An urgent call to action on food re-localization

[GliderGuider]

I'm bringing this up into an OP from its place as a comment in another thread. As I was posting that comment I realized how utterly critical this issue may turn out to be, and how soon we may need it. If people end up reading this twice in both places, 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 If there are municipal ordinances against them, start work immediately to get them repealed.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.

I've suddenly realized I'm absolutely passionate about this issue. Take a look at how Cuba survived being cut off from Russia's oil supply in 1989 - if it hadn't been for the government's encouragement of universal urban gardening many, many people would have starved to death. Now remember that the world has hit peak oil without any preparation whatsoever. What are the implications for the people living in our cities unless we do the same thing?

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.

[BB_Troll]

1. Right on!

You are absolutely correct in the urgency for this. Thanks for reminding us to check out our local ordinances for any potential barriers. My wife and I are in year 3 of the backyard garden and we are looking to expand into the front yard with raised beds. Canning the food is the next stage in our learning process.

[GliderGuider]

2. Thank you!

For a supposedly smart guy it took me long enough to connect the dots on this.

I don't think there's any single issue today that is as urgent, as universal and at the same time as accessible to individuals. Whether as a grower or an activist there is something for everyone to do.

Time to get our hands dirty!

[OnlinePoker]

3. I tried front yard gardening for 2 years

Deer ate everything the first year. The second, after barriers were put up to stop the deer, someone came in one night and stole everything that was ready for harvesting and in the process knocked down or destroyed most of the rest. I gave up and have stuck with my backyard garden since.

[GliderGuider]

6. That's called "Responding appropriately to local conditions"

I think we're each going to learn more about what that means in the next couple of years.

Good luck!

[IDemo]

4. I have just completed another raised bed but have no illusions it will supply our food needs

I have five raised beds - 4' x 8' each, with over a foot deep of good quality garden soil. While we do get a fair amount of tomatoes, onions and other produce during the season, in no way could we supply just the two of us even a significant portion of our yearly diet from the backyard garden. I know there are those who claim to do so, but they are the extreme exception. The growing season is fairly short, hot and bone dry here.

The community garden/farming concept is great, but again, in areas such as ours where Winter limits the crop yield, it's difficult to believe that most or all of the population could rely entirely on local agriculture.

On the bright side, the city just yesterday relaxed limits on backyard chickens and beehives.

[GliderGuider]

5. That's good news about the chickens and bees.

The point is not to imagine that we should/could replace all our food with local in-season. I live in Ottawa, and I know how unrealistic that is. The point is to get something in the ground to replace even a bit of the "food" that agribusiness is shipping us from Chile.

We don't need to be self-sufficient, we just need to become more resilient and better connected within our communities.

[IDemo]

9. Another option that should be mentioned is gleaning (where available)

I've seen more or this in recent years, often as part of hunger organizations but as well simply from farmers with extra to spare:

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133059889/gleaning-a-harvest-for-the-needy-by-fighting-waste

[grntuscarora]

7. For city-dwellers and people with limited space,

joining a CSA farm might be a possibility: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

We have a tiny yard which, at best, can support only a few vegetable plants. For us, the CSA arrangement seems a good option. This will be our first season with a local CSA, and I'm really looking forward to it.

[GliderGuider]

8. Yes!

I've been a member of one in the past, and they are a great option.

Make friends with a farmer today!