I have a life plan that is just starting to manifest (it has to be held back for a while until I finish my M.A. thesis) and it is that I would like to be an urban farmer. My dream would be to have a permaculture farm in central London that is a modest CSA and has a small stall at the farmer's market but that mainly serves as a tool for environmental education. That dream is a long way off. But I do see myself designing edible landscapes for individual folks as well as creating community programs and maybe starting some sort of small spin farming enterprise over the next 5 years or so. This summer I am doing my own communtiy garden plot based on permaculture principles (as much as possible) and designing two children's gardens and gardening programs for social agencies in my city. I hope to gain experience both with environmental education and with permaculture gardening.
My educational goal is to finish my M.A. and then begin the (very part-time) certificate program in Sustainable Urban Agricultue at the University of Guelph while gaining the much needed practical experience described above. I hope to get my kids as involved in this as they want to be but at the moment EB doesn't seem that interested. EG is quite enthusiastic about planting seeds which is great. I hope I can invovle them in a way that makes gardening/farming fun and fullfilling. But if I can't, our communtiy garden is right beside a playground and close to a splash pad so that should ensure I get my gardening time in while they play.
Creating beautiful, organic and regenerative gardens in London, Ontario. Check out our website for more information - www.earthmagiclondon.com
I too want to be an urban farmer. As it stands we grow so much of what we eat (in the summer) but I would love to have chickens for eggs. Sadly London now forbids backyard chickens. (As of 2007, I think.) We have talked of buying land outside the city - but I think it's important for this movement to come TO the city. It's part of the education you speak of. If people can see this sort of change happening in their own city...in their own backyard, then it might just make them open their eyes to the possibilities of sustainability. Whereas if they have to travel to the outskirts of the city to find that education they may not be as inclined.
ReplyDeleteYour dream sounds solid...and how lucky are your kids that you are their mama?