Week 9 Reflection

One big theme that I saw illuminate throughout these readings, was the fact that urban agriculture has come about as a way to show that agriculture of any kind can theoretically happen anywhere. Although you may have ordinances that are less informed deterring you, you have the capability of having aspects of urban agriculture in any type of U.S. location. This could include some chickens and bees in a ghetto in Oakland, crops in a socially supportive Portland, or a multifaceted marketable farm in Milwaukee.
When doing these readings and reflecting on urban agriculture in my own life, I think of different places and the mechanisms that are in place to support it or to create obstacles. When I worked on a National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado for a summer, my boss had 12 chickens shipped to her door. She asked myself and another summer intern to come over and feed them when they left for a trip. I remember the first time holding them and taking care of them and thinking about how easy it would be to live that life in that type of rural setting; living on a mountain with a half acre of land and neighbors scattered who also had livestock and gardens. Their Crestone, Colorado lives were lived only with a small farmers market, a small and expensive grocery store, three restaurants, and all other stores at least an hour away. Even the restaurants supplied their own food; the Yak n Cracker had a handful of Yaks always roaming in the huge expanse of land behind the restaurant and Jim and Michelle's had chickens and a huge garden that they would harvest for seasonal dishes.
In comparison, I think about the social implications that are placed on the way that we think about urban agriculture. Up until recently, urban agriculture wasn't fully defined and explored within a local government and wasn't as practiced as it is today; we now see examples of farm to school, local for profits, and even farm to larger institutions such as mental hospitals and universities. Although urban gardening is more widely accepted and practiced, there still seems to be a stigma around urban farms and the understanding that this includes livestock as well. It is less probable to see large livestock in an urban area, mostly for health reasons and for availability of space. So why is it that people who are able to have chickens in urban area with a healthy amount of living space don't? When you think about for-profit urban gardening, on site places tend to stick to fruits and vegetables and stray away from fresh eggs or baby chicks. Why is it easier for local governments to accept harmless, odorless veggies than to deal with a small beehive? Do our 'Old McDonald' ideals still play into the way that we think about urban farms and gardens and therefore resonate within local policy?