THE TOWN GARDEN CONCEPT-WHY NOT IN INDIA?

Mindless urbanization world over is progressively shrinking the farming population which in turn is bound to have a telling effect on the food security of a country seriously. Manual labor is becoming a scarce commodity even in a country like India where unemployment is supposed to be a factor that adversely affects economic growth. This stark reality had dawned on many industrialized nations which were wise enough to come up with mechanized tools, gadgets and machinery which can efficiently replace man in many human activities including food production. Constraints on land for expanding cultivation in small countries like England, Japan and others make them more and more dependable on imported foods from far way places. Added to this the "Locavore" movement which is assuming serious tones during the last one decade is making the citizens aware of the pitfalls involved in bringing food from outside their locality and stressing the need for finding ways and means to generate food from local land and resources. Out of this arose the farmers market, urban gardens, gorilla gardening, sky gardens, terrace gardens, production cum sale outlets within the city etc which attempt to produce as much food as possible locally. The emerging threat of global warming that creates adverse conditions like drought, floods and other natural calamities also is a driving force for such local initiatives. Here is an example of a city in Canada which is planning vegetable gardens right in the middle of the city that will be of immense benefit for the citizens there.  

Amongst the towering buildings of downtown Calgary, volunteers are hoping to sprout some community-grown veggies. For the fifth year, Downtown Calgary, the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre and the Calgary Food Policy Council utilized planters along 3 Street between 5 and 6 Avenue S.W. to plant a community garden. From spinach and swiss chard to potatoes and herbs, the food grown in the heart of the downtown will eventually be harvested and used at the Drop-In Centre . "This year we're changing up what we're planting — we're doing more root vegetables and herbs based on what the chef at the Drop-In has asked for," said Downtown Calgary executive director Maggie Schofield. "It's a great community builder." While the amount of food produced is often only enough for one meal for the clients at the Drop-In, Paul Hughes with the Calgary Food Policy Council said the garden is largely symbolic. "It's really not that much space, it doesn't produce a lot but it shows people that even in this challenging environment, things can grow right in the middle of the city."

Of course in a country like India where urban land costs are astronomically high, sparing land for gardening may be a far fetched idea with most land usurped by land mafias and real estate companies. Lakes are filled up illegally, public land is encroached upon and private lands belonging to citizens are fraudulently transferred for commercial purpose in collusion with government officials and politicians. How is it possible to put up gardens for raising vegetables in such cities? Fortunately still there are many towns and cities in the country with public parks where trees and ornamental plants are raised for providing adequate lung space and it is a relevant question why these parks cannot be converted into vegetable gardens over a period of time. Similarly citizens with land around their building should be encouraged to raise vegetables on their own, in stead of lawns and other plants with no food value, providing suitable tax incentives as reward for this noble cause. There are hundreds of vacant sites belonging to people who buy such properties as an investment and do not build houses for years together. Through suitable policy orchestration these places should be released for raising vegetable gardens without the ownership of the site being compromised in any way. There are millions of square meters of land adjoining railway tracks running through out the country and as they are all barren why not lease them to prospective "gardeners" for growing vegetables and fruits? Unless GoI thinks in such novel ways, country's food security will increasingly be compromised!

V.H.POTTYhttp://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

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YEAR ROUND FRESH PRODUCE-LOCAVORE MOVEMENT GETS A BOOST

Almost all fruits and vegetables are seasonal in nature available only during certain times of the year. Seasonality of crops, because of the over riding influence weather conditions have on the growth of these plants, has been the greatest drive engine for development of many food preservation and processing technologies ever since man set his foot on this planet millions of years ago. Technologies like canning, dehydration, salt and sugar seeping, freezing, refrigeration, irradiation, etc help to prolong the life of fresh produce very significantly. However the products made by these technologies always fell short of the expectations of the consume who invariably cherish fresh foods if they are available all year round. As earth has different weather zones across the latitudes and longitudes with varying temperatures, humidity, sun shine and rain fall, every country has a typical crop foot print and enables them to tap global markets during times of short supply. However this factor is slowly being marginalized after the development of technologies such as green house production and hydroponics. Here is a take on this emerging trend.

