Given the increasing instabilities in the American economy, rising oil prices, and unpredictable weather patterns, food security has become a pressing national issue. Today a handful of agri-businesses produce the majority of our food. Sadly, the 3,000 mile Caesar salad has become common place, and few Americans know a local farmer.

A combination of one or more external factors, such as extreme weather conditions, global conflict, or trade disputes with oil producing nations could easily lead to crop failure, disrupted food supplies, and widespread hunger -- unless we make fundamental changes in how we farm, process, distribute, and consume our food over the next 20 years.

Instead of sending tens of billions of dollars to the ailing car companies and hundreds of billions to the financial system, we must direct our federal government to invest at least 5 billion dollars to set up tens of thousands of urban farms and gardens so we can be assured to have a year-round source of healthy locally-grown food to eat in the years to come.

Sign the petition and let's get growing!