The U.S. Department of Agriculture has supported small-scale farming and niche agricultural initiatives throughout its lifespan. This exhibit showcases three of these initiatives:
1. The School Garden: designed to address various program elements such as the scientific life of the plant, production of food, marketing food products, engaging with the natural world, being outdoors, and taking responsibility for a specific plot of land.
2. Subsistence Homesteads: a federal housing program created in 1933 as a response to the Great Depression that aimed to improve the living conditions of people coming from overcrowded urban centers, while simultaneously giving them a new opportunity to experience small-scale farming and home ownership.
3. Victory Gardens and Farms: initiatives carried out to increase the supply and quality of fresh food for the domestic U.S. population during World War II.