Why do we need more Urban Farmers in these hard ecconomic times to boost the food supply and counter future food shortages.?????

To find the answer scroll and read all the way down the END!

Personally ,I have witnessed so much of hard times to keep surviving.I have directed my younger brother thirty years ago to graduate with  a PHD in Agriculture .

I sensed at that time that there will be food shortages in the future.Currently I am a certified horticulturist teaching homeowners how to convert their backyards into productive gardens.

I have met so much of IGNORANT and DENYING and NOT SO MUCH SUPPORTING humans not to mention officials or people who are RICH in Material resources  -financial and otherwise, but POOR in VISION and judgement!.You are not one of them if you decided to find out why ?I am reaching out to you especially if you work with foundations or non-profit organizations that really want to do something to REALLY HELP .

I am not asking help from any profit or government organization because I know that HELP will not come unless lobbiests and influence groups or "Its Who you know" get involved!

I have access for none.Only my faith in the Lord and the goodwill of men and women who went through some kind of trials and struggles and know what it means to SEEK and Create Solutions not PROBLEMS!!!

I would mention that one of the community gardens was rendered and converted into a land fill by city officials who knew that the garden was supplying food donations to a local soup kitchen and neverthe less decided to kill it!

Other people  would use the community garden as a green wash or a political motive to influence voters and so forth.Why as a country so rich in resources we do not assign plots of neglected lands for people who are unemployed to create GREEN URBAN FARMING JOBS.???I hear that  MICHIGAN do that!Why not we have this practice nation wide?

I came up with a "Ten Common sense" reasons to create an Urban Farming Program to reduce the dependence on Food "stamps "and increase the "food"indepence by growing our own through :"A FARM- FOOT & ARM STAMPS":

1-Growing our own food will create more green jobs.

2-Growing our own food will reduce the NATIONAL deficit by reducing the welfare and food stamps and other governement aid programs budgets.

3-Growing our own food will reduce our dependence on imported food from abroad(China,Mexico etc..)

4-Growing our own food will ensure its safety as we will be the ones who control the growing,processing and distribution process not second or third or foreign parties!

5-Growing our own food will reduce our grocery bill significantly.

6-Growing our own food will engage our body mind and spirit in healthy outdoor regimen/exercises and improve the quality of our HEALTH tremendously as we will consume fresh and locally grown food.

7-Growing our own food will reduce the carbon foot print and help our environment by cutting on fossil fuel consumption to mention the least!

8-Growing our own food will reduce crime and increase  HUMAN REAL COMMUNICATION/UNDERSTANDING /,through social interaction among classes,races,neighborhoods etc..

9-Growing our own food will increase the AWARENESS of the "PRODUCRES'Versus "CONSUMERS"society and behaviours!

10-Growing our own food will avoid unnecessary social unrests and upheavals like the Arab Spring the roots of which started by the high increase of cost of living to say the least :The increase in the price of bread and gas like what happened in Egypt for instance or ...just by finding your own facts from the below documentary"Nine meals from anarchy":

http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/food-1/nine-meals-away-from-anarchy.html 

Do you want more REASONS?Go to:

www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618

and register in one of my Organic gardening classes!

T H E   E  N  D!

Why are we the most fed WEALTHY nation on earth but the least nourished and Healthy?Why slaves were imported from Africa to do slave work at the farms and plantations and why there are modern day slavery to continue doing so using illegal immigrants to do the donkey back breaking work of farming ?Watching a movie is the best we can do using a remote control or a computer .So here we go, watch this movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgpP4o30X2k&feature=relatedv

Watching a movie could give us more entertainment in the comfort of an air conditioned comfortable room.So let us use this for the best of educating ourselves about what is in our food and where it comes from etc:Watch -

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/6501/Bad-Seed---The-Truth-About-Our-Food

Is it time to take back our right to work jobs in the field?

There are so much rehtoric about who will work the land?Take this one you tube documentery for example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYhVbbN2_sM&feature=relatedv

My mother who is Ninety two years old and who grew up on a farm and grew her own food when at a younger age , told me that her body is rejecting tghe food that she buys from the conventional markets.

She started to complain about many ailments and she had to leave the city and go back to live in the country where she had access for locally grown farm  foods.

Now I wonder why I have tthis continuous urge to do the same.My body has been subjected to genetically modified food without even being aware -No GMO Labels Exist-how this conventional food grown and sold freely in the market to unsuspecting customers is affecting my body and mind in a downward spiral ?

