Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2026·United States

Soldiers of the Soil: Subsistence

Emmanuel Destenay

Cambridge University Press eBooks

Urban Farm DB summary

In February 1918, the US Bureau of Education established the United States School Garden Army, an initiative that encouraged children nationwide to engage in local gardening. This program aimed to increase domestic food production, allowing the US to supply food to its allies and other dependent nations. Children participating in the program contributed to food production as unpaid labor, while also learning self-reliance, dietary moderation, and the concept of sacrifice.