Urban Gardening: GROWING HEALTHY FOOD IN THE CITY
Modern living and urban way of life, with its culture of mass produced foods, have caused people to forget where their food comes from. Not only that, there’s a lack of healthy food in today’s generation of fast foods and instant meals.
Urban gardening is one of the best ways to get safe, healthy and nutritious food for your family. Fruits, vegetables and herbs can be grown organically – without chemicals and pesticides. You can choose what you want to grow, how you want to grow it, and where you want to grow.
Mass-produced food has to be transported a long way to reach you. That requires burning a lot of fuel, and also increases the chances of contamination from bacteria and viruses. Urban gardening helps reduce the carbon footprint of the food system, and ensures your food is safe.
Urban gardening saves money too. It also unites people for a common purpose, and thus builds community. It’s a useful skill to have in today’s world, and a good way to educate children about sustainable food and its health benefits. And it helps you reconnect with nature.
Consumers Association of Penang has over the years been advocating pesticide-free urban gardening to the public. We conducted regular training programmes on holistic gardening practices and public response to this has been encouraging. Today it is heartening to see more and more Malaysians venturing into this worthwhile practice – with good and satisfying results.
We interviewed several city dwellers who have successfully incorporated our farming tips and advice in nurturing their backyards and gardens. Starting today we will be posting a series of 5 interviews with ordinary folks turned passionate urban gardeners. Read about how healthy food is grown, how growing plants increases their well-being in everyday life, builds community ties, and connects with the earth.