Here are some answers  as seen on TV:

http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/videos/gmos-genetically-modified-food-1/how-safe-is-your-food.html

Aside from how the GMO and other additives alterd foods are damaging the Organs of our bodies, no one is aware of how the GMO and chemical synthetic altered foods  like ASPARTEME are damaging our brain cells.Here is a study by an MD  which is self explanatory:

http://www.wnho.net/aspartame_brain_damage.htm

In this election year ,  how urban family farmers are going to make their voice and vote count towards reforming the state of the farm ?Dont  people have the right to know what they are putting in their MOUTH and BRAIN?

We have inflicted so much damage on the Body-Mind and its time that SPIRIT  will come to the rescue, in case we cared less to take charge and act! So, Help US GOD!

Instead of buying perishable flowers to your Grandmother/ Mother / wife /girl friend,this mother day,how about starting a  Lasting PRODUCTIVE organic garden for the whole family , your LOVED ONE,or simply taking an Organic Gardening Class*?Check this out for toxic pesticide flowers:
http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/flowerbusiness/floralindustry/how-safe-are-our-flowers
http://www.pelicannetwork.net/flowers.noroses.htm

i HAVE BEEN INVITED TO GIVE CLASSES AT BACKYARDS QUITE OFTEN.FAMILIES GATHERED FROM ALL AGES TO LEARN THE PROCESS OF GARDENING AND IMPLEMENT IT RIGHT IN THEIR OWN BACK/FRONT YARD.Here are some samples of a recent Whole family and friends backyard gardening class  :

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Images&token=170649356311%3A204916869&_requestid=59324

You can do it this Mothers Day and give the GREEN gift of growing healthy food for your loved ones!A gift that lasts and bring the family together at the backyard .

I am so grateful to my mother who was my first teacher in Urban Farming.My tribute for her is to bring her message to all mothers and families so they can nurture and nourish raising happy and healthy families.

Last but not least, it is worth mentioning that 70% of farms in the US are owned and operated by women.Mother Earth nourish our bodies and our mothers nourish our Body-Mind and soul.

Mothers day falls in the SPRING .The season where Mother Earth celebrates  by springing flowers out of  the Earth  and spraying scented the Aromas into the  Air .It is of LOVE  in the Air..!

Happy Mother Day..to All  Mothers!

Note:Check out my classes at Natural Awakening PBC Magz or web:www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618

What are the herbs that grow best in S.Florida ?

This is a popular question which a lot of my students ,who attend my organic gardening classes ,ask!

The answer is waiting for you right in the garden.

Trial and error is one way to find out .But if you are a new comer to S.Florida then you need to proceed with caution.

First the SOIL is a big challenge here.It is Sandy and acidic and infested with nematodes not to mention   other stuff!

For now we need to focus on the Best herbs that grow best in the S.Florida region.

Here are a bunch of herbs that grow best in the Spring and early summer season:

1)Basil-all kinds from Krishna Tulsi to Thai and Italian Basil..

2-Mint

3-Parsley

4-Sage

5-Rose Mary

6-Chives

7-Cuban Oregano

8-Thyme

Best way to grow herbs is from seeds propagation.There are other ways to do so by root division and cutting.

Best containers to use for growing those above mentioned herbs are earth made pots(No plastic please).

Herbs best uses:

1-Aromatic:Lavender-Marjoram-Hyssop-Verbena-Sage

2-Ground cover herbs:Donkeys ears,chamomile-Roman wormwood,lemon thyme.

3-Culinary:Basil,corriander,dill,fennel,rose mary,sage.

4-Medicinal teas:Kamasutra Mentha-Lemon grass,sage,,saw palmeto-sarase-dandelion-Krishna Tulsi basil

5-Companion plants-Natural pesticides deterrents: Marigold-Calendula-Echenecia-

Hippocretes , the Greek Father of medicine said: "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food"!

I have a neighbor who just came out of hospital and is now recovering after a Brain Surgery .The doctor diagnosed  a possible anuarism !

He came all the way from Canada to relax and have a vaccation in the TROPICAL S.Florida.He ended up in Hospital for TEN Days.His diet was so poor eating JUNK to save money.When I introduced the topic of TROPICAL LOCALLY GROWN FOOD he recoiled at the words of Calaloo,papaya and coconut.So After he was discharged from the hospital he came to me and asked me what he should EAT while in S.Florida.

