
Provocative, passionate and populist, RMB Manifestos are short and concise non-fiction books of literary, critical, and cultural studies.
At the last census in 2006, just over 80 percent of Canada’s population lived in urban centres. How we feed that population and protect its food sources is an enduring subject of debate in food security circles these days. As consumers and citizens, we all need to take a hard look at the deficiencies in Canada’s ability to feed the urban poor; our dependence on imported foods and centralized food processing; our detachment from our food sources; the often problematic solutions to food security devised by governments, municipalities and non-profit groups; and where we are headed if we change nothing in these times when change is urgently needed. Many efforts are being made to introduce urban agriculture initiatives all across the country, to address the problems we’ve created and to protect our cities from real and potential crises in the food supply.
With passion and lyricism, Digging the City addresses the problems facing urban omnivores in the 21st century and looks at various policy, grassroots and utopian solutions being developed and implemented, while considering the pros and cons of plans such as vertical farms, urban fish farms, transition-town initiatives, seed banks, permaculture and water conservation projects.
About Rhona McAdam
Rhona McAdam is a poet, blogger and food writer. She has a master’s in food culture and communications from L’Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche (Bra, Italy), writes a food and poetry blog (Iambic Cafe), and for several years taught an online course in urban agriculture and food security for St. Lawrence College. Rhona lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
Table of Contents
Digging the City | 1 |
---|---|
Acknowledgements | 7 |
What Gives? | 11 |
Urban Answers | 27 |
Food-safe Cities | 35 |
Culture and Food | 37 |
Nutrients, Nutrition and Nutritionism | 42 |
Year-Round Cheap Food Is Expensive | 50 |
Where the Seed Falls | 55 |
School Gardens | 56 |
Community Gardens | 58 |
Front-yard Gardens | 64 |
Backyard Gardens | 66 |
Up on the Roof | 67 |
Down on the Ground | 69 |
In Water or Under Glass | 71 |
Bags, Buckets and Great Big Pots | 76 |
How to Deliver It | 79 |
Markets, Farm Stands and Other Retail Outlets | 80 |
Pocket Markets and Buying Clubs | 88 |
Community-supported Agriculture (CSA) | 89 |
Self-sufficient Institutions | 92 |
Urban Animals | 97 |
Bees and Other Insects | 99 |
Chickens | 107 |
Other Urban Animals | 111 |
Fish | 115 |
Waste | 117 |
The Future of Urban Agriculture | 125 |
Conclusion | 144 |
Urban Agriculture Glossary | 147 |
Bookshelf | 161 |
Other Titles in this Series | 165 |
Book details
- Publisher
- Rmb | Rocky Mountain Books
- Collection
- An RMB Manifesto
- Categories
- Environmental Conservation & Protection, Public Affairs & Administration
- Published
- September 2012
- Pages
- 168
- Chapters
- 33
- Language
- English
- ISBN EPUB
- 9781927330227
- ISBN Paper
- 9781927330210