Well... it isn't Berkeley, and "farmlettes" might be a better word!
Believe it or not, Oakland is a groundbreaking city in the urban farming movement. Look it up if you don't believe me! Sunset Magazine even did an article about it awhile back...
Anyway...
One day I was sitting in my car on a sunny street, waiting for a family. I played a little game: Shut your eyes and listen. Can you identify Oakland by the sounds you hear?
I heard birds, kids playing, a couple of cars going by and.... chickens.
Beyond the hipster, kids of white hippies who are currently fighting city hall to keep their urban farms, (see more below,)it is not at all unusual to hear chickens and roosters all throughout the residential Oakland neighborhoods.
I know what you are thinking.... "People use roosters for fighting..." But that isn't the ONLY truth...
Many of the families that I work with have gardens and are producing their own food. They want HENS. Hens lay eggs AND produce fertilizer for the afore mentioned gardens. The roosters are kind of a nuisance. That might be why they are frequently sacraficed to fights. Now I'm not saying it's right... don't forget, I have a hard time killing ants in my house! I'm just sayin'...
Anyway... back to the hipsters:
Novella Carpenter is an author and blogger. She originally began her urban farming project by "squatting" on an abandoned lot in West Oakland. She bought the lot awhile ago and gives tours, etc. Since buying the property she has been running into problems with the city...
You can read all about the situation here:
Ghost Town Farm
No comments:
Post a Comment