Good Food Revolution: Will Allen of Growing Power

Folks from every aspect of our society, and every profession are involved in the food system.  As I vision ahead, I see this being a situation where hundreds of thousands of young people want to do this, but we have to quantify a lot of things to make this a reality for folks. 
There's lots of excitement, but now we have to prove that this works. ~ Will Allen

Will Allen is an urban farmer who is transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved, urban populations. After a brief career in professional basketball, and a number of years in corporate marketing at Procter and Gamble, Will returned to his roots as a farmer, using his retirement package to purchase a plot of inner city land with greenhouses, where he has built the country's pre-eminent urban farm.  He is now the CEO of Growing Power, an organization that develops community food systems.

In 2008, Will was named a John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow, a "genius grant," only the second farmer ever to be so honored.  He is also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, and in February 2010, he was invited to the White House to join First Lady Michelle Obama in launching, "Let's Move!" - her signature leadership program to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in America.

In May 2010, TIME magazine named Will to the TIME 100 World's Most Influential People.  In 2011, Allen was named one of the 7 World's Most Influential Foodies by Michael Pollan and Forbes Magazine. He was named the 2012 NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award recipient. He lives with his wife in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and is the author, with Charles Wilson, of The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities.

You can listen and subscribe to the Big Vision Podcast via iTunes, or on the player above.  If you have suggestions for people I should interview, or a do-good business that would like to sponsor the show, please email me at britt AT brittbravo DOT com

*Show notes* 

I mentioned in the intro that I was first introduced to Will's work in FRESH the Movie, which came out in 2009. I also saw a more recent profile of him this spring on Food Forward.


Learn more about Will Allen and Growing Power

• Website: www.growingpower.org
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/growingpower
• Twitter: @growingpower

Connect with me

• Website: brittbravo.com
• Speaking and workshop calendar: brittbravo.com/speaking
• Facebook: facebook.com/britt.bravo
• Twitter: @Bbravo
  

Music

• "Mango Delight," by Kenya Masala
•  Connect with Kenya through CD Baby and Source Consulting Group

Full disclosure: The link to The Good Food Revolution is linked to my Amazon Associates account.  If you purchase something after clicking on the link, I receive a small percentage of the sale, which I'll probably spend on more books! Also, I received a review copy of Good Food Revolution.

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