Photographer Mathieu Young took these intimate pictures of a small pot farm at harvest time. We see the whole process, from the harvest in hidden greenhouses to the trimming, sorting, drying, and packaging for shipment. I keep imagining that they are growing lettuce and fruit to share with a small, underground collective of organic farmers who don't want to pay a licensing fee to farm. Or maybe I've just been reading too much Margaret Atwood.

See the whole amazing sequence of photos in this gallery by Mathieu Young [via Dose Nation]

It wasn't weather that destroyed this year's crop - it was political unrest. Farmers abandoned their fields to flee for safety, and by the time they returned it was so late in the season that corn couldn't be planted. And other crops foundered too.

This satellite photo from NASA shows all the farm areas of Kenya that have suffered as a result of violence after the elections. According to NASA's Earth Observatory:

This image, which shows vegetation conditions between January 1 and January 10, 2009, shows part of the reason for the failed crops. Developing drought settled over eastern Kenya, slowing plant growth. Areas in which plants were growing less vigorously than average are brown, while areas in which plants were growing well are green. Rainfall during the “short rains” season, which typically runs from September or October through November or December, did not provide the moisture maturing crops required in eastern Kenya, and as a result, the end-of-year harvest was poor. By January, shortly after most crops were harvested, the remaining vegetation was clearly in bad shape compared to normal . . .

Corn, the primary crop, is typically planted when the long-season rains start between mid-February and mid-April. But in late 2007 and early 2008, post-election violence tore through Kenya, affecting much of the grain basket region. In many regions, farmers evacuated to camps and did not return until late April. By then, it was too late to plant a successful crop, said the Foreign Agricultural Service. Some farmers planted a late corn crop, and others planted wheat instead of corn because wheat has a shorter growing season. Altogether, the season shortened by violence resulted in a smaller harvest in the east, while drought reduced the harvest in the west, said the Foreign Agricultural Service.

This image, which looks so abstract with its greens and browns, offers a window into a future where violence begets violence. Political violence led to crop failure, which will lead to more violence as people begin to starve.

SOURCES:

NASA Earth Observatory

Millions Risk Starvation [via AP]

This is a before picture of what the area was like that locals chose for their farm. Working with a group called Green Dreams, the locals set up a plan to clear the garbage, start a vermiculture with the worms they found under the garbage, and plant vegetables in the cleared area. Trash became compost.

They planted seeds after using PVC pipes to create perfectly round holes that they could drop the seeds in.

And three months later, they had this farm, complete with a lot of worm goo (tasty for plants) from the vermiculture to use as fertilizer.

Obviously this farm was helped along with outside help from Green Dreams, but now the people they trained are selling their services to other parts of Kibera, teaching other groups to grow their own food. Another thing that was unique about this farm was that many of the people who worked on it were ex-cons who apparently helped guard the area — so future farms in other cities might consider incorporating some element of security too.

Farming Innovations in a Slum [via AfriGadget]

Top image of Kibera via Frances Woodhams.

Here is a view inside one of the recently-completed greenhouses.

Says the UK Guardian:

Growing hydroponically, in nutrient-enriched water rather than soil, allows the suspension of the crops at waist height rather than ground level, for ease of picking . . . The site's developers say they have taken steps to ensure the environmental impact, considering the scale of the operation, will be minimised. The huge reservoirs, which will capture rainwater and recycle the water in which the crops grow, will allow the site to be self-sufficient from May to September, draining nothing from the local utilities. The 32MW generated by the combined heat and power system, uploaded to the National Grid, will offset significant costs from the site, while some of the CO2 produced by the burning gas will used to enrich the glasshouse atmosphere.

Here's the layout.

It's like the first domed environment, where residents are creating their own (warmer) atmosphere in order to make food production possible. Locals estimate that doming the land has created over 500 jobs, and will make farming in the region far more lucrative. After all, tomatoes and other vegetables can be harvested year round.

The giant greenhouse complex isn't finished yet, but UK residents will be able to buy Thanet Earth veggies starting in October of this year.

Welcome to Thanet Earth [UK Guardian via Jaunted]