Maximum Yield Modern Growing USA Magazine - March 2017

In this issue

Nothing brings people together like food. Be it a wedding, a holiday, a tailgate party, or a first date, wherever there is food there are happy, social people. It is and has always been a key social driver in communities. Common ground, if you will. This isn’t the case everywhere, however. There are many communities in modern cities where neighborhoods are shattered, devoid of social connections. One of those neighborhoods is Tel Aviv’s Neve Sha’anan quarter, a place with a history of violence. It is also home to many foreign workers, many of whom speak different languages, further deepening divides. On the toughest street in Neve Sha’anan, though, hope is blooming. According to the Jerusalem Post, 29-year-old entrepreneur Lavi Kushelevich has brought together Darfurian refugees, Chinese workers, and Israelis through his Rooftop Gardens project. “They don’t have the same language, so they can’t communicate,” Kushelevich told the Post. “But they can communicate through food.” Rooftop Gardens allows participants to grow food hydroponically in a place where growing anything just a short time ago seemed impossible. On Saturday mornings, they gather, take care of the garden, and learn new techniques. Some of the crops they grow include cucumbers, lettuce, basil, and bok choy. Growing food in your community, Kushelevich added, generates certainty and with certainty, people can let their guards down a little. In many other cities, urban gardening is having a similar affect. It brings our agriculture closer to us, reduces emissions and food waste, and results in greener, healthier cities in which to live. The innovation seems to have no end, and, hopefully, neither does the social connectivity it creates. As always, thanks for reading Maximum Yield and if you have any questions feel free to contact us at editor@maximumyield.com.