History:

The Food Growers Network in South Los Angeles, also referred to as La Red de Cultivadores, evolved out of a vibrant youth program at All Peoples Community Center.  For over four years generations of youth involved in AFSC’s youth leadership program led seed giveaways, installed raised beds in peoples homes, developed a community garden, tabled at health fairs, shared healthy recipes, and canvassed door to door to raise awareness around GMOS; all in the neighborhood directly outside of their school.  This naturally led to the emergence and convergence of community members passionate about growing food. 

What we do:

The Food Growers Network comes together every third Saturday of the month.  Workshops have included fruit tree care, healing properties of herbs, worm composting, seed saving, and recipe sharing. The food growers network also hosts a seed library open to the public, and distributes a bi-monthly newsletter in the neighborhood.

Why:

The network is an important space where community knowledge is valued.  Neighborhood residents are building community cohesion, supporting each other in growing healthy and culturally relevant foods, engaging in relevant city and national policies, and are truly contributing to a healthy community in South Los Angeles.

More on the Seed Library:

In our South LA Seed library you will find a wealth of NON GMO seeds including: culturally relevant veggies, fruits, herbs, and flowers.  An initial seed stock was built for the library from donations and dependable seed purveyors.  Eventually the seed library will store and circulate seeds that the members of La Red prefer to grow based on taste, productivity, and climate appropriateness.  Through this seed library we hope the neighborhood increases the growth of non GMO fruits and vegetables; increasing food access, green space, and bio diversity in South Los Angeles.

The seed library is open to the public Mondays from 4-5pm.