Kitchen Gardeners International: Planting the Urban Jungle

A recent article in the British newspaper The Guardian highlighted efforts underway in the city of Middlesbrough to source more food from within the city limits. It's amazing the results they've already had and the ambitious goals they have for the future:

The idea of the urban farming project was to make people more aware of food miles, improve health and aid regeneration of the borough, which contains the ninth most deprived area in the UK. Groundwork South Tees advised schools, mental health hospitals, residential care homes and retailers on planting and growing many varieties of herbs, vegetables and fruit. Containers of different sizes were used so people could cultivate whatever space they had.

Middlesbrough borough council turned over parkland, town-centre planters and other landholdings for fruit and vegetable growing. The eight-month project culminated in a town meal outside the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, where up to 8,000 people shared meals from the food that had been grown.

This year, Middlesbrough plans to supply seeds and containers to anyone interested, and already has 2,000 individuals and groups lined up, including 31 out of 51 schools, with 280 growing sites. "This has caught people's imagination. But we've gone beyond novelty now and people want to make it a mainstream activity," says Ian Collingwood, a regeneration consultant at the council.

With the world's urban population on the rise and oil reserves in decline, these types of efforts will be critical and central to cities' sustainability plans.

Those of you living in or near New York City will soon have an opportunity to connect with people and organizations that share your interest in urban gardening at the third annual NYC GROWS Garden Festival, hosted by the National Gardening Association and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The action will take place on Sunday, April 27, from 10 to 5, in Union Square Park South Plaza at 14th Street. There will be hands-on activities for the whole family, food and beverage sampling, chef and gardening demonstrations, a prize drawing, and much more.

Visit www.garden.org/nycgrows for more information.

Photo credit: urban garden in Cheong-ju, South Korea by Dax Melmer

Posted by KGI on April 2, 2008 4:01 PM to Kitchen Gardeners International
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