From Gangs to Gardens

Organic gardener and vegan chef Ietef Vita (aka DJ CAVEM) is an award-winning international recording artist and activist who uses Hip-Hop culture to inspire young people to connect to the earth by teaching them how to grow food, and cultivate healthy eating habits. Through his lyrics and gardens, DJ CAVEM is planting the seeds of the food movement extending from his hometown of Denver Colorado to across the globe.

Ron Finley, also known as the “Gangsta Gardener,” was featured in the documentary film “From Gangs to Gardens.” The film highlights his efforts to transform unused urban spaces into thriving community gardens in South Los Angeles, with a focus on empowering and educating local residents about healthy eating, sustainability, and self-sufficiency. Ron Finley’s work has gained recognition for its positive impact on the community and his advocacy for urban agriculture and food justice.

“A major reason our food system is so damaged – so dominated by corporate interests, rife with unhealthy products, and unbalanced by unequal access – is that we too often fail to consider food a social good or to understand that growing, selling, and eating food is by its nature a meaningful social act. What we eat is far more than a pile of commodities. Not only is food’s essential job to nourish our bodies, but it can also serve as a creator of quality livelihoods, a locus of community engagement and cohesion, and an engine of citizen empowerment and education.”  ~ Katherine Gustafson /
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