The Victory Garden Society

Now Worldwide Welcomed! This was previously known as "The North Texas Victory Garden Society", then I realized there wasn't a single "Victory Garden" group on MyFolia, so I changed the name to be more inclusive of the entire world. No matter where you are in the world, if you're trying to grow your own food supply, or heavily supplement it with your own crop yield, then please feel free to join and share your experiences. We seek to promote and encourage private and community vegetable, herb, and spice gardens, as well as local Farmer's Markets. In the 1940's, the world faced a global food crisis in the face of World War II. In the U.S. and Britain, a brilliant civil movement began, The Victory Garden. People used their back yards not for vanity shows, but to grow their own food supply. By the War's end, the Victory Garden made up for over 40% of the national produce. After the War, most people stopped this practice in anticipation of more readily available produce. Now, we are in the middle of another, even larger Global Food Crisis. Since 2005, the prices of food staples have jumped 80%. The price of rice hit a 19-year high. The price of wheat rose to a 28-year high (almost twice the average price of the last 25 years). 33 Countries face "potential social unrest" (aka riots), because of such a sharp spike in food and energy prices. In 2008 alone, food riots and demonstrations have already broken out in Haiti, Italy, Mexico, India, the Philippines, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, Indonesia, and all over Africa, most notably Eritrea and Zimbabwe. The United States government has announced that we will see at least a 40% rise in food prices in our country, in this year alone, along with higher fuel prices to transport it. The proposed solution, by World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick is for the stronger countries to remove the sovereignty smaller countries have over their own food supply. Now, more than ever, we see the need to start the Victory Garden movement back up, and reclaim our "Yeoman Farmer" birthright. At its least, the Victory Garden provides delicious, fresh produce and herbs that need not be purchased from a store, and has a flavor unlike anything off the shelf. At its most, the Victory Garden may be the only way some of us can survive the looming Food Crisis that the entire world faces.