Blog by K. Rashid Nuri
Author of Growing Out Loud: Journey of a Food Revolutionary
To purchase Book visit: https://www.thenurigroup.com/book

In May 2020, I am starting a series of on-line lectures on the Importance of Urban Agriculture and the urgent need for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support its growth. Here are some of the facts and statistics on which I am building the curriculum.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

• 82 percent of Americans live in cities or suburbs

• Most have limited familiarity with the production and source of our food

• Few know what food looks like while growing

• Seasonality and fluctuations in crops

• Commercial agriculture emphasizes efficiency and quantity rather than growing quality food and protecting natural resources

• Most American food travels an average of 1500 miles before it reaches the home dinner table

• Transportation accounts for 70-80% of total food costs to the consumer

• Transport adds to the nutritional loss in food
  Agriculture impacts energy use and the environment: (Source of 20 to 25 percent of the annual U.S. annual energy budget)

• Up to 40 percent of that energy is used to produce artificial fertilizers and pesticides

• Chemicals reduce minerals, vitamins, and trace elements that create flavor and nutrition

• Studies show that poor food quality contributes to rising rates of obesity, vitamin deficiencies, and food-borne illnesses

HOW URBAN AGRICULTURE HELPS

• Fresher, healthier foods support healthier consumers

• At the 1996 U.N. International Conference on Human Habitats in Istanbul, urban agriculture was formally recognized for the first time for its contribution to the health and welfare of fast-growing urban populations worldwide

• Urban fields bring fresh vegetables to consumers within 24-48 hours from harvest

• Food close to harvest is highest in nutrient value and better tasting

• Increases exercise by encouraging gardening and other outdoor activities

• consumers are encouraged to eat in season

• Improves mental health

• Reduces stress

• Improves social skills

• Increases self-esteem

GROWING FOOD STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES

• Reconnects people to their food and the land

• Provides horticultural literacy

• Promotes family and community bonding

• Promotes sharing

• Increases collaborations across gender, racial and economic barriers

• Provides beautiful, peaceful environments

URBAN FARMING BUILDS LOCAL COMMUNITIES

• Increases food security

• Creates jobs

• Supports small farmers

• Democratizes food industry

• Increases access to affordable locally grown produce

NATURAL URBAN AGRICULTURE SUPPORTS THE ENVIRONMENT

• Prevents erosion and stormwater runoff

• Reduces fossil fuel dependence

• Increases carbon sequestration

• Reduces heat island effect

• Increases pollinators and biodiversity

NATURAL METHODS

• Maintain healthy soil: feed the soil, not the crops

• Increase soil organic matter every year

MAINTAIN PLANT DIVERSITY

• Manage crops for the highest profit per acre

• Plant permanent crop beds

• Use biological pest control

• Protect pollinators: 
  honey bees, native bees, wasps, yellow jackets, dirt daubers, butterflies

• Attracts beneficials: bats, birds, toads, spiders, garden snakes, frogs, lizards, grasshopper mice, prairie deer mice, white-footed mice, ladybugs, and others

• Use drip irrigation, and it works best

• Use open-pollinated, heirloom seed

• Plant trees: fruit, nuts, etc. 

• Use perennial cover crops