~SUSTAINABLE LIVING FOR CHALLENGING TIMES

[mbc]

National Reasons to Grow a Vegetable Garden

Patriotic Americans Grow Their Own Food





March 19, 2010
Elise Cooke

Patriotism takes many forms. Those who love this great nation of ours can do something positive for the United States of America, and yes, even the world, by growing some of their own fresh fruits and vegetables. Here are a few reasons why it's time for Victory Gardens to make a comeback in backyards all over our great country.

Victory Gardens Lower U.S. Dependence on Foreign Oil

Commercial farmers get hit coming and going when oil prices shoot up. Not only does farm equipment run on diesel power, but much of the fertilizer used on large farming operations are petroleum-based products. By eating locally, less food needs to be trucked in refrigerated containers to grocery stores, saving gasoline. Vegetable gardeners also take fewer gas-guzzling car trips to supermarkets. Finally, backyard gardeners can make enough of their own fertilizer by composting yard waste, lawn clippings and vegetable kitchen scraps. Bonus: By composting, gardeners also reduce the amount of waste going to the nation's landfills. (They might even see a reduction in their garbage bills, which is a good personal reason to fulfill one's patriotic duty!)

Vegetable Gardens Lower the Trade Imbalance

The national deficit and debt get more mentions in newspapers than the nation's trade imbalance, but the United States loses over half a trillion dollars every year to other countries because more is paid to imports than is received from exports. More food is very much in demand worldwide. The less commercial farms have to feed the local populace, the more they can export goods in the world market.

Patriotic Americans Help Secure the U.S. Food Supply

In 2005, the United States became a net food importer for the first time in its history. This means that Americans now consume more than the nation's farmers produce. It's easy to assume that a simple garden plot out by the swing set won't do much to secure the nation's food supply, but historically, that's exactly what it did. In both World War I and World War II, Victory Gardens grew upwards of 40% of the country's domestic produce consumption, which freed up more food for our armed forces in the war effort.

Home Vegetable Gardens Enhance Seed Sustainability

Commercial farms only cultivate a very limited range of seed varieties. This is because only a very few characteristics in produce lend themselves well to the needs of mass production, such as long shelf life, sturdiness, appealing color and so forth. The lack of genetic diversity in crops makes them susceptible to being wiped out by some kind of virulent pest. Recall the great Potato Famine in Ireland, circa 1850's, when a blight arrived and ruined the main food source for millions of Irish citizens. This kind of tragedy could still happen in modern times. Backyard gardeners maintain genetic diversity in seed supplies by growing non-commercial produce. They provide a market for more variety.

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:V5yCb2sXHUgJ:americanaffairs.suite101.com/article.cfm/national-reasons-to-grow-a-vegetable-garden+National+Reasons+to+Grow+a+Vegetable+Garden&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a#ixzz0ipLBxxkl