Urban Farming

[Raellus]

I've long thought that urban farming as described in T2K modules like Ruins of Warsaw and Armies of the Night to be a little far fetched but I heard a piece today on NPR's Marketplace radio program about just such practices currently taking place in Detroit, Michigan.

With the decline of the U.S. automotive industry, the city's been in a state of economic depression for years now and it's only gotten worse the last couple. There are hundreds of empty lots there and, recently, folks have started planting various vegetable crops in these plots. They're even clearing rubble-filled lots and transforming them into large garden plots.

One of the problems that urban farmers in Detroit face is the high levels of toxic lead in the soil from its decades as an industrial center. To surmount this obstacle to farming, urban farmers have been creating raised plots by building large planters and filling them with soil and compost trucked in from outside the city. Using this method, folks are growing safe, healthy food crops.

Anyway, it seems to be somewhat of a trend and if it can work in urban detroit, with its somewhat toxic soils, it could probably work in nuked or otherwise devastated cities.

Food for thought (pardon the bad pun).

[ChalkLine]

If you plant two crops of silver beet and destroy the harvests you can generally assume healthy soil. Do not, of course, plough the harvests back in or you've done nothing. Silver beet is great food, grows quickly anywhere and is something a GM can happily make the PCs sick of in no time flat.

I've always disliked urban farming when it's obvious that good farming areas are nearby and untilled. It then makes no sense to stay in an urban area, so if you really want to have urban farming the GM has to make it make sense. Either/and;

- Chemical attacks have poisoned the ground and groundwater outside the city.
- The rural areas are dangerous due to undetonated cluster munitions, remote deployed mines and other UXO.
- The walls of the destroyed urban area provided shelter from radioactive dust from upwind (unlikely).
- Outside the urban area is too open, and marauders use sniper rifles on visible individuals.

[Mohoender]

Urban farming will of course definitely be coming back and Detroit is not an exception. Right now, in France, we are not really having urban farming but collective crop gardens are being developped everywhere. With the reduction in incom many people can't afford to buy vegetables and this is seen as a good option by associations and people (actually it's a good option IMO).

In T2K, Urban farming will come back fast and it will take several aspects.

The first thing that will be developped, however, will probably be animal raising: chickens, rabits and pigs. These animals don't need much and can be raised in basements and back courtyard. In addition you can feed them with garbage and corps (at least for the pigs). Just as an exemple take Paris: France made laws in the 1980's to ban urban animal raising (and you still find some around). These three animals were found in Paris until well after ww2 (as in London..., and you can add turkeys). Moreover, before ww2, the main nuisance in Paris was coming from the 500.000 roosters singing every morning at about 5:00am.

Then, farming will take place again in backyard courts and at windows probably (this might seem limited but it is already taking place, people have gardens at their windows and on balconies). Then, it will spread to public parks, first starting around zoos and farms.

Right now you still have a farm in the middle of Brussels and when I was kid, a man was raising horses two blocks away from my grand mother's place in the city of Liege. In Europe, you still have plenty of "urban farm" that can be turned back to their original purpose.

One last thing, the bee population is going down all over our countrysides but it is booming in our cities.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by ChalkLine

I've always disliked urban farming when it's obvious that good farming areas are nearby and untilled. It then makes no sense to stay in an urban area, so if you really want to have urban farming the GM has to make it make sense. Either/and;

Urban farming will be the rule for only two obvious reasons: people can't travel any more and the good lands located a few miles outside of the city is simply out of reach. In addition, you can protect it and you feed marauders more than yourself.

[ChalkLine]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Urban farming will be the rule for only two obvious reasons: people can't travel any more and the good lands located a few miles outside of the city is simply out of reach. In addition, you can protect it and you feed marauders more than yourself.

Well, most people will want out of the city as fast as they can. That's where disease is going to be first. Also, they're natural targets for military operations.

Farmland makes nice, open killing zones. Having fields around your canton gives you the ability to reach out and smite when the enemy must expose themselves to close. They can't mortar you if they want your supplies.

Given that the average person moves at 4km/h, it's not really valid to have people in cities without a way of making outside the city less hospitable.

[Legbreaker]

Habit is one of the reasons people will stay put. That and the fairly limited number of firearms capable of taking advantage of wide open fields of fire.
In the city you have shelter, admittedly without power, running water, sewerage, etc. You also have limited fields of fire and you can with just a little effort chanel attackers into kill zones where your assorted shotguns, pistols, bows, crossbows, spears, thrown rubble, etc can be used to it's full potential.

Of course I wouldn't be found dead in a city post nuke, but then I've a country background...

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Of course I wouldn't be found dead in a city post nuke, but then I've a country background...

LOL... well if you WERE in a strike zone city on the day, you might be dead there, but still nothing left to find...


I'm of the same accord though. I HATE cities... they serve a purpose for limited visits... I live in a town that think's it's a city.. and hate that even.. give me the country any time.


I agree that urban farming is plausable, and folks are creatures of habit though. One thing is SOMEONE in the area has to have SOME knowledge of how to raise the crops and animals. I scratch my head as to WHY they might stay, though if they have adequate source of water and good, secure shelter then perhaps. I find urbanites not cooperative enough for a real venture though... ummm on second thought, rural America is getting that way too.. nothing like it was when I was a kid and farmers more often than not worked together on harvests.. today it's all about being better than the Jones' it seems.

BUT a catastrophe such as Twilight (and that IS an understatement) will bring out the best in people.. as well as the worst. It then boils down to life of good vs evil as always.