You speak the facts. It is not escapism, it is battle. And it is a battle that must be fought with every breath. A battle of teaching, guiding, illuminating. As you said, a single plant will not feed the family, but people finding ways to grow a hundred tomato plants in hidden locations? That will. As you said on the ground and the punk akin to Cyberpunk, a community, built through communication in their own language, their own means, coordinating together with others to make sure everyone survives. Not every single person has to do everything, but a community full of people with their own skillsets? That is what is feared by the powers that be. That is why they fear the internet where people can learn. That is why they tried to make parks out to be dangerous places of drugs and criminals so people could not gather and talk. That is why they try to keep people pressured to hide indoors. Even a bunch of people getting together to have an outside dinner under gazebos and string lights scares them.

Which is good. Scare them. Make them be terrified.