Growing up on the outskirts of a city,
I was blessed to live an agrarian lifestyle. Fresh fruit and vegetables -
not to mention delicious jams and juices - were available to me year-round.
Initially, I was unaware how lucky I was to live with those who devoted their lives to farming. It wasn't until I moved to the city that I experienced the artificial - and generally inferior - taste of supermarket food. It made me appreciate the work of my
grandparents even more. It made me wonder:
Whatever happened to growing herbs on the kitchen windowsill? Whatever happened to picking fruit off a tree in your backyard?
From my experience, organic food is tastier, but even more importantly, it truly is beneficial for the
environment. The ecosystem is often disturbed by industrial agriculture and its farming techniques involving chemicals and waste disposal, so growing food in a natural way helps to increase balance. Currently, agriculture is dominated by large farms that use enormous amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers; it’s worrying to even imagine the number of harmful chemicals our produce is exposed to.
In addition, many people assume an urban lifestyle leaves no time or energy for growing your own food. Thankfully, people like Joshua Potter offer a helping hand to those who decide to change their dietary habits for the better.
Awarded a microgrant in Spring 2016 by the Stardust Startup Factory, Joshua Potter’s idea not
only involves producing and selling his self-grown produce, but educating the community on pesticide-free farming and the benefits of growing your own food so that everyone can work towards a more community-focused lifestyle.
As Josh shares on Carteret Local Food Network, he enjoys teaching others about farming and growing food in a way that is both consumer and environmentally friendly. Joshua, and adept farmers like him, utilize specialized techniques to maintain an equilibrium in their gardens.
People like Josh remind us
that it is, in fact, possible to subsist off of produce that isn’t covered in chemicals. So let’s take this first step towards a healthier life and invest in locally-grown, pesticide-free produce.
Let’s do it for ourselves; let’s do it for our planet!
-Barbara Walas