Urban Agriculture - An Idea Whose Time Is Now

August 7, 4:54 PMDenver Urban Agriculture ExaminerClaudia Kuhns

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Urban Agriculture has been slowly growing since the late 1990's.  Strong emphasis on Urban Agriculture solves several societal problems.  It reduces transportation costs and carbon fuel usage, improves the nutritional value of food and improves national food security.

Today the world is facing rising food costs due to the rising cost of transportation.  Rising transportation costs are a direct result of the current high cost of oil. According to a paper published by the Community Food Security Coalition's North American Initiative on Urban Agriculture, the average distance the food we eat travels 1200 miles before it reaches the table. This transportation of food over long distances consumes vast amounts of oil-based fuels and contributes to global climate disruption commonly called global warming.  Barak Obama's energy plan calls for eliminating the need to import oil within 10 years. One of the ways to reduce the use of oil is to eat food produced locally.

Food that has been transported over long distances may lose substantial amounts of nutritional value, from 30-50% according to by R.L Shewfelt of the Institute of Food Technologists. Shewfelt's study showed that these decreases in nutritional value happen in as short a time as 5-10 days of transportation and storage. Even in ancient times, Chinese medical practitioners recognized that we would be healthier with food grown locally.  Locally grown food usually means food grown within 250 miles of where it is consumed.  In order to eat locally in Colorado, we must re-learn the art of preserving the food. 

Food security is improved  with decentralized production. Locally produced food supply is less subject to disasters, transportation disruption and crop diseases that may be regional in nature.  The production and consumption of local food requires a robust Urban Agriculture system in our city.  Especially in semi-arid environments like Colorado, it's better to spend our precious water growing food instead of grass.