California’s first farm-to-table new home community just opened. Called “The Cannery,” it’s a residential project designed and put together by The New Home Company. Designed with a seven acre urban farm near the center of downtown Davis, this 100 acre project is considered to be the very first agrihood built on what used to be industrial land.
The community is also home to 547 houses, all of which are energy efficient; each one is solar-powered and comes equipped with electrical car power outlets.
This is great, initiatives like these need to start happening all over the world, and the fact that somebody has now done it shows the rest of the developed world that it’s possible. Instead of building normal residential communities, why not create something sustainable?
Earthships, tiny homes, weatherproof greenhouses, organic farming and more all seem to be part of a larger trend that more and more people are investing in. We are waking up to what’s needed to ensure the prosperity of future generations and the health of the planet. Indeed, this community is focused on organic farming, which is a proven sustainable practice which can only be good for everyone involved.
When it comes to global food sustainability, it’s important to note that various scientists have concluded and demonstrated that organic farming can be sustainable across the globe. The Union of Concerned Scientists reminds us that GM crops are not guaranteed, as promised by company advertising. They still fail to produce promised yields, and farmers are not permitted to save seeds due to the company’s patent. As a result, entire communities can be pushed to the brink of starvation.
Every person on the planet can feed themselves with just 100 square feet of well managed land. In 2008, the UN Conference of Trade and development supported organics, saying that organic agriculture can be more conducive to food security in Africa than most conventional production systems, and is more likely to be sustainable in the long term. You can read that full report HERE.
Growing organic is also important because of all the health issues pesticides have been linked to. These include diseases like autism, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and more.
A recent study conducted by researchers from RMIT university, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that an organic diet for just one week significantly reduced pesticide exposure in adults by 90 percent. (source)
You can find out more about what happens to your body when you switch to organic food here.
The community’s farm will be managed by the Center for Land-Based Learning, a nonprofit group that desires to implement agricultural education programs for students and aspiring farmers.
This all sounds great but, as with anything else, there is a cost. But with all of our resources, technology, intelligence, and innate potential, the human race has the capacity to create something better than the current global economy/monetary system — one where everybody is free and has all of their needs met. This “utopian” type of existence, where all beings on the planet are treated equally and have access to everything they need, is quite simple. We have the potential within us. This is precisely why I believe so many people have a hard time imagining such a reality. At the same time, various corporate interests would be demolished if such a dramatic shift were to occur. We would face intense resistance. But we can prevail.
The only solution is a society that has learned to control its ego.
The homes in this community range from the mid $400,000s to approximately $1 million.
“While the term “agrihood” may be relatively new, the concept is not. As Modern Farmer pointed out in a 2014 story, the broader concept has roots dating back to the mid-1800s. The nation’s first planned community in Riverside, Illinois, had a decidedly pastoral feel falling somewhere in the middle of city and country life.” (source)
It’s also noteworthy to mention that several of these agrihoods have already been established across the nation and seem to be flourishing.