Like the Victory Gardens of World War II, communal and urban farming are making a comeback, revitalizing areas of the city previously thought unusable, backyards, lawns, sidewalks and making extraordinary spaces including vertical hydroponic facilities and shipping containers.
No, this will not likely replace the massive efforts used to produce food through the larger agriculture firms around the world, but it can make it easier for people who are struggling to have a means of sustaining themselves by growing food in their regions which are both nutritious and easy to care for.
Examples of communal farming: The Growing Experience – 7 acre urban farm in Carmelitos public housing in Long Beach, California. The Growing Experience experiments with farming methods which use sustainable water practices.
The Growing Experience provides access to organic food, job training, green open space (which is known for reducing stress for city dwellers) and even a community event space for low-income communities. The Growing Experience produces vegetables, fruits, herbs as well as eggs and tilapia for their new aquaponic system. They have also begun to experiment with jams, dehydrated fruit, and herbs. They are part of the Community Supported Agriculture program offering weekly pickups boxes of fruits and vegetables. The farm also has a Saturday farmers market which provides seasonal local produce to Long Beach residents.
This program is a fine example of what can be done with communal gardening in the struggling communities, offering independence, work, community development, employment opportunity and skill development.
- https://ucanr.edu/sites/UrbanAg/Urban_Ag_Stories/The_Growing_Experience/
- https://lafood.com/5-urban-farms-making-a-difference-in-los-angeles/
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