Where Does My Food Come From?

With my family now on a shoestring budget I have really been pinching pennies when it comes to the food we are eating.  As I started to scrutinize food prices I found myself asking why the stuff I can now afford is ultra-processed, unidentifiable from its original form, frozen or packaged and full of ingredients I can't pronounce while the wholesome, single-ingredient stuff that grows in the ground all around us is so expensive. And also, where does my food come from (before I buy it at Safeway)?

This is a simplified version of what I found out: large corporate farms are subsidized (or payed by our government) to grow huge crops of corn and soybeans. Since the farmers are being payed by the government, they can sell the corn and soybeans for less than it costs them to grow it.  Well, you say, this is only two crops; you're right, however, we all eat more corn and soy than you think.  In fact, about 90% of the food on the shelf at the grocery store contains corn or soy.

Additionally, this type of farming has a huge impact on the environment and smaller family-owned farms.  Since these farms only grow one or two types of crops they have depleted the natural nutrients in the soil and now rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.  Smaller farms can't compete with the market prices because they aren't receiving the same subsidies from the government thus they are forced out of business.

I've decided that I no longer want to participate in a system that encourages us to consume unhealthy food and that siphons income away from local businesses.  One solution is to buy organically raised and locally grown produce and meat but who can afford that right now?

I've taken stock in what my family has to offer and come up with a solution: turn our small city lot into an agricultural oasis!  With some ingenuity and little luck we will convert our unlandscaped backyard into a postage-stamp sized sustainable and organic farm complete with chickens and rabbits.  Our hope is to grow enough food to drastically reduce our family's dependence on commercially raised food and eventually have enough left over to share with our family and friends.

This is The Urban Farm Project, check in on our progress and hopefully some of you will consider giving this a try as well.  Let's grow together!