Let’s talk about FAIR food

Put the shopping cart away and farm your yard!

Let’s talk about the distribution of food and fairness. Should we pay more for commercially raised organics at the grocers and big box stores? No, not in my opinion. In fact, it’s an emphatic NO! Should we pay more for delicious, locally grown food at the local farmers markets? Yes, of course, but within reason.

I think it’s safe to say that paying $5.00 a pound for heirloom tomatoes is not within most people’s means. And you know what? It’s unreasonable. Is local, fresh organic food so precious that only the well-to-do have access to it?

It shouldn’t be, but apparently it is.

Look, it’s roots and leaves, flowers, berries and stems. It grows in dirt and compost and worms and, like a beloved pet, showers us with abundance, with the meagerest of attention. So why is food so scarce in the city and so out-of-reach for we urban dwellers?

It shouldn’t be. This has got to stop. If you’ve got a spare inch or two of soil to plant, then please grow FOOD on it. Now is the time. We’ve gotta start farming our yards, patios, rooftops and balconies. We’ve got to insist on community gardens for our highrise dwelling friends, assistive gardens for our senior friends and schoolgardens for our children. We’ve got to insist on community composting facilities and curbside composting. We’ve got to put our own food on our table.

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