USDA grounds to be an organic vegetable garden

The Department of Agriculture announced that it plans to plant a 1,300 square-foot organic vegetable garden, making it slightly larger than the new White House garden. It will be called the People's Garden, after the original name of the department when created under Abraham Lincoln, the People's Department. It is another sign that the USDA is embracing sustainable food, reports Jane Black of The Washington Post.

Vilsack said he came up with the idea while jogging the grounds and seeing people look at the existing landscaping. "A thriving garden, he thought, would be a better way to communicate the agency's mission of sustainability and in particular the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables, a cornerstone of the agency's push to improve school nutrition and reduce childhood obesity," Black writes.

Vilsack had initially envisioned a smaller project but strong public support convinced him to expand it. "The garden now will encompass all of the agency's property on the Mall, and the department will work with organizations across the country to encourage individuals, schools and communities to establish gardens," adds Black.

All the food grown in the garden will be donated to local food banks but the main function of the garden is to serve as an educational tool. "Gardeners will work toward winning it organic certification; signs and possibly a video at the USDA visitors' center will explain the process and benefits of organic agriculture," writes Black. "The goal is to illustrate the many ways to grow food, dispelling the notion that gardeners need large plots of land."

The People's Garden may come as a surprise to many who criticized the appointment of Vilsack to head the agency. "In his first 91 days, the secretary has made concerted efforts to win food advocates' trust," adds Black. "He has met with progressive farm groups and food policy organizations and watched a screening of 'Food Inc.,' a searing indictment of the industrial food system, with authors Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan, two leaders of the sustainable-food movement." (Read more)

People's Garden Concept Drawing (PDF)