The Spiral Garden Community Food Security Project has been in Berkeley for decades, and has helped bring access to thousands who are part of communities that experience food insecurity. The Spiral Garden's goal has been to feed people and teach them to grow their own food and medicine inexpensively. This non-profit community farm and nursery brings food justice to our community.
Kanchan Hunter, co-director of the Spiral Gardens, spoke on creating food security. “We focus on creating access for folks who historically have been kept out of the loop when it comes to food access, food security and food sovereignty. Our nursery sells plants at low cost, and that allows people to take home plants inexpensively and grow food,” Hunter said. Hunter also works with the plants that serve as herbal medicine, and teaches knowledge of plants to people who want to implement it in their lives.
This food security project not only provides people with fresh food, but also aims to teach generational knowledge and love for growing food. “I love getting to see people really experience the love of being with the Earth and with the plants … (and to) see people surprised at how easy it is to grow your own food and medicine (is) really inspiring,” Hunter said, “especially young people, because I know they're going to take that knowledge into the future, and that gives me hope.”
Historically marginalized communities in Berkeley, including people of color, have been disproportionately affected by food insecurity. According to the Berkeley Food Institute, “a legacy of discriminatory land use decision making has left many communities of color food insecure.” This is why the value of diversity at the Spiral Gardens is important to shrinking the gap when it comes to access to food. “I feel like everybody deserves to have access to knowledge and information on how to be with the Earth and to learn how to grow their own food,” Hunter said.
Hunter related uniformity to monoculture farming, as opposed to diversity and polyculture farming. Monoculture is the farming practice where only one crop is planted, and on the same soil over and over. Polyculture farming is when a variety of crops are planted together, imitating the diversity found in natural ecosystems. “The drawback of monoculture is that you deplete the soils and the habitat where you are growing, because you're only growing one kind of plant. It's taking all of those nutrients that are used to grow that one plant and totally sucking it out,” Hunter said, “but when you plant multiple kinds of plants … you have a much richer, thriving garden that way —and that's how I feel about diversity and community. You can't just have one thing all the time.”
Earth and its soil benefit from diversity, and so does our Berkeley community. The Spiral Garden Community Food Security Project is an example of the richness that comes from diversity. People from all backgrounds can teach and learn from each other to bring food security to everyone. “Having a diverse community is like having a really good garden,” Hunter said.