Community Farming Centers

There are 2 levels to creating communities. One is personal and the other is governmental.

Government

This is from a US perspective but it is applicable anywhere. 

Here is the annual cost of food stamps.

It's a safety net, it's a welfare system, it's unsustainable. Think about it $79.5 billion dollars every year. Some might say if it is taken away it would force people to find a job. What if there are no jobs to be found? Food prices are trending up, and there is little on the horizon to change that trend. 

20% of households are registered in this system, as the food prices continue to increase and these programs are cut it is inevitable that problems in society will result.

There has to be another way, and maybe there is. Instead of giving stamps and ensuring their continued dependence on a system that they are not participating in, why not build community gardens for them? More than a community garden, make it a Community Farming Center (CFC). 

The benefits would be enormous.

Combine an aquaponics systems with traditional gardens. Once established the systems would provide food, practical skills training and community. Excess food could be sold at local markets, some CFCs could be farmers markets, garden centers, and even extended to provide on site cafes. The value to personal esteem and community well-being is an intangible that cannot be quantified. The social costs of continuing the present system are obvious.

The management of the centers could be offered to churches or not-for-profits. However, should a CFC be extended, in the various ways mentioned, they could become local employers. It would be important that they held a tax exempt status that would keep them competitive. There would need to be strict regulations to ensure that the system was not abused. The intent is not to create agricultural corporations, but to provide for the poor.

There is another benefit that needs to be recognized, that of health. The lack of fresh food to the US poor is unacceptable, it's a cost to families, community and society.


Source: Food Environment Atlas, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
It is unlikely that the present food stamp system could be completely eliminated, but it could certainly be drastically reduced.

Personal farming

If you want to join, "Just start". Check out urban farming online, this site is a good example for all of us.

This is not a community you need to register with.  This is about people with shared values joining together in a community to solve issues. There are some groups around that could help though. The Transition network is one.

The main objective is to involve your neighbors. That is important. For example, if an aquaponics system is built it would be a small job to extend it to your neighbors patch. They are very scalable. That is what we should be aiming for. If everyone has to build a system from scratch the costs and duplication would be very high.

The logistics chains may break, oil prices may go through the roof, but what is certain is that food prices are going to go up. Most of us have a mortgage and simply can't afford to sell and buy an organic farm. We don't have the skills. In addition, doing something so radical will undoubtedly affect your income at a time when it is needed most. Depending on your location, traditional farming may not be sustainable anyway.
Finally, being remote and self-sufficient may not help in the long term, unless you are already in a commune.
Creating a regional co-operative is not what is needed, just start in your backyard.

There are some situations that may be much more difficult to achieve anything sustainable. Apartment living would fall under this category. Hydroponic rooftop gardens would be a start, but feeding the people of the building from its roof is pretty difficult depending on its design. Indoor hydroponics is going to cost a lot in lighting, for meager calories. If this is your situation then you might want to investigate is landshare. This connects you with people who may have extra space available for someone to use.

The other issue is that cities are hotter than the suburbs. This is due to the heat island effect a cities temperature will be 1-2C warmer. That is not what you want. If that is your situation I would get out to a suburb on a train line and start commuting. Because the heat island effect creates low pressure the closer to the centre of the city pollution is pulled from the suburbs in towards the city centre (link). 

What about contaminated soils?

There are legitimate concerns about the health of inner city soil. However, a interesting study has demonstrated that with the correct soil nutrients less contaminants are pulled into the plants:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150515111628.htm

Getting started

What can you do to begin? Well that depends on your situation. Your situation may be different to mine, and the problems you solve may help others in similar situations. Your concerns may involve;

• Where to live - start on a good foundation that will last at least a generation.
• Water - without it you don't stand a chance
• Next check out what food you want to grow. Forget mono-cultured fields of grain.
• Determine how to secure what you are going to build