How South L.A.'s Front Lawn Farm Movement is Fighting Food Insecurity
Crop Swap L.A. is an innovative initiative combatting food apartheid in South L.A. This isn't just about gardening- it's a literal grassroots revolution, transforming local homeowner’s front yards into flourishing micro-farms, and challenging the looming issue of food insecurity.
Founded by Jamiah Hargins, Crop Swap L.A. sprouted from his personal quest to feed his family with affordable and nutrient-rich food in a neighborhood where access was scarce or non-existent. Despite humble beginnings, it has blossomed into a powerful movement that not only breathes new life into underused resident lawns, but also brings South L.A.'s communities closer to the freshest local produce.
Tune in and witness how a seed of an idea is reshaping South L.A. and changing lives, one plot at a time.
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*“It shouldn’t be expensive to eat healthy, it shouldn’t be exclusive.”*
*Bye Felicia*
!!!!!
I love this practice SO MUCH!
It's not expensive or exclusive. Watch "a recipe for big government: food insecurity" by John stossel
Where is that prof interview??
What's really interesting about this is that back before modern convenience and supply lines it was the norm for each household to have their own garden and for communities to supplement eachother's food so that everyone benefitted. As we edge ever close to a economic collapse due to the unsustainable cost of living we are seeing people like this revert to the old ways in an effort to earn their own food/financial security. Mad respect, I wish them every success and hope many more can follow their example.
Encouraged through the war
@@rooroo5580 What?
@@SanctusPaulus1962 during the world war gardening was encouraged to help supplement food
All these folks are super charismatic. I would like to see more from them please!
I am a 62 year old woman who created a micro farm in my backyard 2 years ago in Northern California. Everyone is amazed by the amount of food I produce. I love sharing, and encouraging others to get growing!
People who don’t have the first hand experience of seeing a well-managed small-scale organic food operation often have no idea the abundance that can come from it. Good for you and I wish you even more abundance at your farm!
I am the same. So rewarding. And sustaining. It truly is a scary time where gardening is not a huge thing. Slowly it’s becoming more relevant. It should be the norm, the standard. The taste alone when you eat fresh veggies, fruits, or meat from your own harvests is a no brainer.
I’m 61 and I also live in NorCal and I would love to do the same on my little apartment patio.
@@Momma_AL We are lucky to live in such a great growing climate. Good luck!
@@lifeisgood9175 good luck to you too 😊
Imagine if every neighborhood invested in each other like this.
Imagine if black people stopped destroying their neighbourhoods with drugs and crime. Stores would open. Food would flow.
They don't want us united and living in harmony.....
just imagine if home owner associations stopped wasting their time trying to keep their communities picture perfect and enforcing strict and wild rules, and used their time and resources to bring the community together and grow food for themselves. that small change could change so many ways we think and live our lives together.
As a charter member of my local community garden, I am encouraged by the joyful sharing of healthy food.:)
bless you! join our movement.
This segment was too beautiful for words. The genuine love for gardening and fresh, healthy food is priceless.
I used to grow a lot of extra food in my garden to bring to the food pantry. You've inspired me to get back to doing that. I will be adding more beds this year to make sure I have plenty.
They used to call these Victory Gardens in the 1940s. Keep on planting. We have them here on the rooftops of New York and on the ground too.
So awesome. People taking power rather than resigning to fate. Inspirational for an old man from Canada. Peace, Love, and Prosperity.
All in support of this, wishing nothing but the best of luck
The thing I noticed most about garden fresh is the fresh produce taste like real food that has big flavor. The produce at the grocery stores is bland and some is just flavorless because it never gets ripe or matures. It’s amazing how many people haven’t had a tomato that was harvested when ripe.
Backyard gardens, flashback to 70's in da Bronx
This is amazing! This is what we need to do countrywide, along with hardy fruit trees to help improve temp controls. This is so awesome, dude!
It's not like all cities couldn't grow fruit trees everywhere for people to just eat.
The usa throws out enough food everyday to feed a whole country. Theres a lot of rich people who want to keep things as they are.
@@treychapman6098 Why do you deserve to breathe oxygen?
Just a note on the Australian Spinach or Warrigal Greens it contains high levels of oxalates and should be blanched prior to eating to reduce those levels. Nerd signing off.
Thank you nerd!
Lol! Good looking out!
To everyone who is getting inspiration to grow noms! It doesn't have to be a lot at once. A 5 gallon bucket with drainage holes in the bottom is a great place start. Also balcony friendly!
YES! One of my favorite 5 gal plants is purple tree collards. Plant once, eat for years to come! And, share cuttings for others to grow.
