Front lawn food growing is a growing phenomenon in urban areas, especially those facing constraints to sprawl outward. The practice comes in many forms, such as home gardens in urbanized parts of South India but also the neighborhood and household-scale 'farms' created by groups like Inner City Farms and City Beets. The benefits could include but are not limited to ecosystem services, like providing microhabitats for small invertebrates and pollinator species, reducing the food miles of our fruits and vegetables, and beautifying and diversifying our neighborhood frontages which are often limited to the turf grass look.
As part of my excitement, I decided to poll some local opinions and ideas about this urban gardening trend. Below, I have transcribed 1-minute footage for a 'streeter' in which I interviewed passersby at the University of British Columbia on the innovative practice of growing food on our front lawns.
Opening narration: Cities like Vancouver are leading the way in bringing food production back to our cities. Let's see what students at UBC think about this emerging practice.
Q1: What are your thoughts on converting front lawns to grow food?
- A1: It's okay as long as you're not growing something huge, corn or something, and you're not ruining the aesthetic of the community.
- A2: I think it's a good idea because front lawns of kind of cosmetic.
- A3: I think it's a pretty awesome way to turn an unproductive space into an actually useful space.
- A4: It could be an issue with the neighbors because it could be an eye sore, but it's probably a good idea.
Q2: Would you be surprised to hear that certain cities have made this illegal? What do you think about that?
- A5: I find that quite surprising. I don't really see the immediate reason for that. But I'm not very well-versed in this issue, so maybe there would be a good reason for that.
- A6: I think that's pretty cruel and awful. I don't see the point really. I mean, I suppose you're taking money away from the agriculture industry.
- A7: Honestly, I did not think that it would be illegal to do that, especially on your own property. That's crazy, that's crazy.
Closing narration: There you have it, students at UBC generally support front lawn food growing.
