Urban Farming
Urban Farming is the most sustainable form of agriculture as it implements food production directly facilitated by human living environments. This enables minimal food miles and a reliance on fossil fuel energy. The concept of living close to your food source is fundamental to living sustainably and in harmony with nature. This allows nutrients and resources to be recycled within a system which promotes a healthy natural diversity.
Since the industrial revolution mechanisation has accelerated a more nucleated high density way of living for the human race. Our towns and cities rely heavily on supply chains fuelled by non renewable energy. Not only has this brought into question the sustainability of urban environments but the health of the food in our supermarkets has also been brought into question. The endless war on prices to satisfy the consumer has funnelled food production into a quick packaged process that focuses more on chemical fertilisers, shelf life than taste and better quality.
Since the industrial revolution mechanisation has accelerated a more nucleated high density way of living for the human race. Our towns and cities rely heavily on supply chains fuelled by non renewable energy. Not only has this brought into question the sustainability of urban environments but the health of the food in our supermarkets has also been brought into question. The endless war on prices to satisfy the consumer has funnelled food production into a quick packaged process that focuses more on chemical fertilisers, shelf life than taste and better quality.
Increasing scandals including the horse meat scandal, GM produce and industrial chemical uses have made urban dwellers concerned for their family’s health. Not only has people’s perception of the industrial practices of food production become negative but the very nature of high density living environments also separates them from the joy of the natural world. Social media, television, and smart phones have artificially hypnotised our senses rendering us immobile and very often lethargic and depressed. Obesity and mental health are two of the biggest epidemics plaguing modern societies most of which live in urban environments.
It is very easy to approach these realities with defeatism. Answers to these issues don’t have to be exhaustive they can start small and symbolic. In recent years the benefits of green space within urban environments have emerged very healing indeed. Not only has it been realised that it raises the value of nearby property it has been proven to improve the mental health & well being of urban residence.
So could it be that Urban Farming and urban food production is the antidote for modern living and well being? There is no doubt modern urban living brings us comfort and ease of entertainment but what about the little simple pleasures? Going to the chicken coop to collect the morning’s breakfast eggs, the sound of song birds by the window and the picking of your own salad greens just before serving them! We have been doing these things for thousands of years and the soul sparkling feelings we get from these simple pleasures are undeniable.
Some of the poorest communities in the world ironically are not the unhappiest in fact when you measure happiness in regard to mental health the slums of Mumbai, come well on top of London and New York. In fact the more wealth and financial freedom the more unhappiness exists. We simply can’t escape the fact our quest for financial freedom is a dead loss for happiness and happiness is the number one aim for every human on this planet. So why are peasant farmers in Romania, the slum communities of Mumbai, and the Amish communities of the States so happy and content with their lives over most modern urban dwellers?
They simply feel secure in their resources and are spiritually harmonious with nature. Quite simply we as humans like to feel secure in a community of like minded individuals who care for one another. We like to feel we have some security in life and what we rely on to survive cannot simply be taken from under our feet. Today we scramble to borrow money to invest in property, pension pots and assets happily spending the best years of our lives feeding these insecurities with all our resources. But these are the most unsecured, unreliable resources ever! These are simply barely relevant in the real world and nonexistent in the event of civil unrest or an energy crisis which is likely within the next 100 years. Why are the human races who are supposed to be the most intelligent species to walk the planet so stupid?
The only things that seem to make people happy in this world are physical health, hard work, social connections, closeness to nature and god (arguably the same thing). It is true that those who seek happiness in money will be truly and eternally empty and unhappy.
So can modern man in our urban cityscapes ever be happy and spiritually invigorated by Nature in the same way rural village communities can. Well of course but the veins and rivers of life must flow through our lives with good ecological planning, sustainable landscaping and urban food production and farming.
Most people think that food production is not suitable for towns and cities and much more suitable to rural places. The fact is our urban environments provide endless positive advantages for us to produce food which is sustainable, healthy and fun! The expansive surface area of cities from buildings and hard surfaces allow us to tap into sunlight and rainwater. The shelter and thermal absorption of urban places allow us to make use of microclimate to grow crops that can’t grow in the countryside. Micro climate also allows us to extend the growing season meaning we can grow more. Food production can make use of vertical space using green walls and cable structures to make use of available sunlight.
The water runoff from roofs and hard surfaces can be collected stored and used for crop irrigation. Extensive roof spaces can be turned into productive community vegetable gardens. Urban buildings can be incorporate glass domes acting as greenhouses while adding to the heating of the building.
Urban environments are a huge opportunity for producing our own food and hold many advantages for doing so. But one of the biggest advantages of urban farming is the social aspect. Community gardens and allotments allow people to come together in a harmonious way to enjoy the wonders of nature. Urban farming allows us to be creative, peaceful, social, productive, healthy, sustainable and calm in an ever stressful world.