A lecture titled “Sowing the Seed of Victory: A Garden History” will be delivered by Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Rancho La Patera & Stow House.

With interest in home gardens at the highest it has been in decades, this lecture will take us back to another time when national interest was focused on household agriculture — the victory gardens of the first and second world wars.

Dr. Hayden-Smith will talk about current national policy and models and the way the local food-systems movement is addressing a wide range of challenges facing Americans today and discussing her new book, Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I.

Admission is complimentary. Reservations are recommended by calling 805.681.7216 or clicking here.

Dr. Hayden-Smith has been an academic with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension (UCANR) since 1992. She has worked in the area of youth development and food systems/agriculture, and also with 4-H and Master Gardener programs.

— Dacia Harwood is the events and marketing coordinator for the Goleta Valley Historical Society.