Buenos Aires
At heart I’m an environmentalist concerned with how to feed ourselves sustainably and well. But kitchen gardens address many needs simultaneously, including nutrition and health, community, education, and economic self sufficiency.
Why travel to Argentina to work on school gardens? A partial answer is that it’s January and my home in Portland, Maine is covered with more than 2 feet of snow. And the work will support a good cause, a new school serving a shantytown neighborhood that sprang up over the past few years near Buenos Aires.
But I have another reason, born out of frustration and a desire to see more people embrace growing food for themselves back home. I believe kitchen gardens--small plots of vegetables, herbs and fruits managed by individuals for family and friends--can change the world. At heart I’m an environmentalist concerned with how to feed ourselves sustainably and well. But kitchen gardens address many needs simultaneously, including nutrition and health, community, education, and economic self sufficiency.
What will it take to interest people in growing food for themselves? My friend Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International (www.kitchengardeners.org) is on the right track. Over the past few years he’s single-handedly created a non-profit organization and a website that attracts a large readership from around the world. Roger understands that to develop interest in gardens he has to tell a compelling story that captures readers’ imaginations.
I don’t believe it will be easier to build gardens here than at home. In fact with the short time frame, just under a month, I expect to run into all kinds of obstacles. I’ll be winging this, working with whatever crosses my path. That’s part of the challenge and one of the reasons I find the trip interesting. But whatever happens I hope to return with new stories and a better understanding of why people grow food.
In fact I’m already running into problems. On the bright side, I’ve eaten enough barbecue and drunk enough wine to sink a ship in the past three days. But there are some complications...
Eat by Design
Monday, December 31, 2007
Buenos Aires lies at the mouth of the delta of the Rio de la Plata. Here a farmer from about 30 miles upriver transports fruit, nuts, flowers and vegetables to a waterfront market at Tigre.
