Denton Record-Chronicle
April 11, 2004
Many cities nationwide share Denton's problem of lots left vacant in the wake of explosive outward growth. But as Sunday's story ("City discussing rules for filling vacant lots") showed, Denton lags behind the pack by overlooking an innovative use for these abandoned parcels: urban agriculture.
For most people, the phrase "urban agriculture" conjures up images of backyard putterers nurturing a few tomatoes and cucumbers. But the concept can mean much more – both in the amount of food it produces, and in the education, jobs, food security, and economic vitalization that can spring up in cities where it takes root.
In Des Moines, the 7th Street revitalization project has turned a strip of blighted inner-city blocks from a nexus of drug dealing and prostitution into a beautiful community garden and park surrounded by neat low-income houses. Berkeley's Urban Gardening Institute uses city garden plots as tools for training jobless people in both gardening skills and small enterprise management. Right here in Texas, Austin's Green Corn Project equips low-income homeowners with urban gardens as a much-needed source of affordable, nutritious food.
Residents' opinions on development in their neighborhoods may differ, but few people object to a having a thriving garden full of fresh produce on their street. Urban agriculture offers rich learning experiences for people of all ages and walks of life. It strengthens community ties, and boosts local economies. Denton can reap all these benefits by promoting the use of its vacant lots for urban agriculture.