Fenway Victory Gardens is one of the few surviving urban agricultural projects established during the throes of World War II. Sadly, many of these old projects have fallen to the wayside in favor of more industrially efficient farming techniques. But micro is back on the rise. The economic world is alive with buzzing interest in decentralized ideals, from micro loans to micro power stations.
The Food Project is one such group championing this ideal. Located in Lincoln, Massachusetts, they have 27 acres under cultivation, including three plots in Boston itself. Green roofs and community gardens are a great rallying point for sustainable agriculture, especially in the inner city where access to fresh fruits and vegetables is limited.
One great example of this is the Berkley Street Community Garden. The site was originally meant for townhouses but when the project stalled Chinese immigrants cleared the land and began farming it, my grandmother included. Sites like this help provide the community with fresh produce.
The benefits of community gardens are many. Besides providing the fruits of the earth, they are gathering places for the community, a little shady green spot in a sea of concrete. Plants have high albedo, or heat and light reflective properties, which aide in fighting the urban heat island effect. There have also been talks about how they help in providing employment if urban gardens are privately owned, a boon in these economic times.
Alas, there are costs and criticism of such practices. Cities are often areas of high pollution, which could contaminate food grown in urban gardens. Land used for gardens usually has a tough time being converted to something else. And of course, if you build it they might not come. Community gardens could lie fallow if no one cares enough to use them.
Nothing is quite like food grown with one’s own hands (Sense of accomplishment, blistered and dirty hands). I could continue to extol the virtues of urban agriculture or scold them, but I shall leave it to you to decide on its benefits and costs. As for now, this is just an introduction to the Food Project and the Berkley Street Community Garden.
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