Urban Farming
Urban Farming
Our country is encountering rapid urbanization, which is increasing urban poverty in countries across the United States as well as in many other parts of the world. A Bill trying to be passed by the U.S. senate states “Dramatic economic, demographic, and land use changes in the United States have created areas where no supermarkets exist and where limited food choice, poor food quality, and lack of affordable food prices impact large segments of the country’s population.” It is these issues as well as health concerns, improving local economic development, providing jobs for those living in poverty, as well as creating a greener ecosystem. The problem trying to be resolved is that the unreliable, expensive, and irregular access to food for urban cities and those struggling with poverty. Included in the aforementioned Bill in the senate estimated “that 18.5 percent of American households have withheld food purchases due to economic circumstances, and many of these households reside in ethnically and racially diverse communities”. The current condition of our economy as well as the growing urbanization and poverty that is taking place, and unemployment is affecting people exponentially. The increase of urban farms would impact the local ecosystem greatly. Urban farming is premised on the paradigm of permaculture, which is defined as any system of sustainable agriculture that renews natural resources and enriches local systems. Essentially it aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants. Elements in the system such as plants nutrient cycle, animals, and climatic factors are all related to each other. The output of one of the elements mentioned above becomes the inputs of other elements. Through this process, work is minimized; “wastes” become resources, productivity and yields increase, and environments are restored. The idea of urban farming is increasingly
Our country is encountering rapid urbanization, which is increasing urban poverty in countries across the United States as well as in many other parts of the world. A Bill trying to be passed by the U.S. senate states “Dramatic economic, demographic, and land use changes in the United States have created areas where no supermarkets exist and where limited food choice, poor food quality, and lack of affordable food prices impact large segments of the country’s population.” It is these issues as well as health concerns, improving local economic development, providing jobs for those living in poverty, as well as creating a greener ecosystem. The problem trying to be resolved is that the unreliable, expensive, and irregular access to food for urban cities and those struggling with poverty. Included in the aforementioned Bill in the senate estimated “that 18.5 percent of American households have withheld food purchases due to economic circumstances, and many of these households reside in ethnically and racially diverse communities”. The current condition of our economy as well as the growing urbanization and poverty that is taking place, and unemployment is affecting people exponentially. The increase of urban farms would impact the local ecosystem greatly. Urban farming is premised on the paradigm of permaculture, which is defined as any system of sustainable agriculture that renews natural resources and enriches local systems. Essentially it aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants. Elements in the system such as plants nutrient cycle, animals, and climatic factors are all related to each other. The output of one of the elements mentioned above becomes the inputs of other elements. Through this process, work is minimized; “wastes” become resources, productivity and yields increase, and environments are restored. The idea of urban farming is increasingly
References: 1). U.S. House Bill 4971: The Greening Food Deserts Act (2010) National; Legislative Updates; H.R. 4971, 111th Cong. (2010) http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-4971 2). “Why Is Urban Agriculture Important?" RUAF - Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security. RUAF Foundation, 28 Nov. 2005. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. http://www.ruaf.org/node/513 3). Smit, J., & Nasr, J. (1992). Urban agriculture for sustainable cities: Using wastes and idle land and water bodies as resources. Environment and Urbanization, 4(2), 141. http://eau.sagepub.com/content/4/2/141.full.pdf+html