Cooperative Gardens Commission
FOUNDED IN MARCH 2020, THE COOPERATIVE GARDENS COMMISSION (CGC) IS A GRASSROOTS COLLECTIVE WORKING TOWARD FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID19 PANDEMIC AND PERSISTENT INJUSTICE.
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Who We Are
The CGC is composed of hundreds of volunteers from across the United States and Canada working as a collective to facilitate sharing of resources — including seeds, soil, equipment, labor, land, and knowledge — and build solidarity across traditional divides. We are farmers, gardeners, activists, and organizers. We believe increasing local food production can help build community power and resilience.
While CGC began developing a new network in the face of this tragic pandemic — and the ineffective government response to it — we recognize that the movement for food sovereignty and against food apartheid is wide and deep, so we primarily seek to support the work of existing networks and projects.
Our Principles
#CoopGardens is a movement for everyone — regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, survivor status, ability, nationality, language, economic status, appearance, age, religion, immigration or documentation status, background, health, or any other personal characteristic.
We practice consensus-based decision-making that makes time for all opinions to be aired. We also work to create a community that holds space for the wisdom and experience of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people, immigrants, members of LGBTQIA+ communities, women, elders, the chronically ill, disabled, and immunocompromised people, and all others who are far too often marginalized by our society — or worse. We do not tolerate violence or oppressive behavior of any kind.
Join Our Organizing Calls
Our calls are now occurring every other Monday at 8pm ET/5pm PT via Zoom.
Next call is Monday 12/6/21
This is where we convene movement-wide organizing calls to share information, announcements, and specific project report-backs. We also hold discussions on different topics relevant to our work each call, and sometimes make collective decisions about important CGC issues.
Our next Organizing Call will happen via Zoom. Register below to get the link!
Photo by Grace Winter Photography
Network of Resource Hubs
If you’re looking for a local resource person in your region, zoom into the map and see who’s near by.
Seed Distribution Hubs
CGC has launched a free seed distribution project with local and regional hubs from coast to coast. You can find a hub in your area on the map above. This effort has been organized by our Seed Distribution Working Group.
If you were a Seed Hub in 2021 keep an eye out for the Seed Hub Survey!
Your Support
CGC is an all-volunteer organization currently operating under the fiscal sponsorship of the Experimental Farm Network (a Philadelphia-based 501(c)3 non-profit cooperative). We are pushing forward on many fronts in the struggle for food sovereignty, including land access, resource sharing, government policy, education, and community organizing.
Over the course of 2020 CGC provided free seeds to an estimated 12,000 gardens via 257 local seed hubs in 41 states.
As we wrap up seed distribution efforts for 2021 we will have new numbers to report. We had just over 300 seed hub applications, and have been able to supply the vast majority of them!
We have not prioritized fundraising thus far — we have remained focused on doing the work. To sustain moving forward your help is increasingly necessary.
Whatever you can send is helpful and deeply appreciated
Some of the gifts we can offer for your monthly support!
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Reparations Roadmap
As a collective we support reparations, which we define as personal acts and social policies of restorative justice. Reparations are a real and present-day apology and recompense for cultural acts of genocide, slavery, child theft, exploitation, land theft and injustice that established the inequities we live with and are harmed by or privileged with, here and now. Reparations are inevitable. Reparations serve to right the relationship between those actively harmed by, and those privileged by, inequitable and unfair norms, assumptions, laws, and mass culture.
How Can You Bring Grass Roots Reparations to Your Community?
Policy Ideas & Comments?
Add your voice to our Policy Platform