The HOA in my neighborhood would come unglued at the seams, if we tried to turn the front yard into a garden of edibles. I grow in my backyard and have about 20 fruit trees in my small backyard. This year I plan to utilize my side of the house beds to grow as well. Nothing low growing because of cats and such but my corn and vining beans are going in. We will see how that grows! Grass serves no purpose for me! Great job guys! 💜
HOAs are a scourge on humanity. But lots of edibles are attractive plants - some giant red mustard greens, different colored kales, and hot pepper plants grown together look like a planned ornamental garden. Throw in some herbs and edible flowers, and you've got a nicely balanced little garden ecosystem that shouldn't set off the Karen radar!
This what community looks like. I wish we all were community driven.
LA being known as the microfarm city is such a beautiful vision.
I'm showing this to my middle schoolers this week to help them understand food insecurities (that they don't really have) and how beneficial gardens like these are. Well done, @FirstWeFeast!
Wow, my mother’s house is on the same block from the featured corner house. When I was a kid, I grew veggies such as corn, tomatoes, Swiss chard, celery and fruits such as strawberries in the backyard. I even planted fruit trees. We all gained weight in the summer from the corn! I always admired the garden featured in this video as I drive up Angeles Vista Blvd. This spring, I’m gearing up to start growing a garden again on my own property, so seeing this video is encouraging.
4:49 Oh, man, Ginnia's stunned reaction at how good the orange juice is, is so sweet and wholesome it kinda makes my heart ache. lol
That cus she on the Goldhirn foundation payroll.
I love how the channel is growing... intentional promotion of food not just as entertainment but a benifit ❤
I remember my buddy in Downey California tried to grow corn in his front yard. The cops were called in no time.
I see that on the news in California. One couple had a landscaper even design it. The food crops were only a small portion of the yard. They wanted the neighbors to be able to gather and they wanted to share their produce. They were going to be forced to take it out. I believe that it was in Pasadena. 🍓🍇🍒🍊
In the city I live in it is illegal to have any form of food growing in a front yard, sadness
I travel a lot for work and it really is surprising in certain areas when you ask about nearby grocery stores and you get "Ummmm Walmart? or Albertsons" Considering Albertsons and Kroger have a merger now, they can set whatever prices they feel like setting and it applies to 90% of the stores that you might be able to shop at. This is an amazing idea.
I love this new series - celebrating people who are creating real change. It doesn't get more uplifting than that!
Excellent post. Thanks to all of you in the Crop Swap, and the front yards you are using to stop this horrendousnous. Well done. Thanks for allowing me to watch this, and become a bit more enlightened.
This is really wonderful! It's great to see that you're teaching the next generation about food security and how everyone deserves sustainable, healthy, high-quality food. You're doing amazing work! Edit: On a side note, Epicurious had a great article about how to avoid tears when cutting an onion, and they found that chilling the onion, either in a fridge or freezer for roughly 20 minutes, had the greatest effect in preventing tears.
A great documentary! We should all do this, nationwide, and worldwide
Peace and blessings love what y’all are doing I lived in LA for three years. Please keep on showing more videos like this as well.
Aww, they're growing Warrigal Greens which grows in Australian coastal areas and is like a juicy salty spinach green 🍀
I was scared about the water usage but since it's uing rain water? Nothing but respect from me.
Cool video. About the chopping onions and tears? A sharp knife makes a big difference but one trick is to put the onion in the freezer for 30-45 minutes (up to an hour if it is big) before you slice it.
This video inspired me to do something with my backyard. Of course, I need the proper techniques and tools to do this. I REALLY want to grow my OWN vegetables! Thanks for the video!!!
@toekneel1505 I've recently learned that some libraries have seed banks that are free. You can also find seeds at dollar tree. They are 4 packs for $1. Compared to the big box stores where one pack of seeds is $2 - $5 a pack, that's a good deal. There's a lot more info floating around on KZhead. I started some years back and every year I learn something new. If you don't have space or want to start small, start off in containers. Hope that's helpful, and good luck!
That's awesome! Growing your own food is so rewarding. Huw Richards and Charles Dowding are both excellent resources to learn from here on youtube. Happy growing!
Dieses Gespräch ist ein Beweis für die transformative Kraft des Dialogs. Es hat das Potenzial, Köpfe und Perspektiven zu formen.
I'd watch a whole series on urban farmers across the country, and the work their doing for their community!
I wish more people grew food instead of grass. My back yard feeds my family lots of fresh food. ❤ I feel fortunate that I have a backyard to do so.
