The Agrarian Transformation
I am now growing food on road dividers. Whether the grown stuff is actually eaten as food by us humans remains to be seen — but what it certainly does is raise the possibility of having community gardens for the neighborhood.
The challenges of making this work in such a hot, arid and dusty (and rapidly developing) city — where cows and dogs roam about — and folks like myself are distracted by technology during environmentally insensitive times are plenty, but there are ways it can happen.
Growing chili and pepper is a safe option to avoid rodents. Although tests are still ongoing, the hope exists that even grazing mammals will not want to come near anything this spicy.
Plants that grow underground are also doable. Carrots, onion, garlic, radishes, potatoes, ginger should be able to sneakily thrive.
While everything shall be grown in a completely organic way, a lot of this depends on the community bestowing trust on each other and giving others the benefit of doubt. The worst-case scenario is that the food is not eaten and turns to compost or is eaten by birds and squirrels — which are also fast disappearing from our modern cities. Any additional waste shall be aerobically (or otherwise) digested by microorganisms.
However if the food is safe to eat by members belonging to my species — and it should be — as long as you wash it thoroughly — then one can begin to dream about the dawn of a new era. We can herald the return of the commons, in a very creative and collaborative manner. An age of abundance — not scarcity. Boundless and bountiful. Where willful pertinence (putting constraints on oneself) is more important than sheer inventiveness.
Frankly, it is really hard for me to imagine a sustainable / self-sufficient / smart city otherwise. I do not see these terms as separate from each other.
But there is even more.
I shall also be attempting to blur the lines between jungles, farms and cities by experimenting with a vertical agriculture system that works on trees grown within urban environments.
My ultimate hope is that this will eradicate world hunger and obliterate the need for having any genetically modified crops. Although I am not mortally against them — I do believe that it involves high costs, questionable results and is not a technology available for all — which gives certain countries or institutions the tools and means to wage economic warfare.
If there is a cheaper, better, safer and more accessible option — then why not?
