My mate Gavin has a post over at the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-Op about how he “thinks differently” from most of the people he knows. I can certainly relate to that!
Me, I can’t help thinking about all the unused bits of land I see when I drive around.
I see a park, and think “why don’t they plant some fruit and nut trees there?”.
I look at the long strip of grass between the dual carriageway, and wonder how much corn or grain could be grown in there.
I see the long grass growing alongside roads, and wish I could come along and scythe it and take it home for composting.
I see an empty lot with a boat parked on it, and wonder who owns it and why they haven’t done anything with it for the past 30 years. Surely they could have just thrown some useful trees on it and be basking in a productive food forest by now? Or even planted a stand of fine cabinet timber and be harvesting tens of thousands of dollars worth of wood?
When people tell me we need genetic engineering and factory farming because we don’t have enough arable land to feed ourselves otherwise, I wonder if they can even see all the wasted land around our towns and cities. Surely they can’t be that ignorant?
Comments
6 responses to “Thinking Different”
I must think differently as well since I have been wondering the same things. But then, we live in a world where waste is normal and common place.
What so many people do not realise is the length of time it takes to produce edible food. It is not insignificant. That’s why local food security is so important.
@Jason: Yes, exactly. Regional food security is an issue that’s rarely considered. Peak oil isn’t the only scenario that can affect our food supply – it could be a truckers’ strike, extreme weather (e.g. the Australian banana crisis a few years ago), drought, high fuel prices, a key business failing and interrupting the supply chain, a processing problem (e.g. the massive US meat and spinach recalls due to food poisoning), exchange rate variations, interruptions to international trade, etc. It makes sense to build some level of local/regional resilience into our food supply. Interestingly, Kiama’s deputy mayor is very much across this issue and is pushing projects to improve our situation locally. You’re very right that food production can’t just be “turned on” in response to an interruption – it takes significant time to ramp up.
Nice one Darren, thanks for cross posting on the subject of green thinking. It is so amazing that people still cannot see the forest for the trees. There is so much usable land around us that we could all be using it to grow food, even if it is a few fruit and nut trees that need bugger all maintenance.
We could all learn a thing or two from the urban food revolution in Cuba as a result of their ‘special period’ aka no oil. If they can grow up to 70% of their vegetable needs in the city of Havana, I am sure that all Australian cities could certainly do better. They may have to now that the massive tomato and capsicum crop poisoning has occurred in Bowen!
Gav
@Gavin: Cuba sprang to my mind too, and again demonstrates why we need to maintain some level of regional food security and resilience. The pessimist in me thinks that we’ll probably just import a mountain of tomatoes from China to replace the lost ones from Bowen, and that disaster will barely register.
When I walk our dog along our country road soon after the berms have been mowed, I have to restrain myself from coming back with a rake and taking all of that cut grass home. It’s hay! My chickens would love it in their nest boxes, or the compost pile could use it. So much biomass going to waste! Good thing I don’t live in town, or I’d go nuts.
@Anna: I have been known to rake the verges, and I used to take some of my neighbours’ green waste when we lived in town. I also got their handyman to dump their lawn clippings in my yard – he was happy to do so, since it save him time and disposal fees.