I think this, along with rooftop gardens is the future. Not only for healthy and sustainable food for the community, but to reduce our reliance and contributions to corporations.
Ah they dont want thqt tho😊
How not to cry (as hard) while cutting onions😢: tip 1- rub your knife sides with olive oil. It helps keep the juice contained Tip 2- onion enzymes are attracted to the most moist thing (your eyes) so keep a damp towel near by while cutting. I am SO HAPPY I found this video. I love the idea of LA being known as a micro farm city. It's so hard to believe that such a large city is a food desert 😮
Growing up you used to be able to walk home from school and eat oranges off your neighbors tree.
Now in California the citrus 🍊 trees have a disease from Asia. They have to come out and spray each tree. Even my two kumquat trees have to be sprayed ! In the Island Empire very recently they were throwing away all the citrus fruits ! Orange 🍊 County should now be called Tang County ! Alot of the groves are also gone because of how expensive water is. 💘🧸💌
@@marycook1644 any idea what the name of that disease is? How and when it started? Very curious to learn. I've never heard of citruses getting diseases before. Could you share more info on this?
We get notified about when they are coming out to spray. It is called Asian Citrus Phyllid ( diaphorina Citri )
not to brag, but if you regenerate soil life and ecosistems around citrus plantation then nature will take charge of diseases and pests. It's all about the equilibrium@@marycook1644
I love this. I love L.A.! I hope more people catch on to this and put it into practice. Big up to the people!
🍓🍊🍉🧸💌 Thanks for sharing such great resources for families ! God bless everyone, from Orange County ! It’s lovely that they let you grow produce in the front yard. Some California cities will fine you for that !!! 💘💌 Happy Valentines Day to you all ! 🕊️
Many blessings to you all! It's absolutely inspiring how you are being the change and impacting people's lives.
I really hope they made it through the recent storms and the flooding.
yes we did thanks for asking!
@@hargins❤️❤️❤️
Plenty of space to do this in my town. Not enough sun :( Keep these up. Love the Food Hero series.
research different crops, theres a lot of foods you can grow that dont need a lot of sun! most vegetables actually dont need too much!
@@braedenschulz1867 I also meant it's 28 degrees outside right now. I can grow some stuff, sure, but not a lot. It's not just the sun that's the problem lol. Everything we can grow is seasonal, or 99% of it.
Only rentals here so can't do this.
@@RYTF5 I’m live in the Midwest and I feel this but I was the most intentional I have ever been with my garden this past summer. I learned to preserve my harvest. I also was eating tomatoes that I picked green at the end of the growing season (think late September) and stored in my basement. I ate those as they ripened. Had the last one at the end of December. They weren’t quite as nice as the fresh summer ones but still better than the sadness of the store bought ones. I also made a small green house low tunnel over a raised bed. I ate fresh spinach, lettuce, bok choy and Swiss chard until we had that deep freeze in January. I still have green beans, corn and broccoli that I grew and froze to make meals from. I swear gardening has never been so rewarding.
I also just finished the last of the potatoes I grew. Really can’t wait for the warmer days. I have this years plants started in the basement. Something. I also did new last year. Seed starting.
I appreciate that you answered the whys, but you didn’t answer the how. Can we get an in-depth look at the infrastructure?
This video made me happy. What an amazing group of people. ❤
That's terrible about only 2 stores for millions of people, you're fortunate to have a nice yard to garden in , teaching your daughter how to grow food and eat healthy is great parenting... my Granddaughter turned her front yard into a food garden also, their children are involved with the garden too.
This video brought a smile to my face. I hope everyone involved keeps doing great things and this grows to even more micro farms and helps more people
Awesome. Happy to be part of the revolution. I started about 9 years ago here in OC. Start today. You won't be disappointed. Keep up the amazing work.
Man these people are my personal heros!!!!
This type of company and offering to every community is a great idea
Love this so much. It would be great to see more like this in Chicago 🥰
Wow truly inspirational. We all need to use our gifts to save the world 🙏🏻💕🙏🏻💕💫 this is the most amazing idea I have ever seen and we need this to be a movement in every city, state and all over the world. This is just one amazing way to save our planet and the people who live in it. I am in total support of what you are doing here and pray to see this on a larger scale. 💫💕💫💕💫💕🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I live in a small town surrounded by farms in central NY - and it’s a food desert. Which is crazy! All of the farming culture, and few food options. There are several projects in town that are having a great impact. I have my entire front yard converted to vegetables and herbs, with a few flowers. My hope is that as residents are out walking their dogs or playing they see my garden and what is possible. Maybe someday our village will be a food center!
