The city of Cincinnati is considering eliminating all funding for the Neighborhood Gardens Program, which assists low- and moderate-income neighborhoods develop vacant lots into gardens. Forty-two community gardens with over 600 gardeners provide outreach to over 2000 residents, supplementing their food budgets with fresh produce and as a side benefit helping clean up and maintain neighborhoods.
The program's budget is $40,000 for 2009 and another $40,000 for 2010. To help save the program, you can sign the online petition. The petition includes possible solutions for funding the program.
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3 comments:
What a tragic loss for the city this would be. I'll be signing the petition. Thanks for sharing.
Gardens can contribute to education of both adults and children and can be incorporated into programs to educate people about health and to prevent future health problems/overtaxing the health system. They are an investment for the future and can assist with numerous social problems, as they give marginalized people a place in society where they can contribute, and give children values, knowledge and confidence to take forward in their life for future generations. If we look into this issue in more depth, we will see the enormous potential that a seemingly insignificant garden may have, and see how that potential, spread over a city throughout numerous gardens, could be an asset for our present economic situation and future. Community gardens in Detroit are an example of how this phenomenon is having a very positive impact in an economically depressed urban environment--we must look to these examples and heed the warning signs before we hole ourselves into the corner. We are facing peak water and oil in the coming years and this equates to less food for the growing population. We would be wise to begin teaching our children now how to appreciate what we have and how to grow food even in the city.
Sakina, very true! Laura, the good news is that the program was funded!
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