Can urban agriculture provide real solutions for food insecurity?
I see the future of agriculture with training opportunities not just in rural America, but also in urban settings, giving us another pool to recruit future generations of farmers.
By Jonathan Lawler of Brandywine Creek Farms in Indiana
Ag Daily
Dec 17, 2020
Excerpt:
So are there any pros to urban ag outside of feeding your own family or a few neighbors? Yes! And they far outweigh the cons. Education and ag advocacy, especially in terms of getting young people interested in agriculture, are biggies. There’s nothing more rewarding than getting a group of teenagers interested in growing food or having preschoolers ask you to drive a tractor “just one more time” and watch their faces light up as you work the ground. This is where urban agriculture needs to be taken seriously. Educational and occupational opportunities abound.
Yet urban ag has been dismissed widely by the agricultural industry as whole, often because of the rhetoric heard by a lot of the people doing it. And it would be a mistake to ignore or dismiss that part of the industry. Those of us who happen to farm near a municipality that has urban ag should get involved. Our voices need to be heard, not because they are more important, but because we can offer them a different perspective. I have experienced this first hand. I have worked on several urban ag projects and had the privilege of being able to hire those who started in urban agriculture onto my farm. It is amazing how much urban farmers and rural farmers can learn about different perspectives.
I see the future of agriculture with training opportunities not just in rural America, but also in urban settings, giving us another pool to recruit future generations of farmers. Modern agriculture needs to be involved in urban ag. Push through the rhetoric and connect at the individual level. Invite them to your farm! Show them what your farm really does, giving them a reality free from bias. If possible, partner with them.
