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Charles GaethProfessor Sherrin FrancesHonors Writing 1922 October 2012Urban Agriculture: A Future Farming FailureSocieties have been using agriculture to support both their health and economies since civilization has begun. Throughout history, people have improved and nearly mastered agricultural concepts and technologies. The United States of America was one of the forerunners in these advancements, inventing technologies such as the cotton gin, the steel plow, gas-powered tractors and machinery, genetic engineering (in seeds), and various methods of processing foods (History 1). Agriculture used to be America’s main industry, but lately it seems to be strictly reserved for massive agribusinesses who receive large annual subsidies from the government. These subsidies reserve this industry for only citizens associated in these agribusinesses. Smaller-lot farmers not associated with these agribusinessese are forced out of their own industry. Recently, America’s economy has really begun to fall apart. Industrial-based cities around the country such as Detroit, Flint, and Youngstown are collapsing from the inside-out. John Hantz, of Hantz Farms, believes the best option to putting this collapse to a halt is to build large inner-city farms (Tumber 75). At first glance these urban farms look as though they are a flawless and innovative idea, but after taking a deeper look one realizes urban agriculture is a surprisingly flawed and mildly dangerous concept.John Hantz planned to “commercialize urban farming on a much larger scale” than most other current urban farms (Tumber 75). He planned on making “the world’s largest urban farm in Detroit, on more than 5,000 acres” (Tumber 75). On this massive inner-city farm, Hantz planned to use the most “state-of-the-art food cultivation techniques and renewable energy harvesting” (Tumber 75). He and his company have already invested an incredibly large sum of money into putting this project into motion. Hantz believes it will not only provide great jobs to the Detroit community, but he also thinks this project will bring in tourism from surrounding areas (Tumber 76). They have already activated this project, but have yet to see complete results. This project supposedly has potential to also eliminate crime and unsafe neighborhoods in this area of Detroit. With all of this great potential, one would imagine urban farming is the savior to America’s industrials cities’ failing economies. Again, at second glance the concept of urban agriculture does have many different hidden flaws.At my place of work, Dow Corning Corporate Center in Auburn, MI, I conducted a survey of ten people. I described urban agriculture the way John Hantz does in Tumber’s book (75-76). None of them were previously educated on this subject matter, so after notifying them on all of the positives of Hantz Farms, I asked each of the recipients if they would approve of such a project. Just as I had assumed, each of the ten people approved of Hantz Farms and other inner-city farms, but after telling these employees about the following hidden facts, only one of them was still in complete agreement with the farms.The first problem with urban agriculture is the constant flow of air pollution in industrial, or even previously industrial, cities. In a city, especially a large one like Detroit, busy traffic is a relatively normal happening. Traffic, specifically traffic jams, causes a large amount of air pollution. Vehicles running on gasoline release several different chemicals, such as cadmium, lead, molybdenum, zinc, copper, and un-burnt petroleum (Urban 11). These chemicals become airborne and can easily have negative effects on crops. One of the main reasons agriculture is found away from most civilization, is because the fields’ location better represents the crops’ natural growing environment. Food is not meant to grow around so many unnatural chemicals. Consuming these chemicals could pose a dangerous threat to our health.The second problem with inner-city farming is the city’s water runoff (Sprouts 1). Cities are not constructed to maintain a healthy farm. Unless the farm was built at the utmost highest point in the city, water runoff would inevitably flow into the crops’ soil. Cities like Detroit are not known for being clean. The sewers, streets, and sidewalks are filled with toxins and other unwanted contaminants (Sprouts 1). After a heavy rainfall, all of these contaminants would be washed down the streets and sewers and into the inner-city fields. It doesn’t really seem safe to eat what so many people walk on in Detroit. Dirt and pesticides is one thing, but most people would not want to find themselves eating some mystery chemicals.The third and final problem with inner-city agriculture is the high crime rate of industrial cities like these (Sprouts 1). Detroit is one of the most crime-ridden cities in the entire world. If economic worth actually presents itself in this innovative agricultural idea, then criminals and thieves will find ways to break into the farms and steal the crops and profits. Just because the farms will clear out the dangerous neighborhoods, does not mean that these farms will change the characters of so many criminals in Detroit. This city has been known for their crimes for the past decade, and with new industries coming and going, the rates have still hardly changed. Detroit has been ranked as the number one most crime infested city for four years in a row (Fisher 1). These criminals will do whatever they can to get their hands on money, and if an easy opportunity like this presents itself, they will be sure to take advantage of it.When first hearing of the concept of urban agriculture, most people would believe this is a flawless and innovative idea, but after a more careful review, one begins to realize how flawed this inner-city farming idea can actually be. Urban agriculture can be negatively affected by chemicals released through vehicle emission, contaminants in water-runoff, and thieves and other criminal activity. As of right now, the city is not a place that is meant for agriculture. Maybe after future modifications to the urban agricultural idea, it can actually be entwined into industrial cities. But for now, society will have to leave agriculture to the countryside and industry to the cities.Works CitedFisher, Daniel. "Detroit Tops The 2012 List Of America's Most Dangerous Cities." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <;."History of American Agriculture - Farm Machinery and Technology." History of American Agriculture - Farm Machinery and Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <;."Sprouts in the Sidewalk." Sprouts in the Sidewalk. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <, Catherine. Small, Gritty, and Green: The Promise of America's Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-carbon World. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2012. Print."Urban Agriculture: Issues for Public and Environmental Health." Urban Agriculture: Issues for Public and Environmental Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <;. ................
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