March 25, 2006 link
Urban gardening is finally getting a spotlight of its own. In May, Chicago will host the country’s first and only garden show dedicated specifically to urban gardening.
The show will feature practical landscape designs for authentic Chicago settings… Sample gardens will mimic city backyards, balconies, patios, decks, front stoops and that strip of land between sidewalk and curb.
I’m glad that the urban setting is being recognized as a valid place for gardening, and one where the conventional notions of garden design aren’t always applicable. I’ve always been impressed by the ingenuity and determination of urban gardeners, and this will showcase our unique challenges and solutions.
I’m planning to attend the show, and I’ll post a full report here.
I love Chicago for doing this. We’re the 3rd largest city in the U.S., but one of the leaders when it comes to environmental initiatives. If urban agriculture takes off in a serious way—as I suspect it will in the coming decades—Chicago is poised to be at the center of it.
March 14, 2006 link
On Saturday, I attended the FamilyFarmed.org EXPO in downtown Chicago. The two-day event included chef demos, a fundraiser party, film screenings, seminars and exhibit halls. There was also a panel discussion with Mayor Daley, Carol Moseley Braun, Bill Kurtis and other high-profile personalities talking about local sustainable agriculture. It was truly a big deal, not just a fringe gathering.
I was most interested in the small discussion seminars, covering over 20 topics—such as “Organic Eating on a Dime”, “Genetic Engineering & its Impacts on Public Health” and “Healthy School Lunches”.
I went to three seminars. The first was titled “Who Will Be Our Next Generation of Farmers?”, but I was disappointed that this topic wasn’t really discussed. The discussion was actually a series of presentations by five family farmers about their challenges and successes. It was an interesting talk, but I thought the title was misleading.
Things got better at the second seminar, titled “Neighborhood Approaches to Increasing Fresh Food Access”. The presenters described their success in bringing small-scale food production and a thriving farmer’s market to a low-income neighborhood of Chicago. This was an inspiring story, especially since the entire effort was spearheaded by people in their late 20s. One of the most interesting tidbits from this discussion was the idea that people in this area were initially against the farmer’s market because they felt it was a harbinger of gentrification.
The third and final seminar was the best, because I got a chance to meet Ken Dunn, who built a commercially-viable farm in the middle of the Cabrini Green housing projects. I’ve been studying his project from a distance for several years, so I was excited to hear his story. He began his discussion by noting perceptively that many of the other presenters at the conference were advocating organic food as just another (expensive) consumer option, rather than looking for creative ways to address the true problems of unsustainability. I thought this was a really ballsy statement to make at a conference that was attended by many self-congratulatory foodies.
Mr. Dunn described the City Farm project, his relationship with Mayor Daley and their agreements to temporarily lease undeveloped land for garden projects, and his vision to convert Chicago’s 10,000 vacant acres into food gardens. I told Mr. Dunn afterwards that I’m inspired by his ideas and I’m considering volunteering at his farm this spring/summer.
Finally, I saw the award-winning documentary, The Future of Food, which was an inflammatory look at the connections between genetically-modified crops, global trade agreements, U.S. farm policies and world hunger. I’ll write more about this in future entries.
February 25, 2006 link
Last month, The Chicago Reader published their "Farm Forecast 2006" issue, which had a feature about Farmer John and information about local farmer’s markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA). It was a decent issue, and I’m glad they did it (even if they didn’t really forecast anything—when I saw the title, I was expecting predictions).
The cover story was about Earthboxes, a self-watering plastic container that comes with soil mix and chemical fertilizer tablets. I’ve never used an Earthbox before, and I’m sure they give great results, but I was really disappointed by the Reader’s choice of cover stories. The article talked in glowing terms about how wealthy nations “might solve some of the world’s biggest problems” by donating these pricey plastic boxes to developing countries. It also suggested that the longstanding traditions of healthy agriculture just don’t cut it anymore. Rather than an objective piece of journalism, the story seemed like it was lifted straight from the Earthbox promotional brochure.
What is an Earthbox anyway? Despite the Reader’s proclamation that it signals a revolution in food production, it’s really just a big plastic container with one creative enhancement (a water reservoir in the bottom) that anybody could build themselves for much less than the cost of an Earthbox kit (and using more environmentally-friendly materials than plastic). The water reservoir operates on the same principle that you practice when watering your houseplants through the collecting dish at the bottom, rather than pouring water in the top. The soil acts as a sponge, drawing water upward.
How does a family in a developing nation benefit by receiving a $100 plastic earthbox kit from the U.S.? Why not help them produce food the real way—using time-honored organic techniques that don’t require special materials? To me, the whole thing seems like just another way for Western nations to export their unnecessary “time-saving” products in the name of progress.
In the long run, the only way to solve “the world’s biggest problems” (by this, I assume they mean “hunger and poverty”), is to re-establish local agricultural communities at home and abroad. Sending a plastic box is sending an insult.
January 31, 2006 link
I finally got around to updating the harvest totals for 2005. The total harvests actually went down each year (44, 31, 21). I attribute this to the shade factor, that entered the equation in 2004. I was banking on a large crop of zucchini, cucumber and pumpkins that never materialzed due to lack of light.
Encouragingly, the raspberries flourished and increased each year. And the tomatoes, peppers and collards were consistently productive.
A huge triumph is that the garden became less raggedy, and more attractive, each year. I spent a lot of time fighting weeds and laying paths, which paid off. Since I live down the street from the garden now, I can still pass by on a regular basis and take a gander. It looks exactly like I left it.
January 19, 2006 link
Chicago’s Green Roof Project Takes Off. The city has awarded 20 grants of $5000 to small businesses and homeowners, to
implement green roofs on their stores or homes. The money can be spent toward design, installation or both. Many of the recipients plan to raise edible herbs and vegetables on their rooftops.
As I discovered firsthand, one of the major challenges of growing food in the city is the lack of full sunlight on the ground. So many patches of urban land get partial sunlight at best, because of shade cast by nearby buildings or trees. But on a rooftop, you can collect full sun all day long. On the other hand, you have other challenges—such as how to get water up there, and how to build rich, yet lightweight soil on your roof—but I know that there are experts who can answer these questions.
I especially like the fact that visibility is one of the criteria for receiving these grants. I hope these new green rooftops will become neighborhood landmarks, and might inspire people to try other creative ways of growing food in the city. And of course, I hope the city continues to encourage these types of projects. Twenty rooftops are nice, but just a small step toward greater inclusion of agricultural experiences in the urban environment.
Here’s a related idea: what about sheep pastures on rooftops of large buildings, like shopping malls?
