The Era of the Urban Farm
Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 03:59PM There’s no one who can say ‘dig up your lawn’ and create an edible paradise with as much enthusiasm as Peter Cundall! Surely this long weekend, people are out in droves transforming their lawn into lunch after a fabulous feature on 60 minutes last week showcasing how we are entering the ‘era of the urban farm.’ It even showed people ripping out their tennis court and turning it into a flourishing veggie patch – perhaps making us seem a little less crazy for doing the same thing with our inground swimming pool!
“I would say it isn’t what I call food,” Professor Kerin O’Dea remarks honestly about the products that line the supermarket shelves. Kerin made another comment that really resonated with us – that when people are given the opportunity to manage and produce some of their own food, they gain a sense of “mastery and control over their lives, and we know that when people have a sense of mastery and control, they’re healthier” – and happier!
We’re thrilled to see this feature glimpse into everything from community gardens, to backyard food forests, to school gardens, to Indigenous people cooking up a feast and showing how “when you know where to look there's food everywhere.” To check out the 60 minutes segment, and other great links see the Future of Food. Enjoy and be inspired!
Reader Comments (3)
Yest that story was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. Peter Cundall is a marvel of a man. I was lucky enought to be able to see his last tour at the garden aust. expo last year. very inspirational... And like u said its taking control of what u eat.. every day my views on things are taking a huge turn around. WE went to the easter show on the weekend. before i would be right into the rides, show bags ect, this time i didnt' even go to side show ally instead looking at the produce and animals. I must say i thought that was much more enjoyable. I will amit i did buy one showbag, better homes & gardens and the kids did buy one each.. Have a great weekend.
Donna.
Well things certainly are starting to get through to people. What a revolution growing your own food! I totally agree with the comment that what we are eating in the shops is no longer actually food. Lets hope this mainstream attention gets more people using their lawns for a more productive venture. BTW well done guys you are still a daily inspiration.
Yeah it's really exciting to see so much mainstream attention focused on food at the moment - lets hope it continues to inspire people to start to grow some of their own food, cook from scratch, join community gardens and buy from local farmers at the farmers markets :-)
Sounds like you had a good time at the easter show Donna - must have been a great day checking out the produce and animals! Lucky you to have seen Peter Cundall live too, what an inspiration he is!
Cheers,
Ally and Rich