What a wonderful vid!!!! I’m so jealous of that little girl, what I would give to have had such a lovely upbringing! Every child deserves that love, patience, and exposure to gardening! ❤❤❤❤❤
This is fire. I love to see First We Feast branching out. Agriculture is the cornerstone of all our food and it's so cool to see them making that connection
Just love this! Reminds me of my grandmother
This work is so important. Thanks for highlighting this initiative !
Nothing but love for this project and these people! Amazing initiative💚
This video should have millions of views. This takes thinking outside of the box to the next level from so many aspects. I would love to get their advice on starting this on my back yard. ❤❤
A QUANTUM JUMP for First We Feast :) I love it !!! 💗
That a fantastic group of dedicated young people, helping others and bringing people together from all backgrounds. Makes me proud to be a Southern Californian. My parents both grew up near Huntington Park, living through the Depression and World War II. One of each set of my grandparents had been raised on a farm, and Victory gardens where something people relied on for fresh food during the War. Granddad also had fruit trees, and they shared/traded with neighbors, and sometimes put out tables to sell extra produce during the summer. I love seeing Los Angeles coming back to these ways, with the added benefit of new methods of growing and connecting with others of like mind. What a perfect way to raise a child to eat vegetables. :)
I love this. I hope this happens everywhere. I’d make every square inch of my yard a garden if my husband would let me lol. I’m obsessed. God bless your work!
❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉You are a Good hero 👍✅ just found you today...from beautiful Kampala city, Uganda Africa 🌍 I have a small Veggie front garden and am gonna keep growing stuff
Love this!!! I wish it was more normalized to get rid of plain grass and use your space for food gardens! ❤❤❤
What a beautiful family, and I love what they are doing in the community. ❤❤❤
This is amazing! We'd love to see the world expand their food and community 1 mile at a time we love this
I love this!!! Thank you for sharing: good food grown locally isn't expensive, and sharing is free.
Can you imagine if every neighborhood started food trading 😊 every yard is perfect for different varieties and we can all thrive, be well nourished and feed, and help one another 😊
I started my garden this year… I’m stoked. I can’t wait to start eating from it
Wonderful! Truly beautiful, and deeply inspiring. Thank you so much, for sharing g this story.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🔥🤗🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻💋🌟
This is cool, but you should also work with supermarket that throw out fruits and vegetables because they arent cosmetically appealing
This gives me hope for humanity ❤❤❤
Ralph’s is gone (slauson/Crenshaw) . I grew food in my front yard and ppl took off with them. I just hope they were nourished. Florence/western
11:45 To not cry while you cut onions use ski googles or put a match book in your mouth with the matches out. The sulfur helps with the onions and you will not cry, I promise it works!
I recommend putting up at least allow fence around the public garden. Dogs. This is so inspiring! Well done
Thanks for this! From a proud Los Angeles resident!
Brilliant project.
i'm loving this series so far!!
this was awesome I gotta get to LA to check out Hot and Cool cafe
love this video. we need more videos on how we can maximize our food and take the quality of the foods we and our communities eat seriously.
God bless your sweet hearts. Keep doing what you’re doing! An inspiration.❤️
So good! I hope this snowballs into many more projects providing food security for the community ❤
This is one of the coolest and most inspiring things I’ve seen in a while. You guys keep doing this amazing work.
❤ Love seeing this! Ty for putting this video into the world. This community is the future! ❤
Love to see gerdening for food becoming popular again. Its good for you and nature on a much deeper level than you can imagine if you have some space with sun ... go for it and get started the best time to plant a tree is yesterday
Wow- you are so inspiring! I love to see people get empowered by growing their own food- the most important thing of all. You rock! ❤
And I should have said- I grow a majority of my own as well. 👍🏼
I'm starting my first garden this year. If it goes well, I'll share with my neighbors, and maybe we can get some community growing between us.
Loving this series!
Absolutely awesome series!!!
What an inspiring and beautiful story that is our current reality. Thank you.
Way cool, wishing them all the best and prosperity in their neighborhood
This is So Awesome CONGRATULATIONS and Continued Good Success And Healthy Prosperity !!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🥰😁😁 ❤❤ I love my backyard garden everything tastes so much better Fresh! Yum!❤😋😋😋
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I love this series so much
❤ This is great! Looking forward to seeing and hearing more. Respect ✊🏿
This was beautiful. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤wonderful individuals doing the lords work ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Such a beautiful video. I’d LOVE to see more of these lovely folks and definitely that kale recipe! I just smashed that subscribe button!