Figure 1.--The National War Garden Commission promoted the use of vacant land to grow garden crops, projects often involving children. The Commission estimated that some $135 million worth of produce was grown on these plots. This would have meant a very sizeable amount given prices in 1917-18. The gardens appeared in backyards, vacant lots and a variety of untilled land. .

World War I histories focus on great movements of men and equipment, decisive battles and the key military and political figures. The War brought mass passion and outburst of frenzied patriotism. Few in the military or civilian life understood when the German army smashed into Belgium that the greatest war in history up to that time had been unleashed on Europe. It would last 4 years, cause immense damage, and mane and kill millions of people. Through it all, the one thing that affected the population of combatant countries more than anything else was food. And several countries were poorly suited to feed their people during war time. These were nations that were dependent on imported food and Germany was one of them. This did not dissuade the Kaiser from ordering the invasion of Belgium. His army commanders had assured him that Germany had the most powerful army in Europe and would defeat the French in a few weeks. Thus the War could be won before food became a serious issue. It did not work that way. After the Miracle on the Marne, the war turned into a war of attrition. This was a war Germany was poorly equipped to wage after the British Royal Navy blockaded German ports. Agriculture and food distribution were issues that every belligerent country and many neutral countries faced during the War. There were several major problems. First, some countries were dependent on food imports to feed their people. Second, the war turned into a unimaginable blood letting. And when millions ere drafted, including farmers and farm labor, food production was impaired. Third, the availability of draft animals, equipment, and supplies (such as nitrate fertilizer) were impaired, further affecting harvests. Fourth, scarcity caused prices to rise causing hoarding and eventually the development of black markets. Some countries handled the problems well, others did not. The food situation in many countries turned into disasters. Russia and Turkey were among the countries where food distribution of food broke down. The Communist seizure of power began with urban food riots. People starved in Turkey. Austria-Hungary disintegrated both because of huge battlefield losses, but also because of food shortages. The Germans began to experience food shortages as early as 1916. Civilian morale began to crack before morale at the front. This was a factor in resuming unrestricted submarine warfare, the desperate need to end the war quickly. Again the results were not what the Kaiser expected. The U-boats did not knock Britain out of the War. It did bring a massive new American Army to France which would crack the formidable Hindenburg Line wide open and force Germany to seek an armistice. America at the time it entered the war did not have a large army or an industrial economy producing massive quantities of arms. This was part of the reason the Germans decided to risk war with America. The United States did have, however, a vast agricultural sector and one that unlike the Europeans could be expanded to meet the needs of not only its own people and army, but the people and armies of its allies. It would be American food that would prevent hunger in allied nations, except Russia which proved difficult to supply. And American food would save millions of Europeans from starvation after the War. This included the Russians, although the Bolsheviks used food as a weapon on their own people and impeded the effort to feed the starving Russian people. Not only did American farmers expand harvests to extraordinary levels, but Government and private groups addressed the food situation.

Food Situation

World War I histories focus on great movements of men and equipment, decisive battles and the key military and political figures. The War brought mass passion and outbursts of frenzied patriotism. Few in the military or civilian life understood when the German army smashed into Belgium that the greatest war in history up to tat time had been unleashed on Europe. It would last 4 years, cause immense damage, and mane and kill millions of people. Through it all, the one thing that affected the population of combatant countries more than anything else was food. And several countries were poorly suited to feed their people during war time. These were nations that were dependent on imported food and Germany was one of them. This did not dissuade the Kaiser from ordering the invasion of Belgium. His army commanders had assured him that Germany had the most powerful army in Europe and would defeat the French in a few weeks. Thus the War could be won before food became a serious issue. It did not work that way. After the Miracle on the Marne, the war turned into a war of attrition. This was a war Germany was poorly equipped to wage after the British Royal Navy blockaded German ports. Agriculture and food distribution were issues that every belligerent country and many neutral countries faced during the War. There were several major problems. First, some countries were dependent on food imports tp feed their people. Second, the war turned into a unimaginable blood letting. And when millions ere drafted, including farmers and farm labor, food production was impaired. Third, the availability of draft animals, equipment, and supplies (such as nitrate fertilizer) were impaired, further affecting harvests. Fourth, scarcity caused prices to rise causing hoarding and eventually the development of black markets. Some countries handled the problems well, others did not. The food situation in many countries turned into disasters. Russia and Turkey were among the countries where food distribution broke down. The Communist seizure of power began with urban food riots. People starved in Turkey. Austria-Hungary disintegrated both because of huge losses, but also because of food shortages. The Germans began to experience food shortages as early as 1916. Civilian morale began to crack before morale at the front. This was a factor in resuming unrestricted submarine warfare, the desperate need to end the war quickly. Again the results were not what the Kaiser expected. The U-boats did not knock Britain out of the War. It did bring a massive new American Army to France which would crack the formidable Hindenburg Line wide open and force Germany to seek an armistice.

American Agriculture

America at the time it entered the war did not have a large army or an industrial economy producing massive quantities of arms. This was part of the reason the Germans decided to risk war with America. America did have, however, a vast agricultural sector and one that, unlike the Europeans, could be expanded to meet the needs of not only its own people and army, but the people and armies of its allies. The Germans were no only dependent on imports, but food production significantly declined significantly. They and the Austrians did not consider food production when they decided on War. For the generals, consideration of civilian needs were not a high priority. And they expected the War to be both victorious and short, ending before food became a problem. It would be American food that would prevent hunger and famine in Europe. America supplied food to Allied nations, except Russia, which proved difficult to supply. American food also saved millions of people from starvation after the War, in both Allied countries and the Central Powers as well. America even saved millions of Russians living in the new Soviet Union, pledged to destroy. The Bolsheviks used food as a weapon on their own people, impeding the effort to feed the starving Russian people, only allowing American aid when food shortages turned into a national disaster. Very few Russians today are aware of the millions of their people saved by America. American farmers to produce the needed food, at the urging of their Government, expanded harvests to extraordinary levels.

