Urban Farming

The class this quarter is focused on issues related to global urbanization, the challenges and opportunities it brings with it. As was widely reported this week, 2008 is expected to be the year when half of the world's human population will be living in an urban environment. This is a big deal. It is happening for the first time and it is a big milestone in human history. A milestone in our journey towards what, is the bigger question. Are we headed towards collapse? Or is there a brighter future awaiting us?

Today's cities are resource hogs, hogging food, energy, water and everything in between like there is no tomorrow. To feed the ever increasing needs of cities, food production and distribution today has become a massive global endeavor. The global food supply chain is increasingly dependent on massive amounts of oil, petrochemicals and genetic engineering. Food travels on an average of 2000 miles before it reaches our tables! The food industry has undergone unprecedented consolidations in the last few years to achieve economies of scale. About 10% now control 90% of the market!

Making cities more and more self sustainable is where the challenges and opportunities lie. Localizing resource production and consumption is gaining wider acceptance and popularity in sustainability circles. Think Globally & Act Locally seems to be the new mantra.

To make a long story short, I did a small project looking at decentralizing and localizing food production and consumption. A bottom-up approach of sorts! A perfect example of how this can work is the urban farm located in the heart of Chicago. It is called the City Farm and it is run by a non profit environment education organization called Chicago Resource Center. They explained to me how they took a vacant 1 acre lot and made it into a very productive organic vegetable farm growing 10,000 pounds of vegetables last year. They supply the produce to several local restaurants and the local community. The organic waste from these restaurants is composted back into the farm. Planting a combination of high intensity and low intensity crops, totaling 55 different varieties, they ensure a continuous availability of vegetables. On any given day, you can walk in and walk out with a bag full of fresh and great tasting vegetables. I have to say the Cilantro was yum! All this on a vacant lot that otherwise would have turned into a dumping ground with rat infestation.



It is estimated that the city has about 8000 such vacant lots. Imagine the good it will do if all it were put to productive use. An even great opportunity is the millions of square feet of rooftops available in Chicago. As of Oct 2006, 1 million square feet of roof is being converted into green roof. That is probably less than 5% of the total available roof space. Green roofing is big in Chicago. There are several city funds promoting it. Just imagine the possibilities if food were to be grown up there! That is exactly the idea Chicago Resource Center plans to promote. What they have done is prove that the concept works. What they will need is leadership from the City of Chicago. The Mayor's office is very supportive of the idea. While there are several funds and initiatives that help, there is no comprehensive policy on food.

Chicago calls itself a green city. I am not sure if it is entirely there yet. One city that is leading the pack is City of Vancouver, Canada. They have chosen to take a holistic approach to urban farming and sustainability in general. They have formed a Food Policy Council, bringing together local, regional and even global stakeholders and formed a comprehensive food policy. Policies are aimed at reducing sprawl, protecting metropolitan farm lands, and providing easy access to farmer's markets. No wonder a majority of Vancouverites eat local food and an impressive 44% of them actually do some sort of urban farming. In case they grow excess food, there are several easy mechanisms to sell or donate them. Local farmer's markets are available all over the city. Vancouver is expected to have 2010 community gardens/farms by the 2010 Olympics opening! The ingredients for success: leadership from the local government, consumer awareness and community involvement.

City of Portland looked at what worked in Vancouver and in Chicago. They too have formed a Food Policy Council.


A new kind of food future is possible!

Quote of the day
"To forget how to dig the earth & tend the soil is to forget ourselves" -Mahatma Gandhi

Glacier National Park. Montana

The first thing you notice stepping into Montana is the sky. It is all around and it is big. If there is a term called city idiot, I would probably have personified it. I couldn't help gape repeatedly at the sky. Montana is called Big Sky country. I now understand why. The next thing you will notice is how friendly the people are. Hello or a Howdy is a customary must! And finally the traffic speed. 70 mph is almost a given and yet driving here is peaceful and even enjoyable!

Glacier National Park (GNP) is only a short drive away from Kalispell airport. The meadows soon give way to winding and climbing roads. Before you know it, you are inside the park. A few miles inside is the small village of Apgar. I stayed at the Village Inn here. Every guest staying here gets this view of Lake McDonald all to themselves!


I am sure there are a million blog posts and travelogues written about GNP. I still feel it is one post too little. So let me add one more!

Designated as a world heritage site and a biosphere reserve, the park is a place hopefully everyone will get a chance to visit and experience at least once. I feel eternally grateful to folks like George Bird Grinnell who had the courage to fight for, set aside and protect GNP from commercial piece meal development we all know today as suburbia.

There is so much to shoot(photograph) and see here. Every turn, every corner here is a potential photo op. I went on a photo snapping spree, worried that I might forget the sights. In retrospect, I should have just taken it easy, absorbed and enjoyed the place a little more! Anyways....bring loads of memory cards!

Photography can be a challenge. Weather changes fast around here. One moment it is sunny, the next it is overcast, windy and rainy. When in doubt, bracket your exposure like crazy. Clear blue skies will make your pictures sweeter. So if you find clear blue sky, you know what to do.

The park is a hiking paradise. The popular ones tend to get crowded. So get up early. Early morning hikes can be the most rewarding. Peace, quiet and wildlife. I ran into a baby black bear, numerous white tail deers, mountain goats, wild sheep, chattering variety of birds and rows upon rows of wildflowers glistening in the morning dew.



The hike that was most memorable was the one headed to Grinnell Lake along Josephine Lake.


Hiking isn't the only activity available. There is biking, boating, kayaking, canoing, fishing, camping and most importantly just chilling! One activity that is a must is going along Going to the Sun road. The road connects the western and eastern ends of the park. Sadly, the road was partially closed when I was there! Parts that I did see, simply blew me away. Pictures from the trip are here

While there are many many great things to say about the park, there are a few sad notes too. I found that park was being made too accessible. Power boats and helicopter tours are annoying and just plain wrong. Just when you think you are snuggled away from civilization you will hear that annoying sound of a helicopter. The biggest problem for the park though is climate change. The glaciers in the park are receding. There are also increased number of wild fires. While the national park service claims forest fires are a good thing, I have a feeling climate change is taking a heavy toll on the park. All the more reason why we need to offset our travel footprint. I am sure this Columbian Ground Squirrel would really appreciate that.