There is an urgent need for green infrastructure and urban agriculture to improve our health, air, and water.
Do you need a hand designing your property to take advantage of these opportunities?
Could the COVID-19 pandemic be a catalyst for change? We have now demonstrated that rapid change to our society is possible. New opportunities exist in time of change, with innovative products, services and volunteers. Many minds are thinking and scheming solutions. Some will no doubt be profiting, whilst others fail. In scientific circles, failure is an important path to solutions. For humans and the planet a plan to look after our environment, is ever more critical.
In my professional circle, I hear various reasons why we are not taking care of our environment.
Government agencies don’t easily facilitate change. Some Councils have developed green infrastructure plans, then proceed to ignore them. Despite evidence of successful practices in many parts of the world they are not adopted.
Engineers and architects stick to tried and proven designs. Later facilitating green infrastructure is not possible due to little forethought in land planning or building structure.
New policies are often over ridden on the building site, so developers can expediate their profits. Builders are scared to take risks on anything new on their buildings. They too want to build at lower costs.
Contractors are apparently lacking in skills and systems to undertake new and important solutions.
We continually allow poor development options in high density and low density housing with little regard to land use classification. Our good agricultural land close to cities is first neglected then turned into vast expanses of hardscape or dug up for coal. Biodiversity and natural ecosystems are neglected. Some local residents do not accept trees in their streets, often chopping them down reducing our opportunity to reduce the heat island effect in cities. Added to these problems is the damage we do to water quality with the Urban Stream Syndrome, air quality and carbon emmissions.
Poor planning has these expensive results on prime agricultural land.
The green infrastructure industry find it hard to explain a Return on Investement, partially due to the fact that the environment is thought of poorly in monetary terms. However for instance, Green roofs apart from being a great place for growing food, provide stormwater management, biodiversity habitat, insulation, reductions in heat island effect and stress relief.
Yet there are so many great ideas in the world for environmental building, urban planning, ecological restoration and food production.
In my professional life, I have observed Orange trees as street trees in Anatolia, Turkey. Date palms being given a special status in the UAE. Green roof technology being widely adopted in Europe and the USA. Ecological surveys, riparian regeneration, ecological restoration is carried out by experienced practitioners with ever better technology. Caring developers often undertake this work despite difficulties convincing authorities of the benefits. There is a wider appreciation of local providence foods for shops and restaurants which increase customer patronage.
There is a burning desire by many people to create a better world. During this Covid19 shutdown, I have been in communication with many people regarding new ideas and technology. Inspired engineers , are thirsty for green solutions.
In isolation with our families we can cook, create new ideas, garden and grow our own food. These activities provide fun, stress relief and health benefits. Activities like these are standard disease prevention measures, like social distancing and hand-washing. Leading health experts have repeatedly highlighted the importance of good diet and exercise to build physical health and robust immune systems.
Copenhagen already had plans in place to turn street trees into communal fruit trees. Denmark's progressive model of community food-growing brings neighbourhoods together to care for common property, thereby building shared identities while literally harvesting fruits together. Havana's (popular gardens) have been providing these services from 1991. The psychological benefits of community-building through gardening and food-growing can keep anxiety and depression at bay, while fostering societal trust and resilience outlasting the pandemic. The added potential benefit for urban farming innovations can finally be brought to indigenous settlements as one step on the ladder to better long-term living standards, bringing thrivability and livability to the fore of urban development in these communities.
So we need a plan, what can be done?
In the broader context of urban circular economy models, micro-business models can close loops innovatively. This is a powerful tool through which many major urban challenges can be successfully tackled by empowering citizens, thus relieving some burdens from local administrations in genuine and productive public-private partnerships.
The plan to turn half the world into a reserve for nature should not be discounted. Close and unsatisfactory interactions between humans and nature are thought to be the cause of Covid19. It would seem prudent to care for our wild places, if for nothing else a source of genetic diversity and biomimicry.
