Carmella GuiolENST – 70

Fall 2009

Literary Review: A Global Look at Urban Food Security

Recently, people have begun to question the security and sustainability of their food system. In America, “food” is seemingly plentiful yet its’ production relies heavily on the use of fossil fuels from plantingall the way to the dinner table. We have become distanced and alienated from this fundamental process to the point where some children believe that vegetables come from the supermarket and not from the soil – if they’ve eaten vegetables at all. In most cities you can find giant “food deserts” where fresh produce isn’t available no matter how hard you look. On the other hand, if you did find fresh produce, it would probably be heavily sprayed with dangerous chemicals and it would definitely cost more than a three course meal at the nearest fast food establishment. For all of these reasons, food security in America is in jeopardy, especially in urban environments.

In this paper, I seek to explore the many possible solutions to this problem, not only in America but around the globe. First I will look at more severe cases of food security. In many less developed countries such as Ghana in sub-Saharan Africa and Cuba in the Caribbean, food scarcity has impacted the population in a much more immediate way. Developing an alternative to conventional food productions was not so much of a choice as a necessity for survival. Maxwell’s article “The Political Economy of Urban Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa” details the reality of food shortages and the ensuing urban adaptation that has taken place in places like Kampala, Uganda and Accra, Ghana. This article gives a good perspective on the effects of global food prices on developing nations and the reasons behind global opposition to small-scale, alternative food systems abroad. This topic is further explored in Maxwell’s book, “Urban Livelihoods and Food and Nutritional Security in Greater Accra, Ghana.”

Next, I will look to another nation that was forced to develop an alternative food system: Cuba. When their access to foreign oil dissolved with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba had to develop another way to sustain themselves. Importing petrochemicals to continue growing their monoculture crops for export was no longer possible, and the people needed some way to feed their families. Like with the American victory gardens of World War I and II, urban gardens began to spring up all over Havana, the capital of Cuba. Pretty soon, 50% of Havana’s food was being grown within the city limits! Julia Wright’s book, “Sustainable agriculture and food security in an era of oil scarcity: lessons from Cuba,” will help to further my understanding of this situation and decipher what lessons can be taken away from it. Also, I will bring into my research numerous articles such as Sinan Koont’s “A Cuban Success Story: Urban Agriculture,” published it the Review of Radical Political Economies. This report has a positive view on Cuba’s agricultural transition as well as useful statistical data to back them up.

Conversely, I will also bring in a very recent assessment produced by Food First Institute for Food and Development Policy. In this report, Fernando Funes Aguilar, president of The Grupo de Agricultura Organica (GAO), the Cuban organic farming association, exploresrecent changes in Cuba’s food production system that may be less sustainable than is desirable. “Transgenic Food Production in Cuba; The Need for a Participatory and Serious Debate” sheds light on the introduction of GMO crops in Cuba to be produced on a commercial scale. Again, this presents another lesson to be learned from Cuba. The fact that they are such a small and isolated island makes agricultural experiments easily testable, furthering our understanding of their effect on the land, the people, their health, and the economy.

My paper will culminate in a look at urban agriculture efforts in the United States, namely examining the efforts of Will Allen and his organization, Growing Power. Growing Power promotes the development of a sustainable food system in inner-city Milwaukee through youth empowerment, compost and vermiculture education, and other community outreach methods. Will Allen, a recent recipient of the McArthur Genius Award, has been profiled in many newspapers and magazines lately. I will use this coverage to conduct my research on his efforts and examine their effectiveness in establishing food security in an urban environment. Also, I will use this opportunity to bring in other notions of local food systems, such as Julie Guthman’s report on “Bringing good food to others: investigating the subjects of alternative food practice.” In this article, she examines the socioeconomic aspects of local food, especially as it becomes “yuppie chow” in many parts of the country. I think this is a good viewpoint to bring in to contrast with Will Allen’s efforts in the inner city. While Guthman may be correct about the local food movement becoming a gentrified endeavor, Allen demonstrates how this can also be changed.

Bibliography

  • Aguilar, Fernando Funes. “Transgenic Food Production in Cuba: The Need for a Participatory and Serious Debate.” May 23, 2009.
  • Flisram, Greg. “A Serious Flirt with Dirt: Urban Farming Makes a Comeback.” Planning. August/September 2009.
  • Guthman, Julie. “Bringing good food to others: investigating the subjects of alternative food practice.” Cultural Geographies. University of California at Santa Cruz: SAGE Publications, 2008.
  • Koont, Sinan. “A Cuban Success Story: Urban Agriculture.” Review of Radical Political Economies. June 30, 2008
  • Maxwell,Daniel. Urbanlivelihoods and food and nutritionsecurityinGreaterAccra, Ghana.Washington, D.C. :International Food Policy Research Institute,c2000.
  • Maxwell, Daniel. “The Political Economy of Urban Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa.” World Development. Vol 27, no 11, pp.1939-1953. 1999
  • Redwood, Mark, ed. Agriculture in urban planning : generating livelihoods and food security. Ottawa, ON :International Development Research Centre ;London ;Sterling, VA :Earthscan,2009.
  • Wright,Julia.Sustainableagriculture and foodsecurityin an era of oilscarcity :lessonsfromCuba. London ;Sterling, VA :Earthscan,2009.
  • Yepsen, Rhodes. “Composting and Local Food Merge at Urban Garden.” BioCycle. November 2008. P. 31-33