Secretary Vilsack began the People's Garden Initiative - named
in honor of President Lincoln's description of USDA as the
"People's Department" - in 2009 as an effort to challenge
employees to create gardens at USDA facilities. It has since
grown into a collaborative effort of over 700 local and national
organizations all working together to establish community and
school gardens across the country. The simple act of planting a
garden can help unite neighborhoods in a common effort and
inspire locally-led solutions to challenges facing our country -
from hunger to the environment. HOW DID IT START? Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack declared the grounds surrounding USDA
Headquarters in Washington, DC the first People's Garden on
February 12, 2009 in honor of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.
WHAT IS THE HISTORY BEHIND THE NAME? When President Lincoln
founded USDA in 1862, he called it The People's Department. USDA
continues to honor his vision for a Department that serves the
American people every day and in e