The risks and rewards of urban farming in high-density cities.
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You nailed some inconvenient truths there Curtis. Good job.
Thank you for honesty Curtis. You don´t have to be afraid to tell us the truth. Even if it´s harsh. 🙂 Regards from Czech Republic.
Great stuff once again, your straight forwardness and realistic viewpoints are golden!
only thing you got wrong curtis is that you devalued the beneficial effect of your farming in terms of its benefit to the environmemt. the biggest cost besides labor is transportation and the more food that isn't going on a semi and being shipped to California the better; And that's no small contribution considering that the average meal has traveled 2000 miles to get to you or whatever it is. don't sell yourself short this is the best model we have yet.
hey Curtis how do you get rid of slugs in the garden
Great video, Curtis! Thanks for sharing these tips and your honesty in doing so. Greatly appreciated! Peace, Drew
Really great video with such honest information. That part about people you're trying to save by providing them with fresh lettuce is all too true. Even from an nutritional standpoint I can't get my own friends and family to stop eating burger king and other junk and incorporate fresh veggies into their diets. I even GIVE them bags of fresh produce from my own garden and much of it doesn't get eaten before it becomes compost… too many addictive foods with salt sugar and fat take precedence.
$80k/acre/3 = $5.50 per sq foot, which seems way too high of a budget to bring in soil. I can get compost delivered in 15 yard batches for $325, or $0.80 per cubit foot. Topsoil is cheaper. The peat/sand/compost "garden" mix (one third each part) is under $1.20 per cubic foot. If the soil is that damaged, I wonder if pure container gardening would not make more sense.
Another "truth" which you seem to be blind to – Your model of high turnover, high price crops is not inherently "scalable" to the full dietary needs of the people. Also, the very high value crops – microgreens at $15/pound – are pure luxury items. This limits the scalability of your impact. How can urban farming deliver 2,000 calories per person per day – protein/carbs/fat + greens – to the average person?
I love gardening, and I like and applaud what your are doing on many levels. Also, as you say, start small and expand. But, clearly, a difficult area of expansion will be to have economically viable urban farming that will cover the full "food pyramid" that is also affordable to the average person?
I particularly appreciate your comments that many people just don't give a shit. That is just reality – I have learned (somewhat) that when I am interested or enthusiastic about something, I have to be satisfied with the reality that I may be the only one who cares.
Having said that, I am interested and enthusiastic about what you are doing. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Or, in the words of Webcajun – "Lache Pas!"
Have you seen the movie "Limitless"??? I live in Nebraska, USA. You and I my friend must speak at your convenience… My cell 308 380 5667. Thank you in advance.
If planting in that area is really something that you wanted to do. then maybe a partnership with the town or school district could be a solution. maybe get the land rent free as long as you teach classes .
People and their dogs & litter, stray cats…..
Thanks for all you do Curtis. Reading your book and am loving it. Just wanted to share a bright point about farming in the hood. If you're ever in KC please let me know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-vyjyK6_kg
Makes me glad I have a very lenient landlord who lets me grow whatever I want, so long as it's legal.
the truth is 3 out of 4 people were self subsisting before petrol was available. urban gardens make total sense whenveveryonebis foingbit as a side income, your style of farming is so successful because not everyone does, so your local market is not saturated.
fyi you can farm in lead contam, just dont grow leafy veg because lead goes into leaves.
Curtis, great taste in music you choose for your videos. You have a good outlook and realistic view on things. I enjoy these videos alot. Thank you
finally, a leftist who understands that his ideals and values differ from the next guys…I don't believe in man caused global warming…but I want to limit my pollution of the planet for other reasons…God said " I shouldest destroy those who destroy the earth " so though my motivation is different our endeavors can run parallel…I think we are strategically and intentionally divided…
You are not off base and like David Duvall, I thought it was just a USA thing too because it seems like Kelowna has some sense. For example I have shared my campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/microurb-microgreens-in-south-jersey/x/9495621#/ with dozens of hipsters, web developers and others and they like it, but no donation thus far and as you know Curtis, just liking what we do doesn't pay the bills. At the farmers market I attend I saw one person from my old college and she didn't even buy from me, just looked at my microgreens like "oh ok". So it's never who you'd think it should be that actually supports what we do.
What I if told you
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Curtis, I watch your videos and go over your book daily…i have a plot i'm trying to prepare but its about 20 ft away from the roadway of a highway. I got a fertility soil test and I know its not like a lead or metals test….the fertility test came out good. Now i've been so paranoid about it just because it's close to a highway its slowed me down…but i'm starting anyways….i've got all the planning stage down…i've got funds to get the post harvest to start up….but should i ditch this plot because its so close to the highway? i don't want to make people sick either…but everyone i've talked to says just go for it now and see what happens…is that viable advice?