As an urban farmer and personal chef who grows his own food, I had to suggest that let his food be locally grown and in season!So Together we worked and came up with some TOP TEN Healthy Tropical Delicious food .Once in Florida, eat like a  Native Floridian, is the best advice to follow to stay away from the hospital or keep the doctor away:

 (Note:This narration is for information only.No diagnosis or prognossis is intended.You need to check out with your doctor before you attempt to eat or try this FOOD list.Some people have food allergies and need to practice precaution and consult their health practitioner apriori.)

 1.Local Alkaline Spring Water . Dehydration is common in S.Florida.So to hydrate is the answer.raises stress hormone levels, causing serious brain damage. Drink at least ten glasses of water a day.The question is which water to drink?Personally I drink SPRING WATER with a PH of 8.5.

.

2. Deep Ocean Florida Fish. DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, is the main component of brain synapses. A lack of omega-3 has been shown to diminish intellectual performance and is linked with dementia. If you don't eat fish, omega-3 is also found in walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds. In addition, you can take it as a supplement; 1000 mg a day is what we recommend. (For a list of the best fish to eat, click here.)

3. Florida grown Tropical Fruits and vegetables rich in Antioxidant Rich -Organic Fruits and Vegetables. The best of these, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, spinach,,
avocados, oranges, red bell peppers, . Five servings a day of fruits and vegetables is recommended.I personally PREFER Florida  locally grown BLUEBERRIES and Papaya ,mango,citrus and pineapple:

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/superfoods/the-benefits-of-blueberries-are-more-than-just-antioxidants/

4. Organic /Heirloom -Vine Ripe TS.Florida Cherry tomatoes . These are a major source of the strong antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene reduces the risk of cancer by 40% - notably prostate, lung, and stomach cancers - and increases cancer survival. Tomato eaters function better mentally in old age and suffer half as much heart disease. Concentrated tomato sauces (found on pizza and in pasta sauces) have five times more lycopene than fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes have three times more than fresh.

5.Extra Virgin First Cold Press Robust  Coconut OIL (or if not availableOLIVE OIL). Olive oil is my personal choice after coconut oil(Number one choice)is a major part of a Mediterranean diet, shown to help reduce death from heart disease and cancer. Heart attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet, recent research shows. A famous researcher, Ancel Keys, once declared olive oil the main dietary reason for remarkably low mortality rates among Mediterranean populations. Olive oil, unlike other vegetable oils, is high in antioxidant activity.

6. Organic Sprouted Florida ROJO GARLIC: This herb is packed with nutrients known to help fend off cancer, heart disease, aging, and other health problems. Garlic has prolonged cancer survival time and extended animal lifespans by about 5%, which in humans might add about four years, German researchers have found. A tip from researchers at Penn State: let crushed garlic "rest" about ten minutes before cooking it, to preserve its disease-fighting agents. Garlic is the featured herb in this month's "Herbal Corner" section below.

7. Calaloo -SPINACH. This super health-promoter is second among vegetables only to garlic in antioxidant capacity. It is also rich in folic acid, which helps fight cancer, heart disease, and mental disorders. In animals, it protects aging brains from degeneration, according to studies performed at Tufts University. New University of Kentucky research shows folic acid may help prevent Alzheimer's Disease. Both raw and steamed spinach contain high antioxidant and other essential nutrient content.

The best SPINACH to eat in Florida is the Carribean :CALALO".

 http://www.skrewtips.com/2010/09/20/health-benefits-of-jamaican-callaloo-and-how-to-cook-callaloo/

8-Wild harvested Florida Mushrooms.If hard to find then use:Mitake and Shitake are my favorites.Here are the benefits of mushrooms:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/20070.php

9-Home Made Probiotic yogurt : Rich in acidophelis and bifidus .Time teste through history.My favorite is the home made GREEK yogurt.

 http://www.happysimpleliving.com/2011/03/06/make-your-own-homemade-greek-yogurt/

10. Herbal Aloe Vera mixed with / Green and ordinary black tea :It packs the same amounts of antioxidants and have equal benefits, experts say.Ginseng- added to your favorite herbal blends is a good choice. Harvard researchers recently found that drinking one cup of black tea a day cut heart-disease risk in half. Be sure to make ice tea from loose tea or tea bags; instant tea and bottled teas contain minimal antioxidants, tests at Tufts University show.Bonne appetite and..

