tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post6389496845816137436..comments2023-05-13T12:00:21.851+01:00Comments on Food Urbanism: Growing Our Own FoodBruce Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17946680140549151625noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post-74433638560458081632008-04-30T18:55:00.000+01:002008-04-30T18:55:00.000+01:00Hi! there are a lot of glasshouses in Lusk, Co. Du...Hi! there are a lot of glasshouses in Lusk, Co. Dublin, I think several unused. I don't know who owns them but i'd love a plot in one of them to grow tomatoes and other things that take up too much space in my kitchen. ..*https://www.blogger.com/profile/02980663658411757180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post-83615285903681924152007-03-01T22:44:00.000+00:002007-03-01T22:44:00.000+00:00Thanks for the comments Jackattack. Toxic substanc...Thanks for the comments Jackattack. Toxic substances in the soil (and air) is an important issue, which all urban agriculture projects should be aware of. Having said that, I feel that the fear of potential toxicity of urban soils should be balanced against the harmful substances currently found in many foods bought in supermarkets. It also needs to be balanced against fact that growing food (in a sensible way) in the city is far less damaging to the global environment, especially with respect to the climate crisis. We need to be mindful of the health of our planet as well as our own health.Bruce Darrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17946680140549151625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post-64119041192411490442007-03-01T22:28:00.000+00:002007-03-01T22:28:00.000+00:00Hi Clanur. Your Naas allotment project sounds very...Hi Clanur. Your Naas allotment project sounds very interesting and it could be a suitable place for the research project that I am working on. I haven't been able to find info online. Could you email me through my complete profile page.Bruce Darrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17946680140549151625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post-67434115325471593812007-02-06T20:50:00.000+00:002007-02-06T20:50:00.000+00:00Agreed, agreed, and agreed...but be wary: locally ...Agreed, agreed, and agreed...but be wary: locally grown and organic foodstuffs are not immune to minerals--or metals--accumulating in the soil from previous uses or airborne settlement!jackattackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05446276395317973505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post-40530454451463977622007-01-16T19:36:00.000+00:002007-01-16T19:36:00.000+00:00Bruce,
I read the article in the Irish Times maga...Bruce,<br /><br />I read the article in the Irish Times magazine. I am in the process of setting up a private allotment scheme near Naas. This may be a suitable location for your project. We have both indoor plots in a 3500 sq m Glasshouse and traditional outdooor plots.clanurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15205625039737341388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post-64306583786962824012007-01-15T10:36:00.000+00:002007-01-15T10:36:00.000+00:00Caroline, you have mentioned three of the main rea...Caroline, you have mentioned three of the main reasons why I believe that people do not grow their own food.<br />The first is that we do not need to, for many people food is cheep and readily available.<br />The second reason is that cultural attitudes discourage or prevent it - it is often socially unacceptable to grow your own food.<br />The third reason is more interesting yet less considered. Nobody makes any money when people grow their own food. This is a key reason why we do not normally find well funded organisations or governmental agencies encouraging people to grow their own food. To do so would reduce the GDP. As you mention, it is only at times of extreme stress - such as in Britain and Ireland during WW2 and more recently in Cuba - that governments actively encourage self-production, and we may be about to enter a period where there is rapid change in food availability, in societal norms and in governmental attitudes.Bruce Darrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17946680140549151625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35630308.post-58182068977643225012007-01-13T10:46:00.000+00:002007-01-13T10:46:00.000+00:00Apart from its obvious relevance to sustainability...Apart from its obvious relevance to sustainability, I think food is a fascinating issue to focus on because it's so intertwined with culture and community. As you say, the act of growing one's own food is empowering in many more ways than the obvious one of providing nourishment. However, while personally I love seeing tomatoes where there used to be front lawn, for many people this seems highly eccentric, the sign of an untidy mind, or else a sign of extreme poverty and desperation. I hope that with the advent of peak oil those kinds of attitudes will change quickly. <br /><br />From what I understand, attitudes did indeed change in Britain during the second world war, but they were helped along by a government campaign. Unfortunately, as we all know, governments nowadays are preoccupied with keeping their countries' GDP levels high enough for international capital to have confidence in their economies and invest in them, thus preventing economic collapse. The more astute politicians might even realise that home- or community-based food production could actually be bad for GDP, as it would demonetarise food production in much the same way that stay-at-home parents demonetarise childcare.scattymehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00470795660008338488noreply@blogger.com