citizens to grow more of their own food and eat more local produce, the USDA has committed to starting gardens outside its facilities around the world.
- Groundbreaking on the first garden happened outside the USDA’s offices in the Whitten building in Washington, D.C., in February 2009. The garden, which will yield fruits and vegetables, will donate its crops to soup kitchens in the D.C. area.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- It doesn’t get more local than a consumer’s own garden or backyard, and today’s consumers aren’t afraid to do-it-themselves.
- Growing fruit and vegetables provides a feeling of confidence about the foods’ safety, origin, sustainability and freshness.
RESOURCES