Indigenous cultures to need special care. It is said they are most vulnerable to diseases. Their health is poor, due to poor diet and food availability. They also hold special knowledge of the land and its care. In Australia for over 60,000 years, they have developed an affinity with nature in which we could all learn from. For instance their ability to control forests with slow burning fires, which if followed could have reduced recent damage to 12 million hectares burnt in 2019 alone.
Food crops, within easy reach of residential areas are needed. Private spaces in suitable locations are also encouraged to be opened up for use. These spaces do not have to be big, but they do need good access to water.
We seek assistance from authorities with regards to permits, and to allow essential food-related activities to take place. Community garden locations, fencing and infrastructure is required. We request help and donations from land owners, municipalities, plant centres, nurseries, local farms, and water supply firms, amongst others - by reaching out to vulnerable communities to help foster food security.
Nutrients: Donations of food waste, in order to produce compost, and to feed nutrients into soil should be sought.
Design: Garden design for productivity involves aspect, sun, soil, water and nutrients. Many systems are available to improve productivity. Permaculture and organic gardening techniques produce clean healthy food.
Technology: A number of systems are improving food production in the urban environment. Wicking beds by Biofilta ™ , vertical food farms and products like Urbanscape® provide excellent media for rooftop gardens. Soon connective technology will monitor soil, nutrient, pests and diseases to improve output. This will be achieved by the Internet of Things (IOT). Of course a lot of this type of work can be very organic and use low cost reused materials. Of course there are a number of solutions for water, air quality and climate change with the introduction of specialised green roofs.
Training: Education and training for locals to manage their own food gardens. People need to be able to take care of their plots for the sake of their long-term community health. On top of technical aspects of food-growing, composting, cooking, processing, etc., training could also be provided to encourage micro-business models to emerge in helping communities develop more robust and optimistic future perspectives.
There is a dire need to improve living conditions and secure basic necessities for the most vulnerable parts of our country. We need to appreciate fresh produce, whilst reducing fresh food being dumped. This is particularly acute in indigenous communities.
Embedding food production into urban- and peri-urban areas is increasingly viewed as an essential part of building more robust cities. Whilst typologies and solutions may differ from city to city and country to country, the message is clear: Healthy food system = Healthy economy, Healthy planet, Healthy population. Perhaps most importantly, urban farming regenerates urban communities. It generates its own economy, providing people with greater holistic value than unethical employment practices. Urban agriculture spreads knowledge and awareness of urban food systems, new economic models, waste reduction, education linked to opportunity, etc. It is a regenerative opportunity - one that begets more opportunities.
I propose the widespread construction of indoor, outdoor and rooftop garden plots, vegetable patches, greenhouses, and poultry runs in shared community spaces, alongside upcycling and food processing facilities to provide opportunities for packaging, storage and to reduce unnecessary food wastage.
Urban agriculture has often been an overlooked area for business development, yet it is a powerful tool with the potential to deliver inclusive, responsible, robust and resilient regeneration right where it is needed most. Let us use this critical opportunity to bring about Food Security everywhere - and build healthy, thriving, local food systems that bring holistic benefits to all.
All the best for your environmental endeavours
Robert Griffith
www.evolvement.squarespace.com
WE SUPPLY DIY OR SUPPLY AND INSTALL ENVIRONMENTAL GARDENS. CALL ROBERT ON 0468 787 071 OR rob@greenlook.com.au.
Thanks for the following contributors to this article.
Samantha Suppiah Founder and Director Urban Doughnut
Maryam Manuel Salie Founder Sandvlei United Community
Chris Jones Founder Feeding Cities
Diana Diaz Castro Founder Just Cities
https://bit.ly/foodsecurityjugaad
Food Security is an open letter calling for the rapid building of community gardens in formal settlements in the Global South - in response to pandemic-induced food insecurity. Our goal is to create a global movement with this letter. Please join me in signing this letter and supporting the initiative.