But increasingly, farmers from West Virginia to Maine and through the Midwest are going indoors to produce tomatoes and other veggies in demand during the winter months. "There's a huge increase in greenhouse operations," Harry Klee of the University of Florida tells us. "This is unprecedented, the level of opportunity," says Mock, whose business is booming. And surprisingly, according to skeptical foodies like chef Todd Wiss, the best greenhouse tomatoes come incredibly close to reproducing that taste of a perfectly ripe, summer garden tomato. "It's amazing," Wiss says after trying a greenhouse-grown Gary Ibsen's Goldheirloom tomato. These are a far cry from the flavorless supermarket tomatoes typically found this time of year. When tomatoes are shipped long distances, they're usually harvested before they're ripe, which compromises taste. Plus, as we've reported before, some of the flavor of those supermarket varieties has been accidentally bred out. The advantage of the new greenhouse model is that the tomatoes are grown not far from the cities where they're sold and eaten. And it's the locavore ethos that's driving this trend. "What's harvested today will be delivered to stores tomorrow," says Paul Mock of Mock's Greenhouse and Farm in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. Mock's business has boomed in the last few years, as retailers such as Wegmans and Whole Foods in the D.C., metro area snap up his heirloom and cherry tomatoes, as well as cucumbers and lettuces. "There were times I had to pound the pavement" to sell produce, Mock says. Now he's being paid a premium, since "locally grown" produce is in high demand. "I'm finally having fun." The taste of Mock's tomatoes starts with the seed. He uses only organic varieties, including cherry and several heirloom varieties. Allison Aubrey/NPR Now even New Englanders can get summertime-tasting, fresh tomatoes grown not too far from home. In Maine, Backyard Farms is leading the way. And vertical greenhouses are changing the landscape, too, from the new garden spot at Chicago's O'Hare Airport to Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole, Wyo., which is just getting started. So how do they grow? Many of these operations are turning to hydroponic farming, which means the plants are not grown in soil. As we've reported before, soil is one key component of tomato flavor, but it's not the only one. The hydroponic tomatoes get their nutrients (and fertilizer) from liquid solutions fed directly via irrigation hoses. This typically requires less water and less land than traditional farming. In fact, it uses up to 10 times less land and seven times less water per pound, according to Kate Siskel of BrightFarms, a company that's scaling up local produce by building greenhouses at or near supermarketsMock says there's another advantage of indoor growing: "We've had very little damage from bugs." And he's been able to avoid using chemicals on the leaves or fruit of his plants.

Local food movement which started some years ago advocates consumption of food produced nearer to the consumption centers and naturally cities and urban areas where food consumption is greatest cannot afford to grow food crops on precious urban lands which are extremely expensive besides lack of infrastructure to support agriculture in a big way. Of course feeble attempts are being made to adopt urban agriculture in a limited way and these include sky roof gardens, terrace gardens, balcony gardens, gorilla cultivation, etc but their impact is rather limited. Advent of green house technology and hydroponics which require limited land with high production potential has opened up enormous possibilities to promote locavore conscious consumers who frown upon the destructive impact of commercial agriculture which churns out safety-suspect foods with large carbon foot prints. Hydroponic technology may revolutionize the concept of agriculture production in the coming years and offers a ray of hope for the future of this planet and health of the denizens.

V.H.POTTY
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FARMERS' MARKET-ARE THE PRODUCE REALLY LOCAL?

Economic fraud is as old as human civilization and only a very few can avoid the temptation for cheating to make a fast buck as long history of mankind has repeatedly demonstrated. If quality is compromised by the manufacturing industry time and again, it is only to safeguard or increase the margins of profit. There is no country on this blessed earth which is an exception to this ground reality. All checks and measures put in place from time to time can only check such practices but cannot eradicate the same. It is the general perception that such economic fraud is more deep rooted in developing countries compared to that, noticed in rich countries. Inadequate enforcement personnel, underdeveloped infrastructure for quality checking and wide scale corruption seem to be the major reasons for economic frauds that take place in many poor countries of the world. Look at a rich country like the US where consumers are defrauded in spite of the stringent enforcement system that seems to be unable to restrain fraudsters perpetuating their designs with impunity.

"In a way, California certified farmers markets are a victim of their own success, since their numbers have roughly doubled over the last decade, to more than 700, while the numbers of authentic farmers to meet this demand — and of agricultural inspectors to enforce market regulations — have not increased proportionally. Farmers market customers are willing to pay top dollar for produce they believe to be local, fresh, organic or not sprayed with pesticides. Industrially grown produce, raised with industrial efficiencies of scale, is comparatively cheap, tempting vendors to buy from neighbors, packinghouses and wholesale sources on the sly. This violates state farmers market rules, but allows them to obtain a profitable, more consistent supply. County and state inspectors (along with managers) are responsible for enforcing market rules against cheating, but they have limited personnel and resources. Some county agricultural authorities view peddling as a victimless violation and rarely fine or suspend from markets local farmers, with whom they may be friendly. But cheating is not a victimless violation. Customers are defrauded, duped into paying high prices for commercial-grade produce. Honest growers often can't compete with cheaters and withdraw from markets. The core attraction of farmers markets — real farmers selling directly to consumers — is in danger of slipping away. To retain public confidence, farmers and managers have proposed many ideas, including these, as the first, most urgent steps to address this concern"

