Keep America Beautiful and USDA work to expand People’s Garden program

Keep America Beautiful (KAB) affiliate organizations responded to USDA’s call to action in sustaining nearly 700 community gardens this past year as partners in the USDA’s People's Garden Initiative. These gardens are in addition to the nearly 600 People's Gardens created by USDA employees.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and People's Garden Director Livia Marques invited Keep America Beautiful to join this sustainable garden movement at KAB’s 2009 National Conference. Keep America Beautiful, the nation's largest community improvement network, responded by engaging nearly 200 of its national network of affiliates in this effort to incorporate sustainable conservation practices. Each People's Garden can vary in size and type, but they must include these three components: benefit the community, be collaborative and incorporate sustainable practices.
The People's Gardens program was launched by Secretary Vilsack on Feb. 12, 2009, to commemorate the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birthday. The initiative is an effort by the USDA to challenge its employees to establish People's Gardens at USDA facilities or help communities create gardens through collaborative efforts.