This study focuses mainly on an experiment in finding alternative solutions to our current destructive food system by building a community garden with four families in Portland, Oregon in Spring 2019. I briefly lay out problems in our current industrial agriculture system, and solutions offered by theories of “food sovereignty.” I then describe the challenges in organizing this project–from fundraising to participation, to garden design and group cooperation. I also consider concepts such as green gentrification and the (re)introduction and revitalization of the commons which I believe are integral to land and food discourse. Expanding on various authors and movements work, specifically Vandana Shiva and La Via Campesina, an International Peasant’s Movement, this senior study intends to offer the reader a positive alternative to industrial agriculture as our Planet Earth moves forward in adapting to climate change.
