Urban Farming?

I’m busy ice-climbing this week enjoying the beauty of the mountains of Colorado!  More regular posts once I get back from playing.
I live comfortably in a house much to big for my needs, although it is one of the more modest ones in my neighborhood subject to Home Owners Ordinances within the city of Loveland, Colorado. To the left and right of me are neighbors with larger houses. Since I live on the edge of the housing division, I have an area of unincorporated land (managed by the county and not the city) with neighbors that have more freedom with how they live on their land. The house is an old farmhouse on the remaining 5 acres of land. The owners are ‘urban farmers’ that have extensive organic raised beds (during growing season), 4 sheep, ducks, and many chickens that give a regular supply of eggs. Besides being a grazing area for the sheep, the property has a ‘yurt’ that housed a couple for the past 3 years, and also a new tiny house where a good friend lives. I am often told by people that say we ALL need to be urban farmers – growing most of our own food. This sounds quite nice and rustic, but I’m not sure if there is enough land for us to all be urban farmers, even if we could generate the interest. I’ve had urban farmers attend my talks and express their views freely. They generally do not want to hear any questions as to the effort and challenge of making urban farms work on a larger scale.

I’m not sure the solution is for us all to be urban farmers, although they are certainly a part of what will happen more. In the past 15 years I have several people live in my house while they finished off building their own homes. It works well for me as my ‘guests’ were more like extended family. Many of my neighbors were quite adamant they could not have done that with people living extended periods (some 18 months) in their large homes. But if we are to become a community we need to reconsider if we need such large homes for so few people (many times just 2 people in the USA). Since I live in an arid area, I installed xeriscaping around my home and drought resistant grass. In the last three years I have been taking up the grass and planted my own 1000 square feet of permaculture garden, and a spiral herb garden. As part of community building I installed a gate in the fence between my home and my neighbors urban farm. This story is more to inform you that not everything has to begin big, but we have to begin the process – one step at a time, before we are forced into making such changes. Intentional communities are blossoming all over the world where people are coming together finds ways to live together in more community-based living. Homs lawns will be a thing of the past as they become gardens to grow food. Larger areas would be urban gardens or community gardens. A big step towards re-localizing the food supplies. I talked in an earlier blog about the fragility of the food system.

The main food system has many other problems as well. Concentrated Animal Feedlot Operations (CAFOs)
producing inordinate amounts of meat are unsustainable from many levels. I saw an interesting sign the other day: ‘People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food. The Greek Hippocrates said it long ago, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Going to the grocery store is always a guessing game when you look at ingredients. In most countries it is not as big as a problem as in the USA, but processed food is inevitably a red flag when it comes to health food. Regulatory agencies proport to safeguard us, but growing your own food locally is the most optimal way to know where your food comes from and how it was grown. Of Course, farming is totally dependent on the weather, and if you live in a colder climate, the growing season if shorter. Growing food in hot houses is a simple solution, but requires energy to heat the houses all year round. It’s a reality check but it can be done without to much hassle.
Look around your region and ponder what would work best for you. I wouldn’t wait until the necessity occurs, but begin to start growing your own food, and if you can do it with the community around you so much the better. If you need an incentive, think of how much you enjoy food and take-it for granted!