Our Mission

To increase, support, and preserve community gardens and food forests on public land.

Vision

• Support sustainable land use, multicultural community gardening, food forests, and native plants for native medicine

• Grow a disaster resilient food source

• Reduce pollution, carbon emissions, environmental inequities and dietary deficiencies

• Encourage youth gardening and educate people of all ages including students about the benefits of sustainable gardening and healthy food

• Uplift BIPOC growers and land stewards

• Support Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous community land trusts

• Explore structural solutions for health and vitality

• Inspire community stewardship of gardens and greenspace

• Advocate for biodiversity including protecting trees and wetlands on public and private land

• Defend public lands for future generations:

  • Only when public lands are returned in restitution to Indigenous peoples should they be transferred to private ownership or long-term private lease.

  • In the case of Bruce’s Beach we support the return of Charles and Willa Bruce’s acesterial land that was unfairly seized by the City of Manhattan Beach. For years, the land was owned by the county of Los Angeles — until November 2021, when California passed a law that allowed the property to be transferred back to the couple's descendants. The historic Bruce's Beach case is inspiring social justice leaders and reparations activists to fight for other Black families whose ancestors were also victims of land theft in the United States.

• Advocate for quality low-income housing that’s stable, energy-efficient, free of toxic hazards, near easy-to-use public transit and includes community gardening

• Oppose the residential segregation of low-income families; Jefferson Union High School District’s plan to segregate low-income renters is unacceptable:

  • We strongly oppose JUHSD’s proposal to segregate below market rate (BMR) units in one building at the proposed Serramonte Del Rey apartment complex. Excluding BMR units from buildings with market-rate units in a massive multi-building apartment development is Jim Crow era racial discrimination. Quality low-income units should be included in every market rate building throughout the development and the mix of BMR and market rate should be equitable in each building.

Here’s why it’s important to cultivate an urban oasis, plant seeds, grow nutritious food, pull weeds and share the harvest:

Food Insecurities

Nutritious food is a human right. Numerous studies draw a clear line between what’s on your plate and mortality. Food has a direct impact on how long you’ll live.

Oppression of marginalized communities results in unhealthy diets and hunger. Inequity that includes lack of access to nutritious food is known to increase the risk of chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and stroke and cause micronutrient dietary deficiencies. Micronutrient deficiencies affect more than two billion people of all ages in both developing and industrialized countries. Micronutrient deficiency adversely affects the physiology and immunology of an individual, causing long term health consequences. The population mostly affected by micronutrient deficiency are infants, children and adolescents, women of childbearing age, pregnant women and the elderly. About 75% of the US population (ages ≥1 year) do not consume the recommended intake of fruit, and more than 80% do not consume the recommended intake of vegetables. Intakes of whole grains are also well below current recommendations for all age groups, and dairy intake is below recommendations for those ages 4 years and older. Many Americans are not reaching micronutrient intake requirements from food alone, presumably due to eating an energy-rich, nutrient-poor diet.

Lack of Physical Activity

From 2014 through 2019 the CDC reported that over 20% of Daly City adults did not participate in physical activities other than their regular job. In 2019, the three most sedentary cities in San Mateo County were Daly City (20.4%), North Fair Oaks (24.7%) and East Palo Alto (25.5%).

Adults who are sedentary are at an increased risk of many serious health conditions. These conditions include obesity, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure. In addition, physical activity improves mood and promotes healthy sleep patterns. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that adults perform physical activity three to five times each week for 20 to 60 minutes at a time to improve cardiovascular fitness and body composition. The ACSM also recommends that you include strength and flexibility training in your exercise program.

Enviornmental Illnesses

In 2016, the World Health Organization published a 2012 report that found an estimated 12.6 million people died each year as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment. “There’s an urgent need for investment in strategies to reduce environmental risks in our cities, homes and workplaces”, said Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. “Such investments can significantly reduce the rising worldwide burden of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, injuries, and cancers, and lead to immediate savings in healthcare costs.”

Chronic illnesses is on the rise in San Mateo County!

Enviornmental illness must be addressed at the local level. In 2013, the San Mateo County Community Health Needs Assessment reported that the prevalence of asthma and diabetes increased significantly between 1998 and 2013. In only 15 years the asthma rate in San Mateo County jumped from 8% to 17.9% and chronic lung disease increased from 4.7% to 7.1%. Poor air quality in Daly City disproportionately impacts children and people of color and county asthma deaths rank above the state average. Diabetes is also on the rise. Between 1998 and 2013 the county diabetes rate more than doubled from 3.9% to 10%. Diabetes disproportionately impacts people of color and low income families.

Call To Action

Federal, state and local governments including school districts must prioritize public health and wellness by supporting community gardening on public land and protecting vulnerable populations from food insecurities, lack of physical activity, enviornmental illnesses, and chronic illnesses . “A healthy environment underpins a healthy population,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “If countries do not take actions to make environments where people live and work healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young.” Environmental risks take their greatest toll on young children and older people with children under 5 and adults aged 50 to 75 years most impacted.

Bob Marley said it best…

There's a shortage of community gardens in Daly City's concrete jungle.