I was listening to a radio today and heard the news about Michelle Obama and 23 fifth-graders in the Washington D.C who just cultivated a 1,100 square foot land to develop an organic fruits and vegetables garden at the White House. Where obesity and diabetes have become a national problem, the activities are aimed at educating children, families and communities on the importance of healthy eating and reducing reliance on chemicals for fertilizers. What a wonderful idea and an excellent activity to do with kids. I also heard that in Manhattan 20 green markets have become more and more popular, where more people nowadays find "green vegetables" a healthier and trendier choice than fast food. Green market that sells home-grown vegetables popped up everywhere in this big city and people started to show interests in growing vegetables in their own garden.
I think more and more people should realize how important is agriculture and its development to impact on earth well being, our health, our economy and our life as a whole. Economies of scale farming may be necessary as the population grow, chemicals may be inevitable to produce quality and quantity, however it may not the last resort. The future trend of farming could be something like .... smaller farming but at many location and run locally by the community.
In Tokyo having your own garden for farming is quite a luxury, due to lack of space. Those who live in apartment buildings usually do not have the capacity to do farming, where most of them can only grow mini tomatoes in small pot plants or some herbal plants. For a real farming experience they would need to rent a space somewhere out of the city, where they can cultivate a small piece of land. I know a few friends who have actually rented some spaces - together - in the outskirt and go there every weekend to cultivate and harvest. Hm, I guess as long as the sun still shines ... agriculture is possible anywhere! Lack of space is not a problem but an opportunity.