American Food Programs

The U.S. Government and private groups addressed the food situation. America at the time of World War I was a major food producer. No country at the time of World War I produced more food than America. American agriculture was was both productive and efficient. It not only was self sufficient in most agricultural commodities, but also exported large quantities of grains and other food products. The few products that America had to import were products that were best grown in tropical regions, particularly sugar and coffee. The United States also imported vegetable oils. [Mullendore] But it was the production from the Great Plains that produced massive quantities of wheat and other grains. American farmers were not producing at full capacity. They were supplying th existing market. But with Europe at War, agricultural production fell. The U.S. Government asked farmers to increase production. Those increases would help the Allies win the War and feed a starving Europe after the War. Without American food, especially grains, there would have been famine throughout Europe and millions of people would have died. After the immediate post-War crises, however, no one helped the American farmer would had ramped up production. Farmers faced a boom and bust economy. The Great Depressiin of the 1930s hit the American farmer a decade earlier in the 1920s.

Voluntary Conservation

Hoover called it food conservation, but many Americans took to calling it "Hooverizing." Various promotions were devised, such as wheat less Wednesdays and meatless Mondays. Hoover was convinced that Americans would cooperate voluntarily to support the boys overseas. He did not want a mandatory program and Government regulated rationing. The idea was that American civilians would have to modify their eating habits voluntarily so that more food was available for shipment overseas. The American housewife was urged to conserve food and eliminate waste. Signs and posters appeared in workplaces and public areas with the slogan "Food Will Win the War". Hoover managed to voluntarily reduce domestic food consumption 15 percent without rationing. America's vast productive resources meant that a strict rationing system was not required. America mobilized for war through a patriotic outburst and Government requests for voluntary compliance on the part of farmers, industry, and consumers. Several new Federal agencies were created to manage a war-time economy. The Food Administration was placed under Herbert Hoover and would not only oversee domestic markets but provide food assistance that would save millions of Europeans--especially children. Hoover became known as the Great Engineer. Hoover never instituted food rationing, but did introduce a range of voluntary efforts that proved highly affected. Hoover as Food Administrator encouraged American mothers as a patriotic act to hold to "meatless Mondays" and "wheat less Wednesdays" to conserve food supplies.

American Food Relief

American food aid began in a major way with food shipments to Europe World War I (1914-18). The first recipient was German occupied Belgium. The Germans seized the Belgian civilian food supply. Starvation was only prevented by massive American Food Relief. Herbert Hoover became a revered figure in his non-stop efforts to save lives. A system for this was not in place. It began as an unprecedented private humanitarian effort. As the aid effort expanded, The American Red Cross came to play a major role. American Relief often worked through the Red Cross. A huge numbers of committees, church groups, organizations launched efforts to collect money and supplies or European relief. Most had no contacts or offices in Europe or any way of getting what they collected to Europe. The Red Cross played a major role in both coordinating the volunteer effort and getting the needed supplies to Europe. This was because Red Cross efforts to assist as a neutral, such as offering ambulance services meant that the Red Cross established an infrastructure network in Europe. This of course expanded massively when America entered the war (1917). At first it was food and supplies collected by private groups. Eventually the need proved so great that Governmental action was required. The U.S. Food Administration provided the much larger quantities required. Unfortunately Russia proved impossible to aid because if the difficulties of shipping food and supplies and Central Powers opposition. The Central Powers controlled access to Russia's major ports in the Baltic and Black Seas. America would eventually supply vital relief aid to virtually all of Europe.

Developing Problem

The Allies which as a result of the British Royal Navy had control of the seas were able to import food. Foreign purchases had depleted American food stocks and driven up prices. Wheat reached a record $3 a bushel. There was legislation designed to control the problem (the Johnson Act, Cash and Carry legislation, and export controls), but they were proving inadequate. America was particularly important to the Allies. Food could be imported from countries like Australia and Argentina, but the distance required more shipping. The shorter North Atlantic lifeline required fewer ships to deliver the same volume of cargo. [Mullendore] In addition, until the Germans resumed unrestricted submarine warfare (February 1917), American ships could deliver food stuffs unimpeded to Britain.

Food as a Weapon

Food had become a weapon in World War I. This was not a new development in warfare. Countries since ancient times had besieged enemy cities and fortresses with the idea of starving them out. Caesar had used this tactic against the Gaul leader Vercingetorix (1st century BC). The industrial revolution had significantly changed the food situation in Europe. Populations had increased exponentially. And large numbers of people had moved from rural areas seeking jobs in the city. Major countries like Britain and Germany were no longer self-sufficient in food. They had to import food to feed their population. One of the primary purposes of the Allied naval blockade on Germany was to prevent Germany from importing food. One of the principal purposes of the German U-boat campaign was to prevent Britain from importing food.

Post War Relief

The USFA was terminated after the War. Its accomplishments, however, laid the foundation for the American post- War relief effort to Europe. Not only did America help feed the Allies, but the shipments created surplus stores of food that helped prevent a post-war famine in Europe. America after the War not only helped her Allies, but the former Central Powers countries as well as Soviet Russia.

Federal Records

Researchers interested in pursuing the history of the USFA in greater detail can access the records of the agency which have been archived by the National Archive.

Sources

Barron, Leonard. "Little Farms for Little Folks" (1918).

Weiss, Elaine F. Fruits of Victory: The Woman's Land Army of America in the Great War.

Mullendore, William C. History of the United States Food Administration, 1917-19 (1921).

Created: 1:39 AM 12/7/2014
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