A fork in the road

A presentation for INFO 200

Transcript

1. A fork in the road A fork in the road The future of technology and urban agriculture
2. Urban agriculture has a long and rich history. For much of it, the tools used by urban gardeners were much the same as their rural counterparts, albeit on a smaller scale.
3. Home-grown food has always been used to supplement a family’s pantry with tasty, fresh produce.
4. Beginning in the 1960s and 70s, urban agriculture experienced a resurgence as a backlash to large-scale “industrial” farming.
5. People became concerned about the amount and type of chemicals, preservatives, and dyes they were consuming.
6. There was a growing awareness of the transportation costs (“food miles”) and pollution associated with eating food grown hundreds or thousands of miles away. Government subsidies to agri-business meant that the cheapest food was also the least healthy.
7. Outbreaks of food-borne illness (such as listeria, pictured) drew public attention to the fundamental insecurity of allowing the profit motive to entirely drive food production. Go to the CDC website at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/foodborneoutbreaks/ for an interactive map to recent outbreaks.
8. Today, individuals and communities are banding together to grow fresh, local produce meant for local consumption.
9. While these communities use websites and other common social media to exchange information, the community as a whole has intentionally turned its back on many of the technologies transforming rural and large-scale farming.
10. Biotech (including GMO), synthetic fertilizers, and synthetic pesticides are anathema to the community.
11. A select number of new technologies are making their way into the community – hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics are all coming into their own as ways to grow plants other than marijuana.
12. Unfortunately for the future, the agricultural-industrial complex has discovered how potentially lucrative (as in, billions of dollars annually) farming in the city can be.
13. Corporate models of urban agriculture show a push for increasing the density of plants to nearly unimaginable levels. This heavy density will require much more in energy and chemicals to produce vegetables that will be exported from the area.
14. Community gardeners and city planners face some tough decisions.
15. Do they embrace GMO crops and produce larger vegetables, or cede the field to agri- corps?
16. Do they pursue large-scale industrial farms, with all their flaws and failures, or push for chemical-free, locally produced and consumed vegetables?
17. Here’s hoping they make the right choices.
18. Image Credits (1 of 5) • Slide 1. Louey-Gung, L. (2013, November 25). A fork in the road [digital image]. Retrieved from from http://leighloueygung.com/a-fork-in-the-road/ • Slide 2. Unknown creator. (n.d.). 182160 [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.strangefarmer.com/content/item/182160.html – Vinamaki, S. (2016, June 13). Norlett 5210 garden tiller [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Norlett_5210_Garden_tiller.jpg – Spitfire. (2007, June 26). Garden tools [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garden_tools.jpg • Slide 3. Gorupka. (2008, September 17). Homegrown vegetables from my grandmothers garden [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Homegrown_vegetables_from_my_grandmother%27s _garden_(2865700045).jpg • Slide 4. Gabler, M. (2014, August 9). The combine class Lexicon 450 in the wheat harvest [digital image] Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_combine_Claas_Lexion_450_in_the_wheat_harv est.jpg • Slide 5. Moore, L. D. (2005, February 28). Hostess twinkies tweaked [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hostess_twinkies_tweaked.jpg
19. Image Credits (2 of 5) • (slide 5 cont.) – Vaccinationist. (2016, July 8). Furylfuarmide [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Furylfuramide.svg – Yikrazuul. (2011, September 29). C.I. Food Red 1 [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:C.I._Food_Red_1.svg • Slide 6. MobiusDaXter. (2007, November 4). Coca Cola Freightliner M2 tractor trailer [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coca_Cola_Freighltliner_M2_tractor_trailer.jpg • Slide 7. White, E. (2007) Listeria monocytogenes [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Listeria_monocytogenes_PHIL_2287_lores.jpg • Slide 8. Gensch, R. (2007, November 30). Urban farmers and their produce in an urban allotment garden [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Urban_farmers_and_their_produce_in_an_urban_allot ment_garden_(Cagayan_de_Oro)_(3171499129).jpg • Slide 9. Jcarranza. (n.d.). Internet [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Internet.png – Facebook. (2014, November 10). Facebook logo [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Facebook_logo.png
20. Image Credits (3 of 5) • Slide 9 (cont.) – EnoW. (2011, August 1). Twitter logo [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twitter_Logo_Mini.svg • Slide 10. McElrath, K. J. (2016, June 8). Science says Roundup carcinogenic Monsanto says [digital image]. Retrieved from https://trofire.com/2016/06/08/science-says-roundup- carcinogenic-monsanto-says-not-going-believe/ – National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2008, October 1). Biotehcnology, systems biology, artificial cells [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Biotechnology,_systems_biology,_artificial_cells_ (5940428301).jpg – Unattributed. (n.d.) Miracle Gro package [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.gardeningwithmicrobes.com/organic.shtml – Mertie Mae Botanics, LLC. (2010, July 2). Roundup container [digital image]. Retrieved from https://horticulturetalk.wordpress.com/2010/07/02/planting-after-roundup/ • Slide 11. Ma9900. (2013, March 1). Hydroponics01 [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hydroponics01.jpg
21. Image Credits (4 of 5) • Slide 11 (cont.) – Somma, R. (2008, June 4). Aquaponices with catfish [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aquaponics_with_catfish.jpg – Esham, B. D. (2007, January 10). Aeroponically grown chives at The Land [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aeroponically- grown_chives_at_The_Land.jpg • Slide 12. Unattributed author. Originally published in the Tacoma Times.. (1904, April 20). Yard tools and a dollar sign [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yard_tools_and_a_dollar_sign.jpg • Slide 13. Verticrop. (2015). Verticrop [digital image]. Retrieved from http://grow.verticrop.com/vertical-farming/
22. Image Credits (5 of 5) • Slide 13 (cont.) – Verticrop. (2015). Verticrop 2 [digital image]. Retrieved from http://grow.verticrop.com/vertical-farming • Slide 14. i_yudai. (2008, March 12). The fork in the road [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_fork_in_the_road_(2330044065).jpg • Slide 15. Делфина. (2012, August 7). Organic and GMO tomatoes and cucumbers [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Organic_and_GMOs_tomatoes_%26_cucumbers.jpg • Slide 16. Hom, G. (2007, September 29). This way or that way [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:This_way_or_that_way%5E_-_geograph.org.uk_- _571838.jpg • Slide 17. Josh (image) & Kaldari (color). (2016, November 15). Ballot box icon color [digital image]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ballot_box_icon_color.svg