[Return to Wise-Mens-Web] [Today's Facts] [The Solution] [Health For All] [Education] [Sustainability & Expansion] [YES to Children Participating] [YES to "Sunday Work"] [Sponsorships] [Look, See & Share Program] [Contact Us]
IntroductionThe Food For All project is based on the visionary idea of the "Schrebergarten" development introduced in West Germany after the Second World War. The Schrebergarten supported the population by providing land to grow fresh, healthy food for the hungry and dispossessed in post War Germany. One of the major problems in devastated post-war Germany were the many refugees who lived in poor housing and relied on hand-outs and charity. This resulted in poor nutrition and poverty of the soul. We see the same problem in many third-world countries today. There is no dearth of food or good agriculturally rich land to grow food, however, there is a poverty of available land.
The Schrebergarten Program was formed to provide suitable land, often wasteland, for those willing to create vegetable gardens. A very small fee (affordable even for the poorest) was charged. This inspired and energized the public and very soon the new gardens produced large amounts of top quality fresh food. But more than this, the garden system provided people with the opportunity to work, nurtured their self-esteem and helped heal the wounds of a long, hard war that had torn the nation apart.
Now, almost sixty years later many of these gardens have been incorporated into farms, but some still exist as working gardens in metropolitan areas. Today they are no longer vitally needed to feed the hungry but rather to produce chemical free organic fresh food, and most importantly, to allow people to still feel part of the land.
Today's FactsToday the world is still hungry. At this moment, 40,000 children will die from malnutrition related conditions. Read through the newspapers, and you will see the long, painful record of hunger and desperation in many countries. We call this a food shortage - but in fact it is a land shortage. Many hungry people have nowhere to grow food, no support of advice on crops or fertilisers. Instead they are encouraged to rely on the meagre bread-crumbs doled out by caring, but short-sighted foreign governments and NGOs.
Perhaps it behooves us to remember that man cannot live by bread alone. Let us remember that self-worth comes from understanding the precious value of hard work. When hard work is harnessed to support families and communities working together towards a common goal of self-sufficiency and prosperity we understand at last that hard work is the "spice of life."
The Solution- The Food For All program buys suitable land in countries with high poverty.
- A community garden program is created consisting of small allotments to encourage highly intensive agriculture for vegetables.
- Some of the land in each development is set aside for additional production to create the finances to cover such expenditures as taxes, water rates, insurance, and if the harvest is sufficient, also provide for the purchase of additional land in other areas of need.
- Whilst all gardens must strive towards self-sufficiency, they are also encouraged to buy additional land and donate it to other communities.
- Every person in need, including children and youth, can receive a garden lot to produce food for themselves and their family and dependants.
- The land size per garden depends on soil quality and climate but should be enough to produce vegetables for a family.
- Holding animals is restricted but possible.
- A good water supply is imperative. Therefore, irrigation infrastructure may be required.
- Researching and developing new food sources like algae.
 Harald Tietze explaining to the Dalai Lama the concept of growing the food algae Spirulina. On the table is a bottle with Spirulina culture and Harald Tietze's book about Spirulina.
From left to right: Geshe Gendan Yontan, Dr. Ingfried Hobert, Harald Tietze, Dalai Lama |
Health For All"Let food be your medicine" is an old saying, and indeed it is no mystery that a poor diet results in ill-health, disease and an early death. But a vital component of health is the right exercise and movement, The Food For All project will encourage visitors from overseas to volunteer and support the project by working alongside local producers and literally reaping the benefits of their hard work.
 Dr. Hobert (Germany), Harald Tietze (Australia) and the Monk Lago (Tibet), harvesting medicinal herbs
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EducationThe project will have experienced advisers to assist the people in the use of their gardens. Desperate people who are currently forced to beg on the streets will find solace, food and comfort in the Food For All Garden as they are educated in the art of agriculture and community development work.
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Sustainability and ExpansionThe gardens are free for those in need. However there will be guidelines for participation to ensure the goodwill is not abused. These guidelines will include:
- Each worker must support the project by participating on a regular basis and volunteering at least one day a week for their community garden which will run in parallel with the individual lots.
- The community land will produce income for expenses.
- A well managed project will be able to have excess funds which must be used to develop more land for more people in need.
 Tenzing Nima Tashi and author Harald W. Tietze in Dharamsala - India. In the background, the snow peaks of the Himalayas
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YES to Children ParticipatingFood For All promotes healthy and balanced work for children. This educates the child and encourages him or her to form a strong bond with the community, as well as extending compassion to other hungry people.
The child will spend many hours surrounded by nature, birds, flowers and growing food, certainly much more beneficial than begging in the streets or raking through dirty garbage tips or working in a factory.
Food For All is against exploiting children working in manufacturing industries.
YES to "Sunday Work"To enable the project to support itself in future, everyone who has a parcel has to work one day (at their convenience) in the week for the community garden.
SponsorshipsFood For All was founded by people who believe that feeding the world with "hand-outs" is not only not "enough" but in itself deprives people of self-esteem, community involvement and a sense of worth. Food For All is a foundation created to make the poor wealthy - not in material goods, for that is not wealth but a burden, but in hope, abundance and community spirit. We believe that when these attributes are evident, we are all very wealthy indeed.
Do you want to help? For information Email Us
Look, See and Share ProgramThis is a unique program for children from food-rich countries to encourage them to participate and support children from poorer countries.
Food For All Founders believe that western children are facing a huge crisis, every bit as serious as the crisis of hunger for children in third-world countries. We believe that the surging obesity rate, youth suicide, drug addictions and youth homelessness is in large part because our youth have no vision for their community. Our children are often marginalised, with decisions made for their "welfare" by adults. Whilst many of these decisions were formed to protect children from being exploited we now see a generation with little to no work-ethic, who do not understand where milk comes from, who have never seen a seed germinate and grow to maturity.
Instead they have spent their time destroying a million space invaders on their computer screens, and eating millions of litres of crop sprays, food additives, preservatives, colouring agents ridden, and saturated fat.
In short, we have a generation of children who do not understand the world, nature or the gift of manual labour.
Food For All Foundation believes that the Food Gardens of the third world will not only feed the local hunger but also feed the spiritual hunger of our own youth. We propose to create a sponsorship alliance encouraging western children to visit the growing gardens of the once-hungry. This would be primarily open to children over the age of 14 where they could visit and assist their new friends in the basics of sustainable agriculture where it really matters. This could also include mutual sponsorship by families as well as communities.
Yes, some children may be shocked at the poverty of their new friends, but once they see and understand that true wealth comes from a community with vision, they will return to their lives with new insights.
Contact UsFor more information and updates: Email Us
© Harald W. Tietze, 2005
Website designed and donated to the Food For All project by
Elphick, for Website Design
Website designed and donated to the Food For All project by
Elphick, for Website Design