HappyFlorida  summer gardening !

Tony Dagher BA,CFMG

Gardening classes every Saturday and Sunday as advertized in Natural Awakening Magazine and web:

www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618

 Organic Consumers Association is the best source to track what is going on the Farm front like  GMO label and Pink Slime ,etc,.

Check this out:

 http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/ob326.htm

There are petitions being circulated about the pink slime .Besides farmers can stay uptodeate about Monsanto and other farm topics and concerns.

It is good to know and be educated about the state of the farm and farmers.I beleive that the farm was the nucleous of the society and civilization.

Towns and cities started from farm aggregates and communities.

Teaching our children how to farm is the right thing to do now.

The family is the link that keeps our society chain  intact.

Family farmers and urban farmers are the future farmers as they always were the farmers of ancient  and past times.

Five years ago I met  a young urban farmer who was also  a computer geek , he told me that there will be a chance for Robotic Farmers in the near future.

I laughed .

I thought this is a science fiction joke.Well ,  until recently I found out that a magazine has been publishing studuies about sex robots and they will be a good source of revenue for tourism in countries like Holland.Check it out:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328711002850

As farmers are concerned , there will be a new generation of farmers to replace the migrant farmers for example.Robots!

I magine that happening at your farm?Here is the scientific study :

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328711002850

Another study is suggesting that sex robots will be able to breed and get a better breed.Imagine this also happening to the farmer robots.Will they replace the human farmer?

I watched a movie  in 2009 ,"The Surrogates".I thought this is another joke ...but who knows?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986263/

The mega meat businesses are now eating their own medicine after so many years of mega profits selling meat to the public tainted with PINK SLIME.They started to file bankruptcy and it is the social media to blame!

Now iis the Time to switch to grass fed and organic meat.Hurray is the cry of Organic Raised Meat Farmers ...finally the people are waking up after the social media made the call to let the secret of Pink Slime slide through the door.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/pink-slime-outcry-forces-magic-johnsons-los-angeles-2280435.html?cxtype=rss_money_16350

Local Harvest has the cow-pool as an alternative solution.Learn more what the Time magazine writes:

http://now.msn.com/money/0402-'Pink%20slime'%20maker%20blames%20the%20media%20for%20bankruptcy.aspx?OCID=MSNNow_SEM_Money_10001

What is pink slime and why we did not hear about it before now?

We did dude, but nobody was listening!HELLO!!

Remember long time ago when Opra Winfrey was sued by the meat industry for exposing them about the additives in the meat and how she is switching to be VEGETERIAN?Back then ..it was the news but who cared .It was Opra vs the Meat industry.Now IT IS US and our families health concerns from eating the AMMONIA ADDITIVES!!!..what is new? Here are some news from the Internet Media two years ago:

http://www.alternet.org/environment/144904/yummy%21_ammonia-treated_pink_slime_now_in_most_u.s._ground_beef/

So why there goes the bankruptcy of the major meat food processor and other cries about the meat industry LOSING business?

Here comes a mainstream media suggesting that meat prices are skyrocketing because there are LESS cows in the market! Holly cow..Do you buy this? Check this out,Florida is the number one state that produces calfs to the meat industry.

Calfs are treated with so many "VACCINES" before they reach one year old then shipped to Texas and other states to mature and gain weight  and then to be  slaughtered as "MEAT"food.

It is good journalism when there is balance in reporting.Here is what the main stream media has to say to be fair to all sides :

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/shrinking-supply-pushes-beef-prices-to-all-time-2323984.html

Now, it is up to you to buy this or that and decide whether you want to eat or not to eat...the PINK SLIME treated meat!

Bon appetite ,as you eat .. meat..without the "pink slime" treat !

To start with here are some refreshers statistics about why lawns are inefficient ,a waste , COSTLY and taxing in many ways:

-Residential lawns comprise 23 million acres of land in the U.S.
-58 million Americans spend $30 billion per year for lawn care.
-3270 billion gallons of water a week are used to water U.S. lawns. That's enough to water 81 million acres of organic vegetables for a summer.
-$5.25 billion per year is spent on fossil fuel-derived fertilizers for lawn care -- the majority of this ends up as pollution in our surface and groundwater, increasing our risk of cancer, heart disease and birth defects. Just switching to organic fertilizer and compost would eliminate a good part of this pollution.
-580 million gallons of gasoline are used to mow lawns each year. A good chunk of this creates air pollution because of evaporation and another chunk pollutes our groundwater because of spillage.
Running a gasoline-powered lawn mower for an hour produces pollution equivalent to driving a gas-powered car for 20 miles.
67 million pounds of synthetic pesticides are used in the upkeep of U.S. lawns each year, the majority polluting our surface and groundwater.
-$700 million is spent every year on those 67 million pounds of pesticides.Now the good news ..is that we can transform our front or backyards into  bountiful gardens through EDIBLE SCAPING.

