Eating New Foods

Traditionally, the abundant food that is necessary to feed cities has been supplied by an agriculture which takes place outside the city. In this blog we will look at new models of food production in which food producing infrastructure is integrated into the urban environment: urban agriculture. In meeting the challenge of growing food in an dense environment that was not designed for food production, two main themes are explored:

1.Growing food is new ways.
2.Eating new foods.

If urban agriculture is to replace or greatly supplement traditional agriculture, not only do we have to find new ways of growing food, but also reconsider what we eat.

New Foods: Microlivestock

Excessive meat consumption is not only detrimental to health, livestock raised on a massive scale is also detrimental to the environment. In urban agriculture, there will be no room for large livestock. Instead, they will be replaced by animals which are smaller and require less room. These are animals which in the third world already contribute to the majority of the protein found in the diets of the poor.¹ Below, a few species with potential for urban agriculture are examined.

Quail

Japanese quail, or coturnix, is a small bird, reaching a weight of about 7-8 oz. Coturnix eggs have a similar taste and nutritional value to chicken eggs. However, coturnix convert feed to protein more efficiently. While it takes three pounds of feed to produce one pound of chicken eggs, it takes only two pounds of feed to produce one pound of coturnix eggs.²

One square foot of space is sufficient for up to six to eight birds.³ This makes it possible to raise quail in urban environments, even in an apartment sized dwelling. Wild quail feed on seeds and occasionally insects. While they are often raised on grain in captivity, they can also be fed kitchen scraps.⁴ The goal of raising quail, or any small animal urban agriculture, will not be to produce the greatest quantity meat or eggs, but to reduce waste and increase energy, material, and spatial efficiency. Therefore, using kitchen scraps where possible to feed quail and using waste products from quail production as nutrient input into other urban agricultural systems (indoor and urban gardens) will ensure minimal waste, and maximize food production using the energy, raw materials, and space that we have.

Microlivestock 2: Guinea pig

Guinea pigs, also called cavies or cuy, were originally domesticated as food animals in the Andes. They have since become a popular pet animal in many parts of the world, but continue to be an important food in their native country. In Peru, the animal is so integral to the country's culinary culture that a painting of the Last Supper in the main cathedral in Cusco shows Christ and his followers dining on guinea pigs.⁵

Being rodents, guinea pigs reproduce quickly, and are a more profitable source of food than traditional livestock.⁶ In Peru, guinea pigs are often raised in the home, as shown in the above picture. Guinea pigs are low in fat, high in protein, and is said to taste like a cross between rabbit and chicken. Peruvian cuisine has many ways of preparing the animal. It may be fried, roasted, or cooked in a soup.⁷



Systems

In the above video, a system which incorporates guinea pig raising, crayfish rearing, and a garden is discussed. Systems like these will be an important aspect of urban agriculture as they represent the greatest efficiency of output per input of materials and energy as well as the greatest diversity in the range of food that is produced. There is also potential for the water to be completely recycled, therefore greatly reduce the demand for water and wet-waste treatment facilities. As vegetable production of some form is the most essential element of urban agriculture (plants having the unique ability of converting non-organic material into organic, edible material), a garden of some form will make up the first part of the system. Plants need water and fertilizer, and both of these can be delivered from the wastes of aquaculture. Waste water from aquaculture is rich in nitrates and ammonia, which is used as fertilizer by plants, and can be delivered either hydroponically or used to irrigate soil.

- ZiCheng Xu

Notes

1. National Research Council, "Microlivestock: Little Known Animals with A Promising Economic Future", 1991, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=030904295X (accessed November 1, 2009).

2. Wikipedia contributors, "Coturnix," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coturnix (accessed November 1, 2009).

3. Deveau, Jean Louis. "Raising Quail For Food in Frederiction, New Brunswick, Canada," City Farmer, Canada Office of Urban Agriculture, September 26, 2002, http://www.cityfarmer.org/quail2.html (accessed November 1, 2009).

4. "Coturnix," Wikipedia.

5. Wikipedia contributors, "Guinea Pig," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig (accessed November 1, 2009).

6. "Guinea Pig," Wikipedia.

7. "Guinea Pig," Wikipedia.