We all know that urban agriculture is super hot right now.
-In Boston last week a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a pilot urban agriculture project was released. In Dorchester the city hopes to use three vacant properties to produce fresh, healthy food. The governor of Missouri signed a bill to help modernize agriculture law in that state. The big news for me is how urban agriculture is spun to be an important part of the bill, when it is merely window dressing. But, that shows the power of this new movement. And the other big news is he DID NOT sign the ag bill in the BIG Mexico, but Mexico, Missouri. They had me going for a while!
In Toronto, sadly, the city is looking for ways to save money and this could include eliminating urban agriculture programs.
-The Guardian takes a look at what future sustainable cities might look like. To me (and others I’ve talked with) it’s really interesting how so many examples in the article use China as a harbinger of what is possible or what is to come. When a central authority dictates all of public policy and how money and resources are allocated naturally things get done. However it doesn’t make sense to compare that country to countries like the USA where the business community is in control. Will new cities in the US and Canada be built on a massive scale featuring harmonization with nature or a lower reliance on fossil fuels in the near future? Only if developers see a way to make money doing it.
Lastly, if you’d like your say on why you buy local food, Marketplace
is giving you a megaphone!
No comments:
Post a Comment