Kitchen gardens: crunching the numbers
Here's something for the statistically-inclined among us. It shows the slow and steady decline of kitchen gardens as a source of food over the past 100 years. To make a long story short, home food production now accounts for 1.5%of the total food produced in the US in terms of value, down from a high of 35% in 1869 when the figures were first kept.
Are we discouraged? Heck no. We know a good thing when we plant one. Plus, part of knowing where we want to go is knowing where we are. We are at 1.5%. So, now the better question, where do we want to go?
|
YEAR |
(A) TOTAL FOOD SALES IN MILLIONS $ |
(B) VALUE OF HOME-GROWN FOODS IN MILLIONS $ |
(C) GRAND TOTAL OF A PLUS B |
VALUE OF HOME –PRODUCED FOODS AS % OF GRAND TOTAL |
|
1894 |
2,598 |
1,306 |
3,904 |
33.45% |
|
1904 |
4,857 |
1,771 |
6,628 |
26.72% |
|
1924 |
13,084 |
4,278 |
17,362 |
24.64% |
|
1944 |
20,067 |
5,010 |
25,077 |
19.98% |
|
1964 |
54,716 |
3,988 |
58,704 |
6.79% |
|
1984 |
222,847 |
8,610 |
231,457 |
3.72% |
|
2004 |
460,793 |
7,405 |
468,198 |
1.58% |
Comments
Where did you get these numbers?
Posted by: Michele Owens | March 20, 2006 1:20 PM
Michelle:
The numbers come from the bean counters at USDA...we're not sure how they arrive at them.
Roger
Posted by: Roger (of KGI) | March 20, 2006 1:31 PM
This is an interesting table. Do you think that there are way less gardeners or is there less gardeners and way more people?
Posted by: Peet | March 21, 2006 3:44 PM
Peet,
Good question. There are certainly many different forces at work. What I do know for certain is that there are fewer gardeners in my neighborhood than there were 20 years ago. That type of first-hand data is probably the most valid out there.
Roger
Posted by: Roger (of KGI) | March 21, 2006 3:50 PM
Its nice to drive through the boonies and see patches coming up in mustard this time of year. We got through a World War as a country with backyard food growing, it disgusts me that we havent declared war on obesity and poor health.... Anyone know any designers willing to Victory Garden us a movement?
Posted by: Kelli | March 25, 2006 8:32 AM
Great reading, keep up the great posts.
Peace, JiggaDigga
Posted by: JiggaDigga | April 7, 2006 1:22 PM