Excerpt from MacKenzie, R. (2014.) Neighborhood urban agricultural hubs: Educating adults to become more self-sufficient, towards a food secure future. Portland State University, Portland, OR. (To read the entire paper, visit http://www.ronwmackenzie.com/index.php/graduatepaper/)
Once we understand our disconnect from nature, we will begin to see how our attempt to control it has led to a myriad of problems, notably how disturbing the biodiversity of ecosystems has led to food insecurity. In order to increase food security and to empower adults to become more self-sufficient in meeting their food needs year-round, education about urban homesteading should be readily accessible to the public at neighborhood urban agricultural hubs that provide classes and mentoring programs. This is merely a first step towards moving to a permaculture society, which is the objective, whereupon humanity would live in a well-balanced relationship with nature. It will be a gradual process and take time to heal the Earth and its ecosystems.
A utopian dream is to get back to nature, and to gradually return the Earth to a state of harmony before the advent of modern agriculture. However, it is unfathomable to imagine eight billion people hunting and gathering. Nevertheless, there is a middle ground, called ecological gardening, which is better known as permaculture. Permaculture, which is a contraction of both “permanent” and “culture,” uses a set of principles and practices to design sustainable human settlements. Permaculture, or “permanent agriculture,” was created by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and began as a tool for designing landscapes that are modeled after nature, yet include humans (Hemenway, 2009). Individuals can incorporate the principles on a small scale by developing ecological gardens.
Ecological gardens join the best features of wildlife gardens, edible landscapes, and conventional flower and vegetable gardens, but they are more than the sum of their parts and go beyond just adding these styles together. An ecological garden feels like a living being, with a character and essence that is unique to each. They use time-tested techniques honed to perfection by indigenous people, restoration ecologists, organic farmers, and forward-looking landscape designers (Hemenway, 2009). An example of two forward-looking individuals is Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates.
In 2004, Toensmeir and Bates purchased a duplex in Holyoke, Massachusetts, which had a tenth-of-an-acre lot that was barren ground, with bad soil peppered with broken piece of concrete, asphalt, and brick (Toensmeier & Bates, 2013). The two imagined a lush paradise of fruits and berries, interspersed with ponds, greenhouses, and bountiful beds of annual crops. Following the advice of permaculture experts, they observed the site for a year. Their objective was to follow the principle of regenerative design, to heal it and its ecosystem, which would help to bring the land to life and bring them into a deeper relationship with it and each other. Regenerative agriculture, which permaculture aspires to be and often actually pulls off, achieves these goals while also meeting human needs (Toensmeier & Bates, 2013). While the need to move to a society grounded in permaculture principles may be clear, it must be done gradually.
The proposed solution to address problems with the food system is based on ecological design, and entails establishing neighborhood urban agricultural hubs. Good design everywhere has certain common characteristic, including right scale, simplicity, efficiency, a close fit between means and ends, durability, redundancy, and resilience (Orr, 2011). When people practice self-sufficiency within their neighborhood, and cooperate to help meet each other’s needs, the food system will have a closer fit from farm to table. This is merely the first step in moving towards a society founded on the principles of permaculture. The key lies in community.
A community-based solution, one that is grounded in voluntary cooperation, is central since not everyone will have the time, space, or ability to grow, raise, or gather his or her own food. Moreover, not everyone will know how. The proposal is to identify community gardens, school gardens, find neighbors willing to share lots that border one another, or acquire vacant lots to designate as neighborhood urban agricultural hubs, which would be designed on the principles of permaculture, where neighbors will learn and practice urban homesteading skills. They will also have the opportunity to find mentors. In addition to acting as a venue for hands-on learning, neighbors would voluntarily cooperate to grow, raise, gather and preserve food for those who are unable to be self-sufficient. This practice will address the economic barriers many have to acquiring fresh fruits and vegetables.
The implications of implementing the solution are far-reaching. Initially, it will reacquaint people with the skills needed to become more self-sufficient, that is urban homesteading, and build community through voluntary cooperation. That will result in removing barriers for people to more readily access healthy organic fresh whole food. The practice of relying on food grown, raised, or gathered within a neighborhood, will also decrease human impact on the environment. By implementing the practice of educating people about permaculture, it will help to get them back in touch with nature. This will all facilitate to shift them from a mechanistic way of thinking to an organic. It is all part of an ecological paradigm for education.
Ecological thinking requires a shift of emphasis from relationships based on separation, control and manipulation, towards those based on participation, empowerment and self-organization. (Sterling, 2011). People have increasingly separated themselves from nature, and depended on a food system that involves controlling and manipulating the ecosystem. Besides, people are often discouraged and confused about the food they consume. When people get directly involved with food production, their thinking will begin to shift. The learning experience will be transformational. The solution proposed is intended to encourage them to shift their thinking, and reeducate them. It is intended to help reconnect them with nature.
References
Hemenway, T. (2009). Gaia’s Garden: A guide to home-scale permaculture.
White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.
Orr, D. (1994). Earth in mind: On education, the environment, and the human prospect.
Covelo: Island Press.
Sterling, S. (2011). Sustainable education: Re-visioning learning and change.
Cornwall: Green Books Ltd.
Toensmeier, T. & Bates, J. (2013). Paradise Lot: Two plant geeks, one-tenth of an acre and the
Making of an edible garden oasis in the city. White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publishing.
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For information about Leadership for Sustainability Education program: https://www.pdx.edu/elp/leadership-for-sustainability-education-lse-specialization