Front Yard Garden Controversy Revelation: Lawns Are Useless

By Brad Tuttle | @bradrtuttle | July 11, 2011 | 26

inShare12

Dan Bachman / Getty Images

The fact that so many people are up in arms about a Michigan woman facing jail time for planting a garden in her front yard is an obvious indictment of meddling local code officials gone off the deep end. The case also serves as a reminder of a rather obvious truth: Vegetables are edible and good for people, and no matter how pretty the grass, shrubbery, and flowers in your front yard, you’re not going to eat them.

For most American homeowners, the groomed, watered, and chemically modified lawn is the only option for a front yard. But why is this? Sure, it’s aesthetically pleasing. But there are many ways to landscape a yard—and almost anything else is more useful than a lawn.

Many of the weeds homeowners spend hours and many dollars eliminating are entirely edible, giving homeowners ample justification to let the lawn get overrun with dandelions and feel good about it. But taking the heretical homeowner step of disavowing the front lawn doesn’t necessarily mean simply sanctioning the mower and weed killer to the back of the garage. By following the vision of people such as Rosalind Creasy, author of Edible Landscaping, it’s possible to create a front lawn than is both beautiful and productive. On Creasy’s 2,000-square-foot front yard, where nothing but grass might otherwise be, a field of neatly arranged figs, peppers, lemon trees, radishes, blackberries, and spices burst with life.

(MORE: Woman Faces Jail Time for Planting Organic Vegetable Garden)

And perhaps this new front yard vision, in which aesthetics and utility aren’t mutually exclusive, is catching on a bit. An essay in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, one woman details the ongoing efforts of she and her husband to plant a front yard garden. Why? After much of their high-maintenance front lawn died, they decided to do away with the nice-looking but useless feature:

Space hogs, water suckers and giant leaf collectors that have to be blown, mown and doused in chemicals with a great ruckus to look good, what is the point of a lawn other than to say: we have land, time and money to waste?

A year after planting the garden, the couple is saving money by skipping trips to the farmers markets and supermarket produce sections. A funny thing has also happened in their neighborhood:

People walking by – instead of just breezing past – stopped to talk to us. Some were just curious; others had tips and stories to share. Many with backyard gardens marveled that they’d never thought to use the sunny front yard. We had more conversations with neighbors we’d never met in those few weekends than we’ve had in the entire 15 years living here.

Think about it: The only thing holding people back from planting front yard gardens is a subjective but widely accepted sense of what’s pretty and proper. (In Oak Park, Mich., and other communities, the possibility of fines and jail time may also scare some off from planting gardens in the front yard.) Most people buy into this sense of aesthetics mostly because they never bother pausing to think about why they do what they do, and that there might be better, more sensible, and more productive alternatives. The garden simply must be relegated to the backyard, and few dare to question why.

Now think about it some more: Especially given soaring obesity levels in the U.S., do laws that discourage people from producing and eating vegetables in any way make any sense?

(MORE: Q&A: All the Dirt on Gardening with a Small Budget)

Brad Tuttle is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @bradrtuttle

Vermont will be the first state to pass a legislation to Label GMO products and inform the public of what THEY ARE EATING...

90% of the legislators in vermont have voted for the GMO LABEL legislation but..Is the governor going to sign the legislation into a BILL?Here are the latest news:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_25270.cfm

Pesitcides ,fertilizers and and  genetically modified food has been investigated and proven unsafe for humans in Europe and Japan.So legislations there are signed into law to protect the public.

THis is an election year and  Organic farmers are gaining support locally  in some states like California and Vermont .Read with your own eyes what the reports bring from Vermont:

Each year we celebrate Earth Day  since 1970..Why do we celebrate Earth Day? Here are some answers as per the Wikipedia , I qoute:"

Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, called for an environmental teach-in, or Earth Day, to be held on April 22, 1970. Over 20 million people participated that year, and this Earth Day is now observed on April 22 each year by more than 500 million people and several national governments in 175 countries.^{[citation needed]} Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.

