ANOTHER FUTURISTIC "URBAN GARDEN"-A NEW CONCEPT IN RAISING FOODS

It is said that "necessity is the mother of invention"! How true it is, can be gauged from a look back into history to trace the origin of most discoveries which were all made to meet specific needs of humanity. The new urban farming concept unveiled recently in the Netherlands is some thing beyond the imagination of ordinary mortals because of its sheer audacity and magnitude. Urban areas any where in the world give the images of swanky buildings, sky-kissing towers, endless highways and roads, shopping malls etc and they definitely are not associated with farming operations. There have been reports about terrace farming, gorilla gardening, suburban gardening, inner city gardens, corporate gardening, etc taking place in some cities and there is even a project in Canada to combine super market and roof top gardening so that consumers are offered field fresh produce items! More brazen in its design, the new Urban Garden proposed is 4000 Ha in size in the middle of a city with three separate climate zones capable of producing practically every crop needed by a million plus population in the area. Here is a report about the project which is mind boggling in terms of size and spread.       

"Big cities are rarely home to thriving farmlands, but a group of Dutch architects hope to change that with the "Park Supermarket" -- an urban farming project that will attempt to grow and sell all the food of a modern supermarket in one place. The firm behind the proposal, Rotterdam-based Van Bergen Kolpa Architects, intends to produce everything from risotto rice, to kiwis to Tilapia fish all on one 4,000-acre plot of disused land in Randstad, Holland's largest metropolitan area". 

While one cannot underestimate the determination of the pioneers to see through the project, there are several uncertainties and challenges before them. Some of the technologies unveiled for growing diverse crops requiring Mediterranean, Tropical and other congenial climates are still to be tested for their feasibility. Crop protection procedures are yet to be worked out. The logistics of operation may pose innumerable challenges, Still given the determination on the part of the promoters, there is no reason to believe that the project might not come off. The million dollar question is whether there is sufficient potential for replication of this model in other cities of the world where urban lands are not easily available and even if available cost a fortune to acquire. Still the modern day entrepreneur-cum "dreamers" who are behind the project deserve full compliments.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

URBAN FARMS-A PASSING FANCY OR ENDURING PHENOMENON?

It was only a couple of years ago there were exciting developments in some of the most congested cities like New York where the terrace gardening was practiced with official encouragement from city fathers, basically for generating local produce for local consumption. Many corporate industrial bodies provided support to this phenomenon both as a social experiment as well as for the well being of their employees. The urge to involve in agriculture spread to suburban settlements with the residents taking part in week end gardening in vacant places nearby. While the experience of hands on involvement in the logistics of cultivation can be very stimulating, the sustainability of the zeal for such extra-routine activities was always doubtful. These days one does not hear too much about such gardening activities though it may till be taking place in some areas with dedicated people committed to self-reliance. Now comes the news regarding further development of the concept of urban gardening based on vacant sites near regular dwelling houses taken up as a community program in several cities across the US. If such trend continues, city authorities may have to re-think about the present zoning systems to accommodate farming urge of their citizens. .

"It's an unusual place for a farm — an industrial stretch in the 1700 block of Powerline Road also home to construction material retailers and wholesalers, auto repair businesses, and even an exotic dance club. Appropriately named The Urban Farmer, Jessica Padron will participate in a community agriculture program, offer workshops for children and adults and have a farm stand for the extras. "If I won't feed it to my daughter, I won't sell it to you," Padron said. Padron's is one of dozens of farms sprouting in urban settings and inner cities across South Florida. There's Earth N' Us and Roots in the City in Miami; Marando Farms in Fort Lauderdale; and the Girls U-Pick Strawberry Farm in Delray Beach. There are also smaller community gardens taking root behind backyard fences, church gardens and abandoned lots. As cabbage and chickens move closer to office buildings and neighborhoods, municipalities across the country are trying to figure out how and where to fit the urban farm. "It is true that city politicians are not used to dealing with this sort of thing," said Alfonso Morales, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Wisconsin. "[But] in some places they're not [only] used to it but they seek it aggressively. They all have different models for trying to establish community agriculture." The trend is slowly catching on here. In West Palm Beach, a group of residents is working with the city to create an urban farm ordinance. In Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale, residents are asking city officials to allow backyard chickens".

It is unthinkable as to how costly land in urban areas can be used for agriculture unless one is dealing with inner city areas where there is a drastic drop in land prices. As long as there is unwanted vacant land available in cities, such novel projects can be considered and the returns in terms of social awareness and enhanced appreciation of farmer activities can be appreciable. Of course in a country like the US, where agricultural practices are highly standardized and cultivation packages re readily available such outlandish ideas have a better chance to succeed whereas in India it is impractical to think about them.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

URBAN FARMING-A UTOPIAN DREAM?

Urban gardening or food crop cultivation was touted as a solution to make the community self-sufficient with regard to some of their food needs. The energy crisis, economic crisis and the latest emission crisis probably energized the local food movement under the presumption that such a strategy would "solve" all the problems. Beyond serving as a curiosity, the movement cannot be expected to be of any relevance to day. Cultivating vacant lands nearby or setting up a terrace garden for vegetables can be a hobby for many urban dwellers but the scale of operation or the intensity of involvement cannot match the volume requirements of any viable community. The problems of logistics clearly rule out any dramatic development in the foreseeable future.

"Clearly the biggest challenges to the growing interest in urban agriculture are meeting the demand for land to farm, gaining knowledge about how to do it and finding avenues for selling backyard produce. City and regional leaders, businesses, educators and nonprofit groups are all pitching in to help sate that demand. Some of the need is being met by a Web site called Urban Garden Share. Amy Pennington, the site's founder, was out drinking cocktails with some budding gardeners -- but who also were apartment dwellers and therefore lacked their own row to hoe. They were considering "rogue gardening" on the sly to meet their gardening needs. An idea struck Pennington: "How fun would it be to do on line dating for gardens?" So in March 2009, she created Urban Garden Share. The free service matches people with unused land available for urban farming with gardeners looking for a place to grow food. Now there are close to 400 active listings, which are identified by neighborhood".

How long such a fancy will last remains to be seen. The ready to use growing kits, minimum physical effort needed to set up such gardens and the cooperative attitude of the members of the communities there make the job much easier to accomplish. If urban dwellers get pleasure doing limited farming, in spite of their daily chores, encouraging them to indulge in this hobby can be justified from social and psychological angles. But definitely not to solve the food problem of a whole community. In cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore etc such proposals might be construed as incongruous and crazy because of huge pressure on land, power and water and the vice-like grip, the real estate mafia has on these land starved metropolitan entities.

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com