“Food is the gateway drug to sustainability” -Steve Cohen
“But, what can we do?” This predicament seemed to be the question on everyone’s mind Tuesday night, January 26, 2010, at the National Building Museum’s lecture program called For the Greener Good: Urban Agriculture. The public audience, which consisted of students, activists, and Capital Hill staffers, was an educated crowd concerned with the debate between big agriculture and the local food movement; most understood both the advantages and disadvantages to urban farming. However, the crowds’ skepticism was apparent when the subject moved to the troubling matter of whether personal actions will create lasting and changing movement towards the solution for the underlying problem of an un-sustainable system of agricultural and food distribution. The speakers featured: Josh Viertel, President of Slow Food USA; Liz Falk, Director and co-Founder of Washington DC based Common Good City Farm; Steve Cohen of food policy and programs for Portland Oregon’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability; Allison Arieff, the Food and Shelter Ambassador, GOOD and writer for “By Design,” a column in The New York Times. All the panelists were adamant that urban agriculture can be a viable solution to one of the most daunting global challenges we face today and in the future.
As featured in the panel, urban agriculture’s strongest supporters insist it is the necessary step in the direction of the green movement, towards resolving not only the environmental harms of big agriculture, but of public health concerns and global climate change as well. The big agricultural farms are harmful to the land through the excessive use of chemical fertilizers, and pesticides and herbicides on the food crop. These mega-farms make up 98% of the market, while only 2% of our food is grown in an organic, sustainable manner. Not only do urban gardens provide the obvious nutritional produce, a sustainable utilization and expansion of green space; but it also invokes educational opportunities and health benefits through an appreciation and understanding of food for children and adults alike. Local farms, especially in cities, assist in the piece-meal process of combating climate change, by cutting back on the big agriculture, one of leading contributors to green house gases and environmental degradation. Moreover, urban gardens create a welcoming community where people can set aside differences of age, culture, ethnicity, and economic situation to share in the rewarding work and, of course, the food.
Though the benefits appear to be overwhelming, not everyone is immediately sold on the idea and the setbacks vary from minor to challenging. It was light-heartedly said that the only downside faced with the rise of urban gardens was the increase in the local rat population. However, more serious and threatening barriers hinder an individuals’ choice of action, for example, the legal aspect can also create a hurdle for potential farmers in cities, as many neighborhood and counties have specific laws concerning zoning and standards of the visual aesthetics of the lawns and homes. The biggest hindrance is economic, like most budding initiatives, the start-up and maintenance costs can be high and the personal time commitment to such a project is great. Given that it is unlikely to make a profitable business from urban farming, it is not always viable option for low-income families who must work long hours to survive. It has become a privilege for the wealthy rather than a right for public citizens.
The panelists however, while acknowledging the problems, said they were all combatable with effort. The local laws can be dealt with by addressing the leaders and lawmakers to not only ensure but also encourage sustainable gardening practices. The money issue does create a bigger barrier, but they were all convinced that community gardens could help so the costs are shared within a group. It was also argued that people may not make a substantial income or profit from the product, but they can conserve money by eating the produce and saving the money normally spent on food.
While urban gardens are a step in the direction of sustainability, it was clear a bigger obstacle still looms: the system. Today’s current food system is essentially backwards: the cheap food at the store in terms of the public’s wallet is actually incredibly costly for the planet. The food that is in fact healthy for the planet and our bodies is expensive in terms of monetary cost. As mentioned by the panel, “there is no such thing as cheap food” because there is always someone paying down the chain and the hidden costs in this instance are paid with the environmental degradation as well as health deterioration for the consumer.
With such a daunting task of changing to reverse the wronged system, the question remained: what do we do? The panel insisted that individual action can change the system, but it will not be through individual purchasing habits. While that does help, the actions need to be targeted towards a change in legislation through advocacy with a large social movement. One of the first steps to this movement is to begin at the local level and because part of the fight is about leaving big agriculture behind, the community is a perfect place to create the base. On a local scale, the individual issues are more likely to be listened to, understood, and changed, than those same issues in a bigger playing field. The small initiatives, as with any social movement will gain momentum and then proceed to transfer to the larger arena to be spoken with the backing of the national movement needed to influence the federal decisions, such as the upcoming Farm Bill in 2012-13. The democratic government of the United States cannot propose changes without the voice of the people behind it.
Therefore, the day-to-day steps of shopping with our values in mind, voting with our dollar and maintaining sustainable purchasing habits are good steps, but it will only be affective if it is a mass movement. The panelists all left with an optimistic note for the audience, to look at work through a food lens and trace it back to where an individual or personal change can be made. The individual can use the position in his or her career to spread education and advocacy, as both are the key to this fight. Since the discussion took place in the capital of the country and the audience consisted of people who wanted to make a change, many attendees also held positions of influence and power in their jobs. Those citizens entering the movement were urged to spread the word in order to help change the minds of people through showing rather than telling with urban agriculture. Working with gardening programs, especially with children in the communities helps to teach an understanding and an appreciation for food and changes their minds to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Note: This was a short essay I wrote in response to the panel discussion for my class at American University--Political Ecology of Food and Agriculture.
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