Of course it would take a lot of energy and inputs to altered the urban land to be productive, but that would be some what fixed amount only at the beginning. You still need to bring inputs in yearly but the same goes to rural or commercial farms.
Can anyone explain how one determine if their plot of land is eligible for urban farming? Every cities has zones and one cannot simply just go right away and farm in their plot. However, I' m very confuse how to determine that.
15:26 I don't agree that the poor and disadvantage don't share our values of eating healthy. Your are correct it isn't a priority for them but they do care. Why these farms often fail is that the don't employ members of the community and don't make the effort to educate the populace on the benefits both economic and health wise to eating healthy locally sourced sustainable food.
this is a very old, stale story. there is a huge difference between a market and a farm. regarding 'hunger,' in the USA in california good food is available on demand; it's called food stamps. i liked this broadcast but felt that Curtis went to far to accommodate "the other sides ideas." have a look https://www.agprofessional.com/article/commentary-urban-farming-urban-myth
Great advice Curtis! Your not off base…it's what I witness as well.
I don't like to make blanket statements, so take what I say here with a shaker of salt…plus I deleted one long diatribe yet I see once again, I see diarrheaboard, oh well, it to could prove to be helpful so It makes the cut…
Some People with money pay for better things. But they also like their peace and quiet, mostly because they need it to manage their affairs to get shit done right, got be up at 5 so I can hit the gym and be at the office by 7….but on the other hand, maybe they don't want to see a gardening operation in their neighborhood and what or who it might bring into them…so it's good to have the variety that cities bring I guess. But really it's just poor planning in mostly a reactive society!
I had a friend who sub divided his land and sold off a portion, he was a master carpenter, so had table saws and such running out of his shop. The people in question knew it…yet after they bought and moved in they asked the guy to stop using power tools as it interrupted their peace and quiet, go figure right! There are Things that both of them should have thought of before I guess…like having the cash to finance the business comes at a cost, and then moving into a tranquil area wasn't so tranquil after all. And honestly who is to say who is right? I see both sides have a point! One never knows what change may bring?
As you are trying to educate and are doing such an amazing job, your impact is increasing the planets conscious awareness big time and you are having a huge impact in shaping your world by being the change you ask for rather than asking others to change. I love how your doing what you do! That in itself is very powerful! I appreciate your first hand experience and wisdom you share saves those interested so many hours! I view your information from the eyes of a carpenter and know what things take from a physical perspective. Your info is so powerfully helpful! It seems obvious once you have revealed what to watch out for but honestly there is a lot to be cognizant of so having your wisdom is huge! So thanks!!
It would be better to have spaces for gardens in each community and it's coming..as some of your future videos indicate…societies do in fact learn, ha ha! But as you say the land I am speaking of did as you say have to be remediated at huge costs!
I see now that life can be a struggle and priorities change as life gets easier and money becomes more available and we make better life choices, like where to live, as maybe there is less drama. What we do, as it's probably better than what we did in our party years. But some never grow out of those weedy gardens or it just works for them because maybe it is still fun or is all they knew. It's just perspective right, or they just don't get a chance to break out of those patterns or don't want to. But is it more than that? The research tends to say so.
The proof is in how we age. Did something serious happen in your life and it's too late to do anything about it, or can we foresee that if we don't start taking care of ourselves we will be dogged by health issues. Hello! What does it take to break addictive behaviors? Addictive you say! I am not addicted! Oh no not me…
We tend to change and improve our lives after something major happens, like a health challenge or life threatening incident or both, but too often I hear from others and see for myself we wait until it's too late. But if we are lucky and change does come, it tends to bring some conscious awareness with it and with that we see that food is the source of most of our problems and also limiting the damaging effects of acidic things. What else could it be? But thank to the internet we can do our own independent research and some of us eventually see the damaging and addictive effects of most of what we consume. Why do we need someone else to point this out to us? Same reason your pointing out your wisdom to us Curtis! It's because wisdom has been forgotten and lost! How do I know, because my Mom use to garden, and can and preserve and store heaps of food. Yet in my lifetime that wisdom is lost for the most part. She didn't share or drive home the importance of having a garden, and I didn't make it a priority or pillar in my life to build around! I think there is more that we have lost along the way like; I think we knew what consisted of acidic foods and avoided them or at least had a lot more balance and had better health in general, so no I don't think we are evolving.
I think we are lucky for people like yourself who see the value in greens and micro greens and crops that are high yielding both in quality, income and most likely because they are just good for us! The market truly does regualate itself, If people are paying top dollar for something it's for good reason!
