Weeding the Way–From Prisoner to Planter

We all know San Diego is best known for its stunning beaches stretching for miles along the Southern California coast complimented by its endless sunshine. With a catchphrase like “America’s Finest City,” San Diego is hard to resist; an idyllic location for health food lovers, growers, and adventurers alike. But what about the dark side of San Diego? The side you only speak or hear about in hushed whispers.

It’s no secret that chemical agriculture has caused us to lose 1/3 of the Earth’s topsoil. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization calculated that we have approximately 60 years of harvests left. Read that again: 60. Years. Of. Harvest. Left.

Meet Christopher (“Chris”) Burroughs, the mastermind of Garden 31. The previously incarcerated man is taking a unique approach to sustainable food systems through local farming and environmental conservations. Chris is killing two birds with one stone, he is helping rehabilitate the formerly incarcerated while helping to save us all from the collapse of commercial agriculture that has turned into a chemical frenzy.

Many people don’t want to farm because they feel like it’s not profitable, but the current agriculture system isn’t sustainable. It’s life-sucking for everyone involved. From farmers to consumers and everyone in the middle. But, Garden 31 offers a life-giving scenario. The organization provides occupational training and career opportunities in the organic farming industry for formerly incarcerated, homeless, disadvantaged, and at-risk individuals. We’re aiming to reduce the recidivism rate while localizing our food supply with quality food that is affordable, empowering our community, and inspiring the stewardship of our ecology.

But this idea of a community-based farming operation couldn’t have been created without Chris’ 14-year prison sentence. Oh . . . and the 90 days of solitary confinement. I guess you could say he had nothing but time to think.

The hole, as prisoners like Chris, refer to it, is nothing but 3 walls of concrete with a perforated steel cell front. Great, so at least there’s an open front, right? Nope. On the other side is just pure concrete wall to stare at aimlessly while waiting for your two meals a day that could hardly feed a hamster. The cell is small, think parking space small. And I’m not talking where you would park your luxurious sports car type parking space, I’m talking the type of space where the jerk next to you didn’t even give you room to open your car door to get out and there is a 90% chance you’re going to lose your side mirror to the same jerk backing out.

Although California has agreed to end this modern-day dungeon program on unlimited isolation, the experience leaves its mark. But, how can growing fresh produce affect recidivism rates? Read on my friend.

It’s no secret that having a healthy body means a healthy mind meaning a healthy lifestyle, it’s a win-win–the Californian trifecta.

You ever wonder why you feel a sense of tranquility after digging around in your garden? Perhaps this sense of peace feels like you’re coming down from some major trip (yes, that kind of trip) or have reached Shanti, in yogi terms. Well, good news! The microbes in soil called “mycobacterium vaccae” are proven to have a natural antidepressant effect on the mind, body, and soul. Being around other living organisms is a symbiotic exchange that every person should experience, but being in prison–in the hole–seizes this experience from you. Instead, Chris is leading the way is allowing us to stay on the mycobacterium vaccae cloud 9.

Garden 31’s G.R.O.W.E.R. Program

“Generating Real Opportunities With Earth’s Resources” (“G.R.O.W.E.R.”) program provides hope and is growing the bridge between formerly incarcerated individuals and agriculture. Allowing them to become confident Garden 31 growers and harvest a new set of skills from farming and marketing, to distribution in preparation for managing and operating their own Garden 31 Franchise Farm. Garden 31 is building communities stronger for the future through organic practices and using regenerative health in our environment. Localized farming just got a bit more sexy and let it be known, the “vege-o-lution” is coming.