I just had to flag this article, from the “NY Times” Sunday magazine, by Elizabeth Royte, a terrific writer with an unbeatable subject: Will Allen, an urban farmer who’s got a model that needs to be replicated, taught and otherwise advanced everywhere. This guy is really on it!
(Nigel Parry for The New York Times)
He’s reducing waste (six million pounds of rotting food last year alone), selling food to thousands of citydwellers, teaching hundreds of urban gardeners and farmers, employing scores of people (mostly undereducated), and creating an altogether-new paradigm. Allen’s Growing Power operation is “…inspiring communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time.”
The article quotes Allen: “‘We need 50 million more people growing food, on porches, in pots, in side yards.’ The reasons are simple: as oil prices rise, cities expand and housing developments replace farmland, the ability to grow more food in less space becomes ever more important. As Allen can’t help reminding us, with a mischievous smile, ‘Chicago has 77,000 vacant lots.'”
