By: Catherine

Catherine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:04:35 +0000

Urban farming is a great idea for all people. I’m not sure how well it works, however. I live in Baltimore and there’s an urban garden down the road from where I work and the place has just gone to Hell. It’s in the middle of the ghetto and is where it should do the most good but no one seems to want to participate. I think it’s apathy and why should someone labor to plant and tend crops when some dumbass will come along and either damage the plants (the place has a low wall)or steal the ripened vegetables? The culture here is: steal, steal, steal! That’s why there are few food markets here- they keep getting robbed and the goods are stolen. Markets of all kinds here have walled-in sales attendand areas because of this problem. I also believe food is cultural. The culture here is to eat fast food and meat, not fruits and vegetables. Even if the fruits and vegetables were available for sale, they might not be eaten. Urban gardens are a great idea but the cultural problems urban black America faces need to be addressed first. Trips to countries in Africa which contrast with/emphasize the free education available in the USA are a good idea to help kids realize not paying attention is school is DUMB. Some people here (black, white, hispanic, whatever) throw away their education because they don’t even know what they have. I don’t know how to fix the urban centers but a good trip to rural Ghana with malaria, no jobs and no health care should be enough to scare the hell out of anyone. My $0.02.

Comments on: Urban farming movement is a revolution

By: Catherine