(Editor’s note: This is the first piece in a series that looks at urban agriculture and food justice in Oakland).

I grew up in a smaller version of Oakland known as Richmond, CA. We definitely were in the ‘hood, but hailing from the daughter of farmers, we grew things.

We had what would now be called an urban garden of about 5’ x 15’, and I remember the pride I felt when I saw my first “home-grown” carrot make it to the dinner table, all 2 and 3/4 inches of it. And I remember the taste: sublime!

Though I’m tethered at the hip to my circuit of farmer’s markets whenever I pass what used to be a vacant lot – now reclaimed as a community garden, replete with compost, worms and ground cover – I wonder, salaciously, can anybody pick one of those tomatoes? And whenever I hear about the staggering rate of diabetes and heart disease in the tightest parts of our city, I wonder, are we taking advantage of this resource? Do we have adequate access?

The benefits of eating fresh, locally grown, produce range from putting youth to work, to neighborhood beautification, to improving air quality and, that aside, locally grown food tastes better. So, I decided to get back to my roots and rediscover the joys of urban gardening by stopping by the “spiral gardens” at 888 59th St., one of three gardens managed by People’s Grocery.

This garden is wild and fertile. Tires and fiberglass remnants do double-duty as planters. Speaking with Jason Uribe – a People’s Grocery farm manager – I learned that this garden grows chard, beans, squash, herbs, zucchini, kale, onions, beets, tomatoes, carrots … everything you could ever want in an urban garden and more. I also learned that this is a “food production” garden, so the food is produced for local consumption.

People’s Grocery opened in 2002 with a mission to: “build a local food system that improves the health and economy of the West Oakland community,” based on the credo that everyone should have access to healthy, culturally appropriate and affordable food. It pursues this goal through a variety of educational opportunities.

In the summer, it employs youth, teaching them urban agriculture along with the principals of “food justice.” For the past two years, it has run a “grub bag” program for West Oakland and low-income city residents, which allows an individual to purchase a box of produce grown at one of its gardens, or a local farm, for $12. If you do not meet the income/residency criteria, you can still purchase a box as a sponsor (provided you meet that criteria) for $24 and in the process, sponsor a box for a low-income resident. It also offers free Healthy Nutritional Cooking classes for residents.

The health issues urban-dwellers face in a McDonald’s era are universal and critical: record-breaking rates of nutrition-related chronic diseases, disproportionate malnutrition in urban centers and more. And when you consider that in West Oakland there is one grocery store for every 25,000 people, compared to one for every 4,000 in nearby neighborhoods, it’s no wonder.

But there is hope. Having year-round access to affordable produce, eating food grown in our own backyards, educating ourselves about nutrition and supporting local and sustainable healthy food systems are ways we can take our health back.

To learn more about People’s Grocery’s programs, or to help spread the word, visit them at www.peoplesgrocery.org and pass it on.>