Victory Gardens

People don't realize that gas prices are not the only increasing domino effect we have here in America. When fuel costs rise, consumers must realize this hits their wallets in more places than at the pump. According to Cristen Conger 'Will Victory Gardens Help Us Beat High Food Prices?' she makes a really good point about how pricier gasoline means higher costs to manufacture and transport food, in which people don't realize that this is happening. "A trip to the grocery store today costs you noticeably more than it did a few years ago. A dozen eggs now costs twice what it did in 2000". According to statistics ­overall, from spring 2007 to spring 2008, the average price of all goods we buy has gone up 3.9 percent. It may not seem that high but when you look at the big picture, food is what we spend most of our money on, more than anything else.



With this, some people are looking at other alternatives with buying groceries. (Using the idea from World war II) during the war, the U.S. government instituted a food rationing policy to free up supplies for troops overseas. As a way to encourage the American public to grow their own food and supplement the rations, the Department of Agriculture established the "Food Fights for Freedom" campaign. Lawns converted into so called victory gardens became a patriotic symbol of helping the war effort at home. This also sparked the first community gardens in public spaces that people collectively cared for. By 1943, 20 million households had set up victory gardens, supplying more than 40 percent of the nation's produce. Even the white house hosted a victory garden of beans and carrots. This idea is to help people economically and also help them physically and financially. I think if people were to start victory gardens then not only will it help them physically to be eating healthier foods, but also help save a few dollars in their pocket, not to mention it will help the environment as well.



Abdelrahman Odeh


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