Re-establishing the lost connection with food sources

Urban farming: Re-establishing the lost connection with our food sources

Rapid population growth, urbanization, and climate change are present day issues that impact our ability to produce food sustainably. Currently, the global food system is dominated by large-scale agriculture involving intensive chemical inputs, mechanization, monocultures, and corporate control of food production and distribution. These characteristics, largely the result of the industrialization of the global food system, are theoretically considered to be a prospective solution to a growing population and its increasing demand for food under unpredictable climatic conditions. In practice, however, the current industrial food system fails to provide food to the population in a way that is sustainable or equitable, intensifying food-related environmental and social problems.

Greg Clarke

Industrial agriculture, for example, has led to land degradation, habitat loss, water waste, and extensive greenhouse gas emissions. These are only a handful of environmental issues associated with the current food system, which has also extensively damaged human health and wellbeing. Food is inequitably distributed under this system so that some areas of the world have surpluses while others experience food shortages and starvation. In addition, the inflated pricing associated with unprocessed foods is another problematic aspect of today’s global food system, contributing to hunger, starvation, and related nutritional diseases.

Another pressing concern is that the mechanization and large-scale nature of current food production have destroyed the intimate connections between people and nature that are traditionally involved in food procurement. At present, most consumers, especially in urban settings, are removed from the process of food production, which results in a loss of environmental and culturally significant practices and knowledge. This has particularly impacted indigenous populations, further challenging their sovereignty and wellbeing.  In addition, corporate domination of the food system also negatively impacts human mental and physical health as consumers lack awareness and control over the quality and content of food.

These issues do not present easy solutions. However, the emerging global food sovereignty movement holds promise in mitigating the negative impacts. Urban farming is one phenomenon that has emerged from this movement and it possesses the potential to work towards the greater good of both society and the natural environment. In North America, Urban agriculture is used as a tool for promoting environmental and socio-cultural wellbeing. Though it is a global movement, urban farming has especially become an increasing trend in North American cities. Toronto, for example, is one of the rapidly expanding urban centers that is home to numerous large and small-scale community urban agriculture projects.

Sven Scheuermeier

One of the pioneer initiatives of the modern North American urban agriculture movement is Growing Power, an urban farm initiative first established in 1993 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This community farm, launched in a low-income, African-American neighborhood, is intended to provide healthy, culturally significant, and affordable produce to a community that otherwise may not have access to fresh food. Another central goal of the program is to offer community members an environmentally sustainable means of producing their own food, thus empowering them with control over their food quality and their impact on the environment. Studies have shown improvements in the physical and mental health of Growing Power participants resulting from their involvement with urban farms (Walter, 2012). Community members acknowledge the learning opportunities that younger generations gain from their work on Growing Power’s farms, which also promotes food sovereignty and decolonization for their communities.

Since the mainstream food system in North America is entrenched with colonial mechanisms and values, it separates communities from their cultural ties to the land and food production. Like Growing Power, numerous urban community gardens are geared towards mitigating lasting colonial impacts prevalent in the mainstream food system. These gardens can be used to retain and revitalize the cultural relationships that people have with their food by providing spaces and opportunities for growing traditional crops. In many initiatives across North America, this has been shown to improve physical health of indigenous people who are vulnerable to nutrition-related health risks associated with decreased consumption of their cultural foods (Mundel and Chapman, 2010). This also offers avenues for retaining indigenous knowledge about sustainable food production methods amongst community members.

Jane’s Walk at Black Creek Community Farm – Photo by Clara Stewart-Robertson

Toronto has several initiatives of this kind, in which urban farms are established to serve marginalized socio-economic groups in an environmentally sustainable way. A notable example is the Black Creek Community Farm, which is a large scale urban agricultural plot established in 2013 that is seven acres in size (Everdale, 2014). The Black Creek Community Farm is located at Jane and Steeles, and the surrounding community is predominantly low-income families of Caribbean and African descent. The farm grows culturally appropriate fresh produce, and their programming serves to train and inspire the local communities to produce their own healthy food. With educational opportunities regarding nutrition, agro-ecosystems, and community building, this urban farm initiative touches on numerous social and environmental issues. As Toronto’s largest urban farm, the Black Creek Community Farm has an extraordinary impact on a multitude of individuals. Regardless of scale, however, there is expert consensus that urban agriculture initiatives have the capacity to benefit community members and the environment, ultimately working towards the greater good of our society.

By Catherine Edwards

References:

Everdale. (2014). Black Creek Project. Retrieved from http://everdale.org/blackcreek/blackcreek-project/

Mundel, E. & Chapman, G. E. (2010). A decolonizing approach to health promotion in Canada: the case of the Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen Garden Project Health Promotion International, 25(2)

Walter, P. (2012). Educational alternatives in food production, knowledge and consumption: The public pedagogies of Growing Power and Tsyunhehkw Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 52(3)

Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.