With a progressively educated population becoming more aware of the inherent dangers of the conventional food supply, urban farming has become hugely popular. However, more people are also becoming aware ofcontaminated soil and how heavy metals pose potential risks to their food crops. As backyard gardening continues to explode in popularity, we must ask how contaminated is our soil?
Many municipalities in many countries are embracing urban agriculture. Others are banning it due the threat it places on the food industry. How dare members of the public grow their own food? That is preposterous and should be illegal according to many government officials backed by food industry lobbyists.
Take Julie Bass’ ordeal with the city of Michigan. Michigan, as you probably know, has been the state worst hit by the depression. Only four people still have jobs. So Julie decided to cut down on her food bill by growing her own vegetables.
One would think city officials would applaud her initiative and self-sustaining choice. Instead, they favor grass sprayed with lots of chemicals as the preferred form of suitable, live plant material. So they charged her with a misdemeanor. She is considerable a non-law abiding citizen simply because she chose to grow her own vegetables on her own property.