VISIONSHARE

HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION

from Sami Grover at TreeHugger.

Back in 2006 the Dervaes' family's Path to Freedom urban homestead project hit the airwaves of TreeHugger TV. Since then we've seen a proliferation of urban farm tours, awesome small-scale permaculture projects, inner-city aquaponics, and even backyard animal husbandry and slaughter. Yet the Dervaes family's efforts still stand out—not just for the sheer weight of produce they grow, but for their efforts in inspiring others to do the same. I've just come across a retrospective video that shows just how far they've come.

The video may have been around for a while — but I'm surprised to find it's never been featured here on TreeHugger. From the family's early efforts at homesteading in New Zealand, to the transformation of a suburban lawn into an edible paradise—spurred by a sense of outrage at the release of genetically modified crops into the food system—the footage provides an inspiring, and often humorous, walk through one family's journey to a more sustainable, more fulfilling, and more autonomous lifestyle. And the numerous media clips along the way prove just how many people they have reached with their simple yet revolutionary message.

Here, in Rio Branco, most of the fruits and vegetables in the markets come from faraway São Paulo state on the other side of the continent. City and town gardens are something to think about now that the population of Amazonia is 70% urban.