Dear Jacqueline and friends,
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute ideas to this very important discussion. The ages between 15 and 17 are certainly crucial years, particularly for transferring knowledge between the generations.
For the past 15 years, I have worked with Farms & Gardens for the Disabled, a non-profit organization that helps all people reach the soil more easily, regardless of physical impairment. The relevance of this work to the discussion of rural youth and agriculture has to do with enabling elderly and disabled mentors and teachers, while making farming and gardening more available and rewarding to young people.
By filling recycled containers (i.e. broken refrigerators, recycled fruit bins, etc.) with soil, several advantages are achieved. To begin with, a garden can be grown anywhere that water is available. Places that would otherwise not support food production can be transformed by gardening in containers filled with soil.
In essence, by raising the level of the soil to where people can easily reach it, several advantageous dynamics are initiated. First of all, elders and disabled people are able to contribute to farm & garden food production. Secondarily, because they are able to participate, they are able to pass on their knowledge and experience to the younger generations who need to learn the skills and discipline involved with food production.
For young people, gardening while standing is more agreeable than having to bend or crawl around on the ground, or use tools to work the soil at ground level. Because container gardening eliminates much of the hardship and uncertainty of growing food, by reducing pest infestation, increasing water efficiency and providing a more functional way of growing food, the overall experience of gardening is much more consistently rewarding for everyone involved
I trust that these ideas will help people to expand their available farming and gardening areas, while integrating elderly and disabled gardeners into an inclusive cultural dynamic, to empower and educate youth.
Best wishes,
Paul J. von Hartmann
Farms & Gardens for the Disabled
Platina, California
USA
先生 Paul von Hartmann