farming in NYC?

New York Local is an article from a 2007 issue of The New Yorker which details some of the urban agricultural initiatives in NYC. In the article, Gopnik details his adventures in trying to procure a chicken to raise in his backyard, as part of a week of ‘locavore’ eating. In his search for products from within the five boroughs, he meets “the originator and keeper of the rooftop beehives of New York City”, David Graves, forages for food in Central Park with ‘Wildman’ Steve Brill, ends up at a tilapia farm at Brooklyn College, and visits the only two working farms within the boroughs, Decker Farm on Staten Island and Red Hook Community Farm in Brooklyn.

I think localism is a really interesting idea that has gained a tremendous amount of momentum, even since the publishing of this article in 2007. However, like a lot of sustainable and organic agriculture, it implies that people have the time and resources to seek out and support local agricultural endeavors, which, though they are locally-based, are often more expensive than commercial food sold in supermarkets. Thus, while I agree with the basis of these movements (especially in the face of rising gas prices, worldwide food riots and the long-standing lack of public interest or knowledge about the source of our food) I think they carry a lot of classiest implications and assumptions about the audience that they intend to reach. On the other hand however, this article is still helpful in that it illustrates the history that can be learned by scouting out the food made/grown/cooked in your hood. In the case of an international commercial center such as NYC, an in-depth exploration of the food chain (i.e. beyond the supermarket) allows you to see how both the landscape and the economy have been altered by the infrastructure of more modern and commercial food production. For example, in the article Gopnik talks about how, once upon a time, the “intrinsically fertile grounds” of the city were more self-sufficient in terms of food production; Brooklyn was the “breadbasket of the city” until it began to replace grain with vegetable and fruit cultivation. The influx of produce that began to be trucked-in during the early 20th century pretty much signaled the end of most vegetable production within the city limits, and made the city more dependent on imported food.

At the end of the day, I don’t believe that local agriculture is the perfect solution to the problems that industrial agriculture has caused for centuries. It’s definitely a beginning though, and is beneficial in that it highlights the foods produced, literally, right under our noses. Because it seems to be a splinter movement under the general umbrella of a movement that is about (re)gaining consciousness of food, production processes, and eating, localism is also good in that it does not have to rely on any one strict definition; it needs diversity of thought and background. In other words, MAKE IT YOURS. Does localism mean checking out your local farmer’s market? Asking your local supermarket to carry your favorite brand of milk? Or is it lessening the amount of high-fructose corn syrup in your diet, or trying to eat a vegetable at every meal? It’s beauty is that it’s what you make it, and therein lies the potential of this small but growing movement.