Right around the time a barrel of oil was around $150 USD I stumbled upon an article from an "expert" saying that the solution to resolve hunger was to give more money to poor countries in order to buy more tractors and more agrochemicals! So wrong! Then a thought popped into mind: " Do something! No matter what! Anything is better than nothing! ". Mission: increasing awareness of hydroponics and aquaponics as key tools in fighting hunger around the world.
Roger Pilon, Editor
Hello everyone! How I got into hydroponics is a long story...let's just say that it involves a lot of tedious farm work as a child, unsuccessful 'dirt' gardens of my own and a near electrocution from a semi-submersible hydroponic pump. I've learned that hydroponic gardening is the only way to garden for me and I've been working at it for several years now. I've built ebb/flow, nft, Mittleider, wick and passive systems and I'm always on the lookout for the easiest and most efficient means of hydroponic gardening...If you have questions, I would be more than happy to answer them...
Cows, rabbits, quails are invading towns! Why not!
The UNFAO 2006 [United Nations] 2006 and PCIFAP 2008 [Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production] 2008 reports have been a major source of fear and dread.
UNFAO "Livestock's Long Shadow" ¢ PEW "Putting Meat on the Table: "
The solutions being discussed in the press and at conferences mostly overlook urban meat production. And we need to speak up!
There are goods and bads occurring in urban livestock, poultry and fish production. And in numbers the bads are not as bad as in the rural.
The UN found that livestock produced more negative climate impacts than automobiles. Cattle are particularly effective in the direct production of Methane and Nitrous Oxide which have a multiple of the impact per unit than the more commonly reported CO-2.
One easily digestible data item is from Dr. M.E. Ensminger, Washington State University. He found that it requires 2,000 pounds of grain [in the USA] to be fed to cattle to support one adult for a year, whereas 400 pounds of grain will directly support the same person for a year.
Livestock production is a major factor in deforestation, soil degradation, and water pollution in addition to its direct climate damage.
Urban meat and fish farming, which into which I was initiated in second grade, includes poultry, fish, micro- livestock, small-livestock and large livestock, [the case of micro can be envisioned as 'rabbit' and small as 'goat'].
Poultry:
Consider the "Chicken Underground" in New York City and the "Eggloo" in London. In Lima Peru the poultry boom is Quail raised in bookcase type cages on exterior walls. Pigeons are increasing their population in Cairo, New York and 100+ other cities. Ducks are commonly raised in a multi-product farming method with fish and rice. Where I live and work restaurants [fast and slow] and some food stores buy local [Chinatown to TexMex].
Fish:
Aquaculture for a decade or more in the 1990s was the fastest growing global industry after Silicon Valley. It is still booming and silicon isn't. Half or more of aquaculture production sites are within urban regions. It's not downtown as much as the chickens but it's within the one-day delivery zone. It's true that urban poultry and fish production are complimentary although that's not pretty.
Micro-livestock:
The rabbits, guinea pigs and other small meat producers are less visible than the birds and the fish. They are also more efficient in converting urban waste to meat. A rabbit can produce three times a much meat per calorie consumed as a cow. So should I introduce my grandchild to rabbit stew or sirloin steak?
Similar to quail these animals can be raised on close to zero land space, e.g. hung on a wall or stacked on the roof with the pigeons and honey bees.
Small Livestock:
During a recent trip to Rome [UNFAO] I visited the Coliseum and was surrounded by grazing sheep. Another conference visit put me on the Calcutta Maidan [central park] where I met with the goat herd and his goats. This year the Montgomery County Maryland park department is renting goats to control "invasive plant species" as well as supporting kabobs and goat cheese markets and supporting the kabob and cheese markets.
Sheep, goats and pigs are easy to keep at small scale [see Mexico City for pigs], can be low-cost landscape maintainers and are delighted to feed on our urban food system's organic waste.
Large Livestock:
Some urban landscapes are friendly to cows, buffalos and other large meat producers. Broadly one can consider the urban fringe and hilly. A nearby site is the Annapolis Naval Academy. In many urban scenes they will be interim occupants.
What I am suggesting is that we in the urban agriculture field need to speak up to say that we have a good alternative to the negative global warming being produced by rural meat production. The Netherlands and Belgium have developed 21st century intensive urban environmentally sustainable cattle management technology.
Let's stop complaining and commit to a better way. Support may not be that hard to attract.
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