In 2005, filmmaker Deb Rudman began a process to document Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s (PHS) City Harvest program.

Through this program, inmates of the Philadelphia Prison System grow seedlings at a prison greenhouse, and thousands more seedlings are started at neighborhood-based greenhouses run by nonprofit partners. The inmates receive training in gardening and basic landscaping along with valuable life-skills lessons. Participating growers then distribute the fresh produce in their communities, through food cupboard donations and at farmers markets. Students can also get involved with the project through the newly introduced Roots to Reentry internship program.

This program is remarkable in that it provides working solutions for several seemingly intractable problems. This project and film suggest that overcoming food insecurity can be an avenue for addressing immigration, inmate reentry, environmental damage, teen education, jobs training, belonging, and community building. The connections fostered through growing food, sharing recipes, and revitalizing urban environments not only feed bodies but also personal growth and community health. In short, this film offers an example of effective and actionable local solutions to local problems.

Deb’s film about the program was used as training for those who are inside prison. PHS has also shown the film at the gardens, numbers of which have grown considerably.

Production Supervisors:

Deborah Rudman

Aggie Bazaz