“Urban farming” might sound like a phrase that just can’t work, or can it? Sure, when we hear or read the word “farming”, most of us think of large rural farms. And yes, most of the farming is still rural. However, with the constantly rising level of awareness of the importance of properly managing organic waste, more and more municipalities and individuals have started properly using their previously wasted resources. As such, urban farming is becoming an increasingly popular thing. Of course, this type of farming often comes in the form of indoor plants, rooftop-raised garden beans, and smaller gardens. Though, when strong communities are formed, urban farming can often take on a whole new form. This is particularly true when community composting enters the picture.
If this is your first encounter with community composting, note that we talk about it when a group of people, typically living in close proximity, joins forces to ensure that its organic waste is properly collected and converted into compost. The latter can then be transported to farms to use this valuable resource. However, in the case of urban farming, it is often used by the same community to produce organic food. As such, community composting can come in various forms and scopes.
Moreover, since kitchen waste represents more than one-third of municipality waste, there’s a lot of potential for community composting. Essentially, every household can (and should) participate. And, while rural households normally have a simpler task of closing the #bokashiloop themselves, urban households need to join forces to make the most impact. Furthermore, to make an even greater impact, it is important that residents, local authorities, and organic waste collecting companies work together. This is when community composting and urban farming can thrive on a larger scale.
In addition, to make sure that you all have a clear “why?” motivating you to make urban farming and community composting work, let’s look at the main benefits of community composting.
Following are the benefits of community composting, which we’ve divided into five groups. Each bullet point follows “Community composting …”.
To make the most of urban farming, community composting is an essential part. However, it is by no means a prerequisite for your personal urban farming endeavors. By using indoor composting, you can easily and neatly collect your kitchen waste and create a nutrient-rich soil builder. Moreover, you might be aware that there are several different ways of composting. Though, it’s been proven over and over again that bokashi composting (bokashi fermentation) is the most efficient, environmentally-friendly, and user-friendly way of responsibly managing organic waste. For instance, there’s a huge difference between bokashi composting and vermicomposting. The last thing most people want is to have worms in their apartments and houses.
However, to make the most of the bokashi method, it is important to use proper bokashi composters. A proper urban composter must help you ensure that factors affecting the composting process are easily optimized. Hence, it needs to ensure air-tight conditions and ease of collecting bokashi liquid. Of course, a compact size, a pleasant design, and a practical way of handling the bin should also be there.
Community composting and even some forms of urban farming are still in their infancy. However, several progressive communities are already showing us the way in various parts of the world: The Sustainable City in Dubai, Toulouse in France, Biocompost Ecuador, Unikom Osijek, Snaga Maribor, and others. These projects help provide valuable insight into the above-listed benefits and serve as leading examples for other communities to take the necessary action. After all, we need to connect and work together to change our ways and create a sustainable planet!