The Ron Finley Project is an organization that teaches communities how to transform food deserts into food sanctuaries and teaches individuals how to regenerate their lands into creative business models.

 

RFP’s mission is to grow strong communities that think presently, act intentionally, and lay the groundwork for something beyond what we can see.

 

Mr. Finley has led both a Masterclass and TED Talk on gardening …

 

“I’m touched by seeing a lot of people not only binging on the classes, but also taking ideas and doing something with them. It's beautiful that you can activate people that fast,” he said.

 

. . . And has transformed a food desert into a food sanctuary.

“I don’t call them deserts anymore; I call them prisons because you have to ask for everything in prison.

The lack of fresh edibles causes curable diseases, hypertension and diobesity [His portmanteau of diabetes + obesity]. We can change that by depending on ourselves and learning to garden and plant our own food,” according to Finley.

 

Ron planted a food forest on the parkway in front of his home. The following is the warning from L.A. city officials.

“The parkway is the area of the street between the back of the curb and the sidewalk that is typically planted or landscaped. According to “Residential Parkway Landscaping Guidelines”, a permit is required for parkway landscaping.”

He recalls, “I got cited twice and had a warrant out for my arrest because I planted food on the parkway. In 2015, we got the law changed. Now you can plant edibles on the parkway. But what has the city done to help us beautify our communities? Where are the workshops to show people how to plant food on their parkways?”

But how were you able to get that law changed?

 

“Basically, I brought the heat. I was interviewed by [Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist) Steve Lopez, The London Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal.

We got the law changed because I embarrassed the City of LA with petitions signed by large numbers of people requesting action from the city,” notes Finley. 

 

“Gardening is my graffiti,” said Finley.

 

“We’re all artists because we’re all creative.

 

I studied fashion at 15 or 16 because I wanted to be a master tailor. I realized that clothes didn’t accommodate our bodies, we had to accommodate the clothes. At an early age, I wanted my whole life to be custom,” insists the master gardener.

 

“People ask me how I went from fashion to gardening. Well, where does fabric come from? Mother Earth! So, with gardening, you get to show what you feel, and you get to affect how people think. Gardening is art.”

 

Finley stressed, “To change the community, you have to change the composition of the soil.” 

 

“If we expose our kids to gardening at an early age, we’re exposing them to a life skill that they can use for the rest of their lives. If you know how to harvest your food, grow your food, and cook your own food, then nobody can ever take that from you,” he said. 

 

“These kids are the most valuable things on Earth, but nobody has told them that. We can flip that switch. This work isn’t about the garden or food; it’s about freedom. How do we change a person’s DNA? We’re working on that.”

 

The Ron Finley Project is located on Exposition Blvd in the Crenshaw area. For more information, visit https://ronfinley.com/pages/about.

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