U.S official says poor nations must learn to grow food

I came across this news article today.

Agriculture Department Undersecretary James Miller said it wasn't enough
to just send emergency aid to get people through the day. The U.S. and
others must also must help people in poor countries develop ways of
feeding themselves consistently, he said.

That is just a snippet from the article HERE
I wonder if we all sent a note with a link to Mel's book :-D and the forum what would that do for saving money and water in the countries that need food?
Ha-v-v

Howdy: To paraphrase...

Give a man a tomato and he will eat for a meal. Teach a man to grow his own tomatoes and he will feed his family for a year.

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

Yes Ward and Mary, this is how I see it, Mel sees it this way as well !! Give them a fishing pole and a hook too I truly think this way works, if we are funding these things anyway, this would be the most economical in the long run in my opinion SFG all the way!!
Ha-v-v

Several years ago I ran across a system that was being tried in undeveloped countries. It was really marvellous, but I can't find any information on it now. It consisted of a 10' diameter pen in which one laid down a 1 ft. layer of green stuff and put in two piglets and a dozen young chickens. The piglets were taken out and butchered young before they started eating the chickens. When the pigs were taken out, the chickens were moved to a small coop, the round pen moved and an intensive garden planted where the pen was. And the $$ earned from selling eggs and garden produce was used to start all over again the next year with the refuse from the garden as the "green stuff". I'm not describing it very well, but it was a brilliant system. As I remember, it had a built-in water catchment system also. Apparently a family of four could completely sustain themselves on this scheme. SFG would lend itself very well to something like this.

I like that idea belfry !! I like doing things with the most simplicity. I so want to let the chickens run in my garden, but that is future when I can figure it out.
I would love to see others provide for themselves, it is so empowering !! It gives one a sense of "I can do this" in other things as well. That's what gardening has done for me. It has encouraged me in so many areas.
Ha-v-v

How about right here at home, too, though? Too many people are going hungry... and some who aren't, are eating very poorly in the opposite direction. I would love to see SFGers team up with Jamie Oliver's TED project. Different direct goals, yes, but the heart's in the same place. (The link leads to a page with a very interesting video.)

How about right here at home, too, though? Too many people are going
hungry... and some who aren't, are eating very poorly in the opposite
direction.

Oh yes Megan , I was just sharing an article I found while reading the other day. It is easier to buy processed foods for someone on a small budget. It costs so much more to buy veggies etc. Our country has been come the microwave society, lets have it now. I would love to help someone garden to provide for themselves. I figure while I learn more about SFG I can share it with someone later on.
Ha-v-v

One of the SFG benefits - or veggie gardening in general - is that it is not that hard to get the kids excited about veggies that way. Creating a lifetime appreciation and love of real food - hopefully. Victory gardens indeed. I have seen it in my own grandkids and even in my 31 year old daughter.

@Megan, I'm a big fan of www.ted.com. I enjoyed Jamie Oliver's talk. I had the same thought about there being a role for SFG in what he's doing. A big part of the appeal of the SFG Foundation for me is how they're promoting it in the schools in the US.

I'm in Canda and our situation is very similar. In fact, where I live, the vast majority of produce in supermarkets is trucked thousands of miles to get here. It's not always fresh, and it's not usually cheap, especially anything organic. There are so many benefits to SFG: lowering our carbon footprint, controlling what (if any) chemicals our food is exposed to, fresher, very local food, plus its fun.

This is my first year SFG'ing and I got off to a frustrating start, but it's coming along now and by next year I hope to have the basics figured out.

Ha-v-v wrote:I like that idea belfry !! I like doing things with the most simplicity. I so want to let the chickens run in my garden, but that is future when I can figure it out.
I would love to see others provide for themselves, it is so empowering !! It gives one a sense of "I can do this" in other things as well. That's what gardening has done for me. It has encouraged me in so many areas.
Ha-v-v

When I had poultry and lived on more land, I built a double fence around the garden, making a 8' wide run for the ducks and geese circling the garden. That way, they captured any hapless bug that tried to invade the garden, and in the off-growing seasons, I let them and the chickens in the garden area. By planting time, most of the weeds were gone, and the earth pretty much tilled up (this was when I did in-ground SFG). It's a great system and could be done on a smaller scale. If I were to get chickens or ducks here, I'd build a moveable pen for them right up against the garden area, moving it every month to another side. That would keep the weeds down and some of the bugs at bay.

@Ha-V-V,

Try Googling "Patti Moreno", who has a website called Garden Girl TV. She built chicken cages called "tractors" that fit over her fallow SFG beds -- self fertilizing. Interesting for me because she lives in the inner city like I do (although I'm not sure I want to go as far as taking up chicken farming!).

When I had poultry and lived on more land, I built a double fence
around the garden, making a 8' wide run for the ducks and geese circling
the garden. That way, they captured any hapless bug that tried to
invade the garden, and in the off-growing seasons, I let them and the
chickens in the garden area.

My goal was to have the garden near the chickens so I could have them routed to the garden when it was time to harvest everything and they could come in and eat. I really like that idea of the circle around the garden as well. I want to make a portable "hallway" so to speak for them to get them to the garden without losing any from fear of dogs. For now I give them the cuttings from the garden and come harvest they will have lots of extra plants that are ready for compost, but they go to the chickens. I will take their "castings" instead for now. I love fresh eggs !! lol nothing like it.
I would love to have a dairy goat again as well, but the milking is hard on the hands, not until I had a machine to do it. That too of course is future.

Ha-v-v

This is my absolute favorite thread EVER. This is part of the reason I started gardening. My 32 year old daughter and her 3 children moved in with us last month. Way back in March, I knew we would need much more food. My immediate goals were just to be able to supply us with enough fresh, organic veggies to support so many people in the household. But, the TRUE nature of SFG has exposed itself for the value that it is. We CAN feed the world this way. So, I'm starting here at home. I live in one of the "less economically advantaged" counties in VA. We have lots of citizens on nutritional assistance programs and free school lunch programs. Just think of how this would help the schools to have fresh, organic veggies for our kids..., then you get to composting and teaching SFG in schools, WOW, the ideas just explode!!!!!.
So, I humbly and respectfully requested to volunteer to be assigned to the councilperson in our town who handled these ideas and projects. I was surprised to receive a reply the very next day. I'm now the assistant to the Director of Parks and Recreation. My councilwoman is very excited with the ideas and has already taken several to council. The respond has been tremendous. We are starting a program of coummunity SFG's in several locations around town. We hope to have fall gardens in at least 1 or 2 locations this year. I would like to go to Eden this September to become certified to teach, no sure yet.
I just retired in April and had no idea what I would be doing. Seems as if my 2nd career found me.
Thanks to all your support, advice, directions to websites and comaraderie, I feel like this is the place for me right now. Yep, we can feed the world.


Kari

BLESS YOU, Kari!!! I truly believe that we can feed the world this way.

Are you anywhere near Manassas? I have tried to get neighbors interested but most of them are shy of it, though they love how my garden looks. It is education that is needed. If you don't grow up growing things, or cooking them, you begin to believe that it is impossible, and that dinner comes in a box.

Wow Kari. Fantastic and something you can enjoy as well as spread the joy to others. What fun and satisfaction.

Thank you for the kind replies. I live in Crewe, VA, between Richmond and Farmville. The 2000 census has us at 2378 citizens. We moved here in 2003, so that's probably wrong!! I believe education is ALWAYS the key. As a nurse administrator, I could fix just about anything with a little education on the subject, it was better with a little hands on practice. I hope Mel reads this forum and can feel how grateful we are for his insight 20-some years ago.