Ron Finley, an American gardener, designer, artist and self-proclaimed ‘Gangsta Gardner’, has been an advocate for urban farming since 2010, after deciding to cultivate fruit and vegetables on a strip of land near his Los Angeles home despite not having a permit.

After risking arrest and campaigning to keep the garden, the local law was changed to allow residents of Los Angeles to grow edible vegetables and fruits on city-owned land. In the ten years since then, Finley has helped to create around 20 community garden spaces around the city with his garden training scheme, The Ron Finley Project, and has given a TED talk on his work as a ‘guerrilla gardener’ and the benefits of self-growing fruit and vegetables, even in small spaces. Recently, Finley has been featured on online platform MasterClass, where his growing and food classes have been a hit outside of his native Los Angeles, particularly during lockdown, with his gardening tips featured in UK publications including The Times and The Guardian.