How can one arrest this trend of crass greediness is a worrisome factor that concerns many countries. The above instance of passing on mass produced and industrially processed perishables as locally grown food is well proved but legally it will be difficult to take action due to practical reasons. Such instances are bound to increase in the coming years because of the current obsession for organic foods and locavore movement taking roots in many communities due to fear of unsafe foods from mass produced and centralized manufacturing facilities. Is punishment a severe deterrent against consumer frauds? Obviously the answer seems to be a resounding no if what has been happening in China is any indication. The Melamine adulteration of milk affecting the health of thousands of innocent children adversely, which captured world-wide attention last year, should not have happened considering the harsh retribution system prevalent there under the authoritarian regime that controls the destiny of that country. Even after executing a couple of executives for the crime in response to the scandal, manufacture of sub-quality and adulterated food continues unabated, the most recent incidence being antibiotic tainted honey.

V.H.POTTY
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LOCAVORE "FLAVOR" FOR BIG RETAILERS-JOINING THE "BANDWAGON"!

It looks as if the new found popularity of local food movement is pinching the fortunes of organized retailers, if recent reports regarding attempts by a few of them to start some thing like a farmers' market within their premises to attract more customers or to recapture some of their lost clientèle. Foods offered at the farmers' markets are supposed to be with low carbon foot prints because they come from nearby farms where cultivation is managed with minimum use of energy, fertilizers and pesticides. How supermarkets depending on large scale production systems and economy of scale can co-exist with the small scale operations that characterizes farmers' markets is some thing one has to wait and see. If it is based on philanthropy with an intention to give protection to the local growers, such practices need to be encouraged. But the economics and logistics do not favor such an interpretation of the move by large retailers to open up local food section in their premises. If it is a part of a slow process of integrating local producers into the location specific retail stores, one can only appreciate such changes.

"It's not hard to see why supermarkets are nervously intrigued by farmer's markets. In the past five years, the number of markets in the US has ballooned, up from 1,755 in 1994 to 5,274 in 2009, according to the USDA. But the problem for Big Food is that farmers' markets exist as an alternative to the centralized, mass-produced, industrialized system that delivers most of our food. The items at farmer's markets come from small farms or bakeries located within 100 miles from where they live. They're also ultra-fresh, seasonal and mostly unprocessed, and the direct-to-consumer system lets farmers earn a healthy profit for their food. Supermarkets, in contrast, sell food from all over the globe and pay the sorts of prices only large producers can afford to accept. Mike Siemienas, a spokesperson for Supervalu (SVU), which owns Albertsons, defended the use of farmers' markets signs in 200 of its stores in Washington, Oregon and Idaho over the Labor Day weekend because the produce advertised came from local farms. It's certainly a better approach than Safeway's interpretation of a farmer's market, but the price those local farms are getting for their produce is probably much less than what they'd get at an actual farmers' market. By comparison, organic, which is also a reaction to mainstream food production, has been a much easier trend for big food companies to monopolize. Large manufacturers like Kellogg (K) and General Mills (GIS) operate major organic brands and many large, conventional fruit and vegetable producers have organic side businesses. Local may actually be the sort of party food companies can't get into, at least not without looking like they're trying way too hard.Frito-Lay (PEP) and McDonald's (MCD) have already mounted ridiculous attempts to establish local cred. Frito-Lay wheeled a traveling greenhouse into the middle of Times Square and brought along potato farmers to explain how Lay's potato chips are made with actual potatoes. In July, McDonald's put up billboards in Washington state announcing things like "Served in Seattle, Grown in Pasco," accompanied by the disclaimer "participation and duration may vary."

The issue of returns to the farmers who join league with super market chains is still a ticklish issue because of the compulsion to share the sale proceeds between the established retailer and the local producer. In contrast in a genuine farmers' market there is no middle man to gobble up a part of the sale proceeds resulting in a higher net return to the grower. It is not clear as to what other services the retailer is offering to the growers besides the premises and the brand value. Ideally the super markets must lend their expertise to the local grower community in producing high quality products and train them in proper handling and packing before channeling them through their store facilities. Only such a symbiotic relationship can promote locavore movement to any significant extent without affecting the fortunes of existing super markets. Under no circumstances large players should be allowed to misuse the "goodwill" generated by the "local food" concept for increasing their cash flow.

V.H.POTTY

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