Leaders of Milwaukee’s Sustainable Food Movement

By Sheila Julson

By the latter half of the 20th century, big-box chain stores and subdivisions had devoured much of the earth that was once fertile farmland, thus pushing our nation’s food supply into the hands of large commercial factory farms and food conglomerates, and further away from individuals. Yet actions by food advocates over the last couple of decades have shown that the pendulum is swinging back toward local and sustainable food systems that return control to the people.

Today’s metropolitan Milwaukee area has an abundance of small-scale and urban farms, nonprofits and community partnerships striving to make fresh and organically grown food accessible and affordable for everyone. Here are some of the many standouts.

Victory Garden Initiative

During her career as a social worker, Gretchen Mead saw firsthand the negative impact that poor nutrition resulting from an industrialized food system has on underprivileged populations. In 2009, she founded Victory Garden Initiative (VGI) with a goal of empowering communities to take back their food supply and create sustainable and socially just food systems.

VGI offers educational programs and Food Leader Certification classes, and the organization has been instrumental in building gardens throughout Milwaukee at homes, schools, places of worship and anywhere people wish to grow their own food. As of last May, VGI has installed 2,478 gardens across Milwaukee County.

VGI’s signature project, The Great Milwaukee Victory Garden BLITZ, is an annual event held in late May, in which teams of volunteers construct approximately 500 raised bed gardens throughout the city. The group also holds the annual Fruity Nutty Five Contest that awards five neighborhoods with up to 30 fruit and nut trees.

Read about the rest of the featured leaders at the link below: