Food, Agriculture, Victory Gardens

Kids diving into a mash of tomatoes at a Tomato Festival. They certainly look like they are having fun. This photo serves as an introduction into a brief comment on locally grown produce.

Our nation's highly urban population has limited exposure to the source of the food, specifically produce (vegetables and fruits), they consue on a daily basis. This lack of exposure to fresh and tasty produce right off the vine or branch is unfortunate. It is time to start decentralizing our food production, at least in part, by returning to the planting of World War II era 'Victory Gardens'.

A local community based initiative will supplement food supplies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions (less trucks carrying fresh produce across the country), and improve nutrition. It wll not reduce our overall reliance on large scale commercial agriculture as only a small percentage of our nation's citizens are likely to actually partcipate unless the situation forces them into action. It will diversify and decentralize a portion of our nation's food supply which in itself increases the biological security of our food - this WITHOUT a major infusion of taxpayer funds.