On a greater scale, I think we, as individuals and as a society, are in need of asking ourselves the what if questions. We need to remind ourselves that there are always alternatives. Corporations are promoting gentically engineered food as the answer to a question that goes something like this: How do we feed the world's growing population? A good question, but is genetic engineering the right or only answer? Or are we even asking the right question? It began with soybeans and canola oil and even though there have been questions raised about the safety of these and other ge products, there seems to be a rush to get them to market.
The possible dangers ought to give us pause and have us consider the alternatives before we accept the magic bullet that we are being offered. Food Security is a serious issue, one which I have discussed in previous articles and one which will keep cropping up on a regular basis but what is the real threat?
Perhaps the causal factor that we need to address is poverty and that, if this is the case, then what we need to do is create answers to the questions; What is the root cause of poverty? What is the relationship between hunger and poverty? Obviously, if you have no money, you cannot buy food, but what if you could grow your own food? You may still be cash-poor but no longer hungry. But you do need seeds, tools and somewhere to plant a garden. Garden cooperatives may be a response.
Urban agriculture or city farming may be one of the alternatives that increase the ability of people to feed themselves. Over the next two weeks, we'll look at ways city dwellers can grow their own food, ideas such as seed banks and converting abandoned buildings into indoor market gardens will be examined.
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