General Meeting

Veggielution had a general meeting tonight, although there were only about 12 there out of perhaps 80 people who could claim an affiliation with the group. The founders, Mark and Amie, are still trying to work out a structure for the project that eschews hierarchy while still getting things accomplished. One thing that I love about their leadership style is that they devolve decision making as much as possible. Although they both have a very strong vision for Veggielution, neither one feels that only they can do things right.

The project is poised to grow in some very interesting ways, and tonight we talked about some important decisions that are waiting to be made. Some are seemingly comical, like what to do with the Prusch park feral chickens that already do so much damage to our plants. An additional acre of row crops would be impossible to fence. Some will involve significant changes in how the workdays operate, such as how to welcome families with small children and give the children meaningful activities and supervision.

There are so many ways that an urban farm in San José could touch the lives of so many people, especially a project committed at the outset to community engagement. Given the founders’ ties to SJSU, links there are natural, and already include people in environmental studies, sociology, and nutrition, while tonight we talked about reaching out to people in child development and hospitality management. Then there are the community organizations near the farm itself, Somos Mayfair and the community gardeners. Veggielution will be running after school programs for high school students this fall, so there is another group.

When I was in my mid-twenties, I was a graduate student in astronomy. But looking back, I did not have the breadth of vision and confidence in my ability to make things happen that I see in Veggielution. I was much more timid, looking for guidance from others and seeking an existing path to follow, rather than deciding on a goal and forging a path to reach it. Working with Veggielution is very rewarding.