Some don't ever see that there could be something better, and can't give up what is keeping them tethered to experiencing that…we have an addicted society I have come to pull myself out of…at every level. it's all metabolic stimulation…the mouse clicks, the phone messages, the coffee hits, the holiday feasts, the weekend binging, the cooked food sometimes three times a day…it's all spikes of adrenaline pushing us along a conveyor belt to the final resting point and ultimate addiction of an old folks home and pill box. All tucked in nice and cozy wired up into the retirement home and all it's bells and whistles! It's what we worked so hard for!
Our lives have been nothing more than increasing intakes of acids that put stress on the kidneys and adrenal glands and once we reach that critical point where youth can't help us anymore and our bodies have reached unmanageable levels of lymph toxicity, we begin our real fall and we haven't a clue what's causing it, and so we put our trust in mainstream medicine or Allopathic medicine, and once we make that choice rarely do we escape it's death grip which is by design!
Most people anymore don't have long attention spans also by design so don't research it or can't because the system is designed to keep them distracted…are you still with me? Remember It's not a blanket statement…Have I pushed some buttons? I hope so because I didn't make up any of what I write. It can all be researched and is well documented! We live in an acidic world strangely enough…the land site that you are on Curtis is acidic. I will guarantee it. Salty so close an overpass…it's everywhere…
We watch the movies as well and see it on the news..it's everywhere. Stressful situations…And Mothers are having children laden with lymph at the get go! Kids are born with compromised and weakened DNA, Doctors are finding levels of plastic in carrying mother placentas…What else is there?
It's all acidic…Take a burger for instance…with a beer, mustard, ketchup, relish, uncooked onions, bar b que sauce, and a bun mostly likley wonder bread buns as they go well with burgers….Believe me, I love a good burger, but I have to say after looking at the evidence, it makes sense that most of that is just not good for us. Let's hope there is at least some lettuce on it…tomatoes though? I don't know how many night shades we should be eating. I am still on the fence witht that one. Once in awhile maybe, but it's still not good for us. It's acidic is all, and creates lymph, and if it gets too bad, it effects everything we do! Our traditions and what we all love is killing us en masse! But we learn right…or we don't!
I see your advice Curtis about choosing as paramount, as it could make or break you…yet how many families don't get that choice right. If each person was a plant in their families garden, how many gardens start out toxic and never leave those toxic conditions? I hope you can see the metaphor here that is really quite relevant to what you are sayin…well at least it is to me..
We all tend to hang out with who we perceive as 'like us' so…it's why we have neighborhoods, or hoods right! Gurus say it's frequency or energy, Dr. Morse says it's levels of lymph…but it's all of that…our conditioning, our programming, both initial and ongoing as it's relentless! Where we live and what we eat all hold frequencies, our food; is it acidic mostly creating that internal time bomb…when we are young we can withstand a lot but more and more I see younger people getting sicker soon and more often….too much crappy food, tech, wifi exposure, bad work environments, not enough time in nature, and so on…it all adds up.
Hell even the spiritual class separate themselves from society…those dam gurus…what do they know anyways, ha ha! Even they don't eat right for the most part!
Life can be a tough row to hoe right…especially without a hoe or the dirt to sink it in….Thanks for your… what I think is the most valuable info on the internet!
Do you need license or any paperwork to sell your crops
Curtis – I just started following you. Would love to chat on this topic, how your thought process was, what you’ve learned since, etc. Can I email you?
Good summary.
Did you mention not growing food near heavy traffic (air pollution)?
I have had great urban farming ideas ten years ago and I thought everybody is gonna run with me, unfortunatly not
but one thing I have learned, that the underdog parents with bad eating manners have children
always in ro a fresh fruit, growing in front of tv, x-box and they are very keen helping in the garden,
it makes them really happy and experience like this is gonna stick with them forever.
At the moment I am thinking of chicken-farming in towns and citys, so many deserted supermarkets and wild places,
community could get involved as well…..thanks for the reminderer concerning the soil contamination!
One question I have,: everybody is exited about the new aquaponic farming but
nobody seems the have an idea or test results concerning the content of nitrate of harvested salats etc.
do you have a serious source?
Greatings from Germany.
This is a great video. Thanks for the info. Drives home the point: don't try and "save" ppl, especially if you are not from that community/of those ppl. If a community really wants farming/gardening/produce, they'll probably figure out a way to get it done.
I know a few people who know or profess to talk about the dangers of heavy metals, yet when presented with evidence of just as risky food choices that have the same outcome (ill health), whether by heavy metal ingestion or other carcinogens, they ignore it.
Consumption of seafood – those animals that bioaccumulate heavy metals, fish at the top of the food chain, are huge health concerns. In addition, many people are still failing to appreciate the health risks of eating animal based products and the direct link to cancer among other issues.