Direct Action Guerrilla

“Armed with trowels, seeds, threat to capitalism as it begins and vision, the idea is to to break us free of the cycle of everywhere. supply and demand, liberating us Anywhere.” from the role of passive – Primal Seeds consumer, remote from real decisions, alienated from nature. Capitalism is a system that separates everything from To grow food we need land, yet everything else. Take food, for most of us have none. example. What was the last thing Capitalism’s first act is often you ate? Where was it grown? the privatization of common, or How far did it have to travel to public, land, whether we are get to you? How many lorries, talking about the enclosures of planes, boats were required, and seventeenth century England or how much oil used? How much the Mexican Government’s did you pay for it, and how much repeal of Article 27, the law did those who grew and picked it which until 1992 guaranteed get? How many chemicals were common ownership. used to grow and package it? How much control did you have But whether you’re in the over how the food that passed countryside or the city, there your lips was produced? are always little gaps, holes, places that can be transformed There is a way out of this into small oases providing food ignorance and dependence – for you and your neighbours. growing our own food. Learning This is where guerrilla

Nick Cobbing -Planting vegetables in Parliament Square, May Day 2000. London, UK to produce our own food is a gardening comes in.

150 Guerrilla gardening can take employing 30,000 people non-commercial varieties. to abolishing capitalism. You many forms, and is practiced all producing 70 per cent of the A wide variety of food can be never know, the taste of locally over the world – from the city’s fresh fruit and vegetables. grown with a minimum of tools grown fresh food might convince hundreds of community It’s also worth remembering or external energy inputs. All them to join the guerrillas! on vacant lots in New York, to that a lot of what we call weeds you need to start is a trowel, the squats on decontaminated – nettles, dandelions, some seeds, a small bag of “Humanity is born free GMO test sites in Britain and chickweed, nuts, and berries – , some water, and but everywhere is in Germany; from the London May provide wonderful food for free ingenuity. supermarket chains Day 2000 action to the landless and require little effort, and no buying 14.7 cm long carrots Thai and Filipino peasants who need for clandestinity. 3) Break ground stripped of dirt, geography, plant vegetables on squatted Best to do it at night or without effort, labour golf courses; from the How to Guerrilla Garden: drawing too much attention to stripped of content, context, neighbourhood in San Francisco yourself. Plant your seeds, make joy and flavour who used broken parking 1) Do some reconnaissance sure they will get some light, buying 14.7 cm long carrots meters as planters, to the First find your ideal site. It and give them a good water. stripped of carrothood”. IMF/World Bank protesters in could be a railway embankment, Weeds can be left alone except – Steve Hancock, ‘all power to the Washington DC, who developed golf course, roof top, car park, where they threaten to engulf allotments’, In Between Poems, Pig and a tree planting project which vacant lot, quiet corner of a local your , as they provide initial Ink books, 2000 involved going door to door with park, crack in the pavement – camouflage for your activities. saplings and a flyer linking the choice is endless. Consider Resources: deforestation with Bank ease of access, contamination, 4) Enjoy the harvest » Primal Seeds: policies, and offering to plant and your impact on the After several months of tending, http://primalseeds.nologic.org/ trees outside people’s houses if surrounding community. your garden will be ready for » UK seedbank: www.hdra.org.uk they agreed to care for it. harvest. Why not invite friends 2) Arm yourself and neighbours to share your And if any one tells you that Growing things is not as difficult first home grown meal? You can growing our own food is not as you think. It’s also vital for turn it into an event, share your ‘realistic’ for large cities, tell biodiversity. Seventy-five per stories of guerrilla gardening them about Havana, the Cuban cent of crop plant varieties went exploits, show them before and city of 2.2 million people which extinct in the 20th century. Join after photographs, and has over 1,000 public gardens, a seed bank, save, swap and eventually turn the conversation

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