FUNDING FOR URBAN FARMING

FUNDING FOR URBAN FARMING Farming is nothing new. Mankind has been farming since our departure from purely hunting and gathering. Urban farming is nothing new either, except for the venue perhaps, being places where there are human settlements. Rural farming will always be there also, and there is nothing new about that either. So, what is it that is new that we are looking for? In order not to sound too ambitious, I will just put this in the form of a wish. I wish that urban mayors will start providing funds for urban farming in all its forms, including vertical farming and tree farming of course, and not to forget bamboo farming as well. And vertical farming should include not only fruits and vegetables, but also fish, poultry and livestock. As part of our initiatives for food security, we should go beyond the stage of treating urban farming as a hobby, meaning that we should start treating it as a business. We should now include urban farming outputs as part of our overall production targets. If we can do this right, we can even include this in our export targets also. Although urban farming should really be treated as a business, it should also mean having enough food for home consumption, not only for the urban farmer, but also for his or her neighbors. It could also address hunger and malnutrition in the long run. IKE SENERES/06-06-2024