Anchorage, AK GardenPlots Policy
Type: Policy
Status: In Effect
Source File: http://www.muni.org/parks/gardenplots.cfm
Description:
Mission/Purpose/Values
Mission Statement:
To help people grow food in and around the city!
Mission:
To provide access to land, education and other resources necessary for community members of Anchorage and Girdwood, Alaska to grow food in environmentally sustainable ways as a means to creating a food system where locally produced, affordable and nutritious food is available to all.
Purpose:
Our purpose is increasing sustainable urban food production and community involvement in 5 ways by:
1. Teaching people how to grow food;
2. Locating, securing in trust and managing land;
3. Increasing access to resources, skills and markets;
4. Creating spaces where community members share tools/land/seeds, skills, inspiration and cultural awareness; and
5. Modeling replicable and financially viable programs and practices.
6 Main Values:
#1 Access to Land
We believe that social justice, economic security and community political participation are strengthened when community members have access to land held in trust for the purpose of growing food.
#2 Sustainable Small-scale Agriculture
We believe that bountiful amounts of affordable, healthy food can and should be grown in and around the Municipality of Anchorage and the city of Girdwood using simple, appropriate technology and renewable resources. We value sustainable growing practices as essential to our responsible participation in the restoration and preservation of our city’s ecosystem.
#3 Education
We value learning through growing food, a process rooted in observation, reflection and action that deepens our understanding of the world around us and strengthens our capacity for problem solving.
#4 Governance
We value operating and self-governance structures and processes that are guided by transparency, honesty, diversity, mutual respect, openness, on-going evaluation, celebration and a commitment to stakeholder participation.
#5 Community
We believe that when people work together to grow food and re-connect with the land, communities and families grow strong, hopeful, confident and healthy.
#6 Collaboration
We value local knowledge and experience as well as community dialogue. We believe that through strong collaboration we will overcome barriers to sharing power and resources with community members and partner organizations to nurture healthy, powerful communities.