Food Forest

It started with a gardening class at the UC Extension at the Natural History Museum.  From this class, South LA resident Ron Finley was inspired to team up with neighbors and teachers to garden in the green space between the sidewalk and road to reclaim that land and bring a sense of community and healthy food into his neighborhood, as told by Ron in the video above.

Ron ran into problems when the city issued him a citation for not having the proper permits to replace the grass.  Thanks to City Councilman Herb Wesson though, the citation was removed and Herb's garden has gone on to make headlines in the LATimes and TheAtlanticCities.

Ron and similar thinkers have started the organization LA Green Grounds which focuses on building gardens in South LA with volunteers from the surrounding communities in people's front yards. Visit their website to learn more about the work they do, where they do it, and how they plan on transitioning South LA from a Food Desert into a Food Forest.