Senator Nelson, an environmental and conservationist activist, took a leading role in organizing the celebration, hoping to demonstrate popular political support for an environmental agenda. He modeled it on the highly effective Vietnam War teach-ins of the time.^[7] Earth Day was first proposed in a prospectus to JFK written by Fred Dutton.^[8] However, Nelson decided against much of Dutton's top-down approach, favoring a decentralized, grassroots effort in which each community shaped its action around local concerns.

Nelson had conceived the idea for his environmental teach-in following a trip he took to Santa Barbara right after the horrific oil spill off the coast in 1969.^{[citation needed]} Outraged by the devastation and Washington political inertia, Nelson proposed a national teach-in on the environment to be observed by every university campus in the U.S.^{[9]" Unqoute.}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybvY_V3AOA4&feature=watch_response

This week end I will be teaching classes on Organic Gardening and will stress the need to plant more trees that are beneficial for food or medicine not just for decoration.

In this year we are witnessing more foreclosures and more people evicted into the streets with less jobs and higher prices for gasoline and food.Anybody there to listen to the "HELP ME" cries of the farmer who is losing his farm or home.Anyone appreciating the teachers who step out to teach about dressing the earth with more trees ,vegetables bearing fruit and food for humanity.

I see more and more of GREEN WASH talk but those who walk the talk are few and the HIPPOCRETES are too many.

Hope next year Earth Day will celebrate the END of the WAR on the EARTH (SOIL)..and people will stop calling it DIRT and take courage and start digging and planting and some start replacing the blood that taints their DIRTY hands ,for doing harm to forms of life,  with black "muck"  or  "dirt"..oops I mean SOIL!.! 

In the END ..Earth will be there while we will pass by and what remain is a  a tune to tell a story of "Once upon an  EARTH ,," .Enjoy the song :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHJfHdfSUR0&NR=1&feature=endscreen

There is an Earth Day Event this Saturday at the Cultural Plaza at down town Lake Worth-S.Florida.

It is :Open to the public and FREE.There will be music,food,an Organic Gardening Class ,Herbs and plants available for sale  and much more fun for all..

It is Spring time and the flowers are blooming sending the aromas allover S.Florida.A call for an outdoor celebration.Come ye all!

Earth Day is time to bring the community together and raise the GREEN AWARENESS and HONOR  our Mother Earth .

I take this opportunity to give classes on creating more Organic Gardens .Imagine the BENEFITS if we transform all our inefficient water consuming lawns or neglected lands into organic productive vegetable and fruit gardens!Here is a sample of the outcome:

1)More local food will bring more local business improving on the local ecconomy.

2)Less global warming and carbon foot print,starting on the local level ,hence reducing the dependence on importing food from abroad or far away states.

3)Reduced cost of the gracery bill as more families will be able to grow their own food at backyards and buy less food from the stores!

4)Increase in Job Opportunities and increase of Farm land productivity .Even Urban Farming has a positive impact on producing more jobs.Growing food is a job that pays well  through outlets such as a CSA or a Farmers Market.

5)More children,teens and adults will have a chance to exercise more and lose weight through gardening .In England for example, gardening is considered a sport .Why noy also in US? At least this will decrease chances of obeisty as well increasing the overall health of participants. 

More details about the event on April 21st and the Organic Gardening Class at:

www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618

Happy Earth Day ..every day!

What is the state of the standard of living in the US right now.Simply 50% decline as per a recent study:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31010.htm

How about life in rural America and where the most of family farmers livelyhood is located ?

http://chronicle.com/article/The-Rural-Brain-Drain/48425/

Educated farmers can enrich not just the farms but also the society where they farm.

Are we pursuing a strategy to create more farms and educate more farmers ?Are we concerned about raising the standard of living of farmers  not just their COST of living or MAKING a LIVING?

This is the come back of the 1929 economy of DEPRESSION .Are we prepared to go and dig out the VICTORY GARDEN lessons of the Depression to learn how Americans survived ?

Farmers need answers ..they need acts to remedy the neglected STATE of FARMERS!

History repeats itself only if we are left in the darkness and did not take lessons and do something about raising our standard of living especially by riding the wave of GREEN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY and LIVING !