21 Projects Helping Vets Through Food and Agriculture

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21 Projects Helping Vets Through Food and Agriculture

[ http://foodtank.com/news/2014/11/veterans-day ]

by Danielle Nierenberg, Kelsey Kober, and Emma Shorr 10 November 2014

This Veteran’s Day, Food Tank brings you 21 organizations from around the world that are working to help veterans heal their wounds through farming and agriculture. These organizations are working to improve the lives of veterans and create a sustainable food system by educating veterans to be sustainable vegetable producers, providing job and skills training, and helping families rebuild their lives after civil war.

In the United States alone, there are 19.6 million veterans. According to the Independent Voter Network, approximately 3.6 million veterans have a service-related disability, 7.6 percent of veterans are unemployed, and veterans make up 13 percent of the adult homeless population. The National Coalition of Homeless Veterans finds that 1.4 million more are at risk of homelessness due to poverty and lack of support. Additionally, up to 20 percent of Iraqi War veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 30 percent of Vietnam War veterans have suffered from PTSD at some point in their life.

Fortunately, farming can have a positive impact on the lives of veterans around the world. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gardens offer many benefits for both physical and mental health. Not only do they provide healthy food, but they also help people to engage in physical activity, build marketable skills, improve social well-being, and decrease violence in neighborhoods.

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[ http://foodtank.com/news/2014/11/veterans-day ]

The following 21 organizations use the power of food and gardening to transform the lives of veterans from the U.S. to Cambodia (You can share this article online by clicking HERE):
[ http://foodtank.com/news/2014/11/veterans-day ]