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Farming the Concrete Jungle

In cities across the country urban farmers are growing communities, greening the landscape and revolutionizing food politics.

By Phoebe Connelly and Chelsea Ross

At 9 a.m. on a cool, bright Saturday in mid-June, Robert Burns and Diana Baldelomar set up a farm stand outside the YMCA in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. The stand is simple: a tent to keep out the sun, two folding tables set in an L-shape and a handful of zinc washtubs filled with two inches of water. In the tubs stand… return to article

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    I think this program is amazing.  It is a good way to socialize the big urban neighborhoods.  A lot of the residents in these large urban neighborhoods are minorities that have agricultural backgrounds in their families past, so this idea could catch on…I would maybe take it a step further, not to sound too socialist, and have the produce sold in the markets around the neighborhood and the profits go to keeping the rents down, neighborhood revitalization, after-school programs and eventually to the schools (buying books, computers, renovations).  Make it as transparent as possible and see how it does.

    United States Posted by C. LyOns on Aug 25, 2007 at 5:05 PM

    I have no argument with the substance of this article, except to say that it makes more sense to me for urban gardening projects to rent land than to buy acreage at market prices.  I think that most cities have an “agricultural use” category that results in a substantial reduction in property taxes for the land owner.  Most owners would be willing to rent out property at very little cost in order to secure this tax classification.  Of course, the gardening project would need to move to other lands when and if the land owner decided to develop the property.

    I do have an argument with the section re the farm program.  The writers repeat inaccuracies that seem to have become common in progressive reporting.  What is usually called a “subsidy” in this day and time is what the Republican Congress of the 90’s created as a “direct payment”.  This is for the farmers of corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, and cotten.  There is no “direct payment”,  or any other subsidy for “meat”, as this writer states more than once. Dairy does have a milk price support, but since in recent years milk prices have been above the target price, there have been no deficiency payments.

    Also, when they make a reference to subsidies going to “Big Ag”, many readers will assume that Conagra, Monsanto, et al are receiving farm subsidies, which is not correct.  Farm subsidies go to farmers…...... both small and large.  If one’s farm is a relatively large one, it is a “large farm”, not “Big Ag”.  The tone of this presentation re the farm program really seems to reflect some sort of resentment of farmers and ranchers, for reasons unknown.

    My own disappointment with the farm program is that it keeps the “direct payment”, scheme instead of returning to price supports coupled with production limitations when prices fall below a target price.  Farmers will accept and cash checks for this direct payment, but farmers really see no good reason for this type of payment to exist.

    United States Posted by JPetersmith on Sep 8, 2007 at 11:17 PM
    Page 1 of 1 pages

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Also by Phoebe Connelly and Chelsea Ross
  • Farming the Concrete Jungle
    In cities across the country urban farmers are growing communities, greening the landscape and revolutionizing food politics.
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