Episode 253: Effie Rawlings, Todd Darling and The Gill Tract Protest

Greenhorns Radio

This week on Greenhorns Radio, our guests are Effie Rawlings and Todd Darling. Todd and Effie were both involved in the Gill Tract protest, and the film that came out of this conflict, “Occupy The Farm.” They are excited to talk about the Gill Tract, food justice and organization tactics, as well how they captured this work on film.

OCCUPY THE FARM tells the story of 200 urban farmers who walk onto a publicly-owned research farm and plant two acres of crops in order to save the land from becoming a real-estate development. This direct action set up a vibrant tent village on land destined to become condos, while their crops blocked the development plans of a cash-starved public institution, the University of California, Berkeley. Their confrontational, yet hopeful tactic raises important questions: What are the most effective ways to bring healthy food to hungry, urban neighborhoods? And, who should control research and education at the world’s most important public university: private interests or the public good?