A backyard garden can quite literally feed a whole family. People don't have to be dependent on international agribusinesses, nutritionally valueless food, grain from Russia or Ukraine, food imports from China and other countries, or even be dependent on high priced organics to feed ourselves and their families. Each of us has the power to create our food from scratch. So, let's walk through the history of the war gardens in the UK and US, which later evolved into what we know as the victory garden.

During World War I, food production fell dramatically in Europe because farm workers left for military service, and many farms were destroyed by the war. Furthermore, transport of goods became difficult due to the dangerous conditions required for shipping by boat. A wealthy US philanthropist and conservationist (Charles Lathrop Pack) conceived of the idea that food supply could be greatly increased by citizens planting small vegetable gardens which would supply local communities with food. That this could be done without the use of the land and manpower already engaged in larger scale agriculture, and without the significant use of transportation facilities which were otherwise needed for the war effort.