Roots of Change Community Garden

Vital Stats

Diana L

San Antonio, TX

People Doing It0

The Problem

The San Antonio East Side neighborhood is plagued with issues of poverty, low-wages, environmental contamination and few positive activities for youth. The area lacks resources like libraries, recreational facilities, grocery stores or banks.

Plan of Action

The project will start a sustainable community garden where members can bring home the harvest and, eventually, seedlings to start their own home garden. It will model different techniques like water catchment, drip irrigation, composting, integrated pest management and raised beds. The garden will also function as a place to build community in this low-income neighborhood, where youth and residents can come together to learn, organize, and get empowered to engage in development issues in the neighborhood.

Project Updates

11/02/07-The Roots of Change Community garden has grown in size and in numbers. Recently the Youth Leadership Organization has been using the garden as an example to start an organic garden in a high school where many of the members attend. Through the use of popular education, the project has taught many community residents the importance of food sovereignty. Diana credits much of the success of the garden to coverage by the local media.

So far, some major highlights of this project include the installation of an irrigation system in the garden and the garden’s ability to be a teaching tool for empowering the community.

Homelessness and Poverty