Economy
Related: About this forumAn urgent call to action on food-relocalization
I'm cross-posting this from GD. As I was posting it there I realized how utterly critical this issue may turn out to be, and how soon we may need to have it addressed. If people end up reading this in more than one place, then I will be a happy man.
I've had a realization this morning about the absolute urgency of getting local food programs underway as soon as humanly possible, due to the probable effects of the onset of Peak Oil, climate change and the economic shitstorm we're in.
We need, as rapidly as possible, to undertake the following changes in our food supply system:
- Shorten the distance between farmers and eaters as much as possible;
- Give food production back to small farmers;
- Stop cutting big agribusiness so many sweetheart deals in legislatures;
- Re-introduce farmers' markets everywhere with bans on non-family-farmed food.
But especially: - Encourage community gardens everywhere that plants can be grown, above all in inner cities. If there are municipal ordinances against them, start work immediately to get them repealed. That includes ordinances against small-scale animal husbandry (chickens, rabbits and goats) within city limits.
Detroit is apparently already a laboratory for this. I heard scholar and community activist Charles Simmons speaking last weekend about the situation in Detroit. He compared the situation in the inner city to Greece. Fresh food is by and large not available, most food is the unfood that's being sold in liquor stores. But they now have 1200 community gardens that will be feeding people this summer, and more are on the way.
I suspect this is urgent. We need to get practiced at this, because it takes a couple of seasons to learn how to garden. But even before that, we need to make sure it's legal in our areas. The last thing we want is bureaucrats coming around and uprooting the arugula.
This is something we as individual citizens can do something about for ourselves, without waiting for anyone above us to clue in. It's critical, and the time to start is now.
roody
(10,849 posts)kickysnana
(3,908 posts)This summer, Minneapolitans either will be more connected to the earth as gardening options expand or ready to declare war on our neighbors for early-morning noise and the plastic buildings they construct.
Its all part of the new Urban Agriculture Policy Plan approved by the City councils Zoning and Planning Committee.
Most of it passed the committee Thursday without much discussion. Under the policy, residents could keep bees, try aquaponics, keep the compost pit filled, establish an urban farm and build arbors and pergolas until they drop from exhaustion.
The idea is to increase access to locally grown food and get people more connected and more aware of where their food comes from, said Council Member Gary Schiff.
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We're on it.
GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)AnneD
(15,774 posts)It is coming, just a matter of when.
Things would be better if urban farming was encouraged, but it seems like the government and local government (with help from Monsanto) are doing all in their power to keep us hooked into big business Ag.
God forbid we be able to feed ourselves, what would that do to the profit margins on Wall Street. I can cite lots of cases where small farms were singled out etc by food Nazis, food confiscated under the auspices of the FDA, etc. A self sufficient population scares our totalitarian government to death.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Food independence has been my mindset for decades, actually.
I expect that several groups here on DU are going to coalesce around this key issue.
Fwiw....we now have 10 chicks growing into hens as I type...and we live " in town"!
Turns out there is no law against small animals in town..chickens, bunnies, ducks, even geese.
And our organic local beef will be ready for us in June, I just found out.
( We no longer eat store bought beef, except for the locally ground chuck )
community gardens where practical is a definite need, I agree.
mother earth
(6,002 posts)GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)And it will be way smarter to start this season than next.