Urban Farmer Shares Successes at Stephen H. Schneider Memorial Lecture

One garden can change a community. That was the message Will Allen, farmer, founder, and CEO of Growing Power, Inc., emphasized at the fourth annual Stephen H. Schneider Memorial Lecture. Allen, a former professional basketball player in Belgium, grew up on a small farm in Maryland. Upon returning to the United States, Allen began working with the children living in the largest low-income public housing project in Milwaukee to build a garden. In 1995, Growing Power, Inc. was born: a not-for-profit center for urban agriculture training and the building of community food security systems.

During his speech, Allen outlined Growing Power, Inc.’s 70+ projects and outreach programs taking place across the globe. Over the years, Allen has earned the John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” and been named a MacArthur fellow. He was recognized as one of Time magazine’s World’s 100 Most Influential People in 2010.

The lecture was held in honor of Stephen H. Schneider, Stanford professor and world-renowned climate scientist, who passed away in 2010. Hundreds of people attended the event, which was organized by Students for a Sustainable Stanford with support from numerous campus organizations and academic departments.