Column: Why Occupy the Farm?

On Sunday April 22, Earth Day 2012, over 300 protesters, food justice advocates, and concerned citizens there with the intention of farming it in an ongoing way.

Thousands of vegetable starts are being planted, chicken coops are being put in place, and the infrastructure of a working farm is being installed. Many might ask why this action is being taken, and there are many reasons.

Some reasons are obvious. The is the last 10 acres of Class 1 agricultural land in the East Bay, with 90 percent of the original land here paved over.

Residents of Albany and the East Bay, as well as students and professors at UC, have been fighting for decades to save the land for sustainable agricultural uses.

Currently, UCB Capital Projects holds the land and has it slated for rezoning and resale, for use as a supermarket, parking lots and housing. In the meantime, UC is doing genetic research, which is not only questionable in its own right, but is activity that could be performed in multiple other UC locations. 

As it is owned by a public university, these public lands are a last-of-its-kind resource that should be used for the public good. But this raises the hard question: What is the public good and the best use of this land?

UNIVERSITY PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT

The for the Gill Tract and the adjacent Albany Meadows to the south is, when distilled down to the basics, about development in the current model.

Vegetation will be cleared, concrete will be poured, and will go up. The first to profit from this approach will be the developers who will take a public resource and turn it into a private one for their own benefit.

Next are the corporations who are pushing for the deal, who will move into the new commercial space, thus expanding and adding value for themselves and their stockholders. 

And thirdly, the city of Albany government will benefit in the form of higher tax revenues and benefit to the town (if the tax dollars are spent wisely).

Yes, it is true that, in the current model, there will be some community benefit, but there are costs that are harder to calculate.

And how far down the list is the immediate benefit to the citizens of Albany and surrounding communities? But the larger question is, is our current model of growth even working?

GROWTH MODEL IS UNSUSTAINABLE

There are multiple issues with the current growth model, the chief being that it is unsustainable. As a country, we have seen GDP growth slowing since the 1970s and 1980s, when baby boomer workforces peaked.

But the other problem is that growth requires the unending commodification of resources and services, and we are running out of resources to turn into something to sell and into eventually, money.

The current model offers no plan beyond unending growth, with the exception of borrowing against the future. The governments of Europe are confronting this problem right now: Debt that is 20 percent of GDP, and no way to grow out of the problem in the traditional sense.

And we here in the United States are on an identical track, make no mistake.

Turning the Gill Tract into yet another development and commodity that siphons money out of the community into larger corporations creates more debt held by the biggest banks, and does little to nothing to benefit citizens, is a mistake.

There is a different course, one that can create a stronger community and provide sustainable solutions to the issues of resource depletion and food justice.

TAKE BACK THE LAND

The goal of Occupy the Farm, from their literature, is to reclaim this unique plot of land for multiple uses.

It would create an urban farm where food is accessible and a familiar part of urban life.

It would allow for an operation at the proper scale to provide food for multiple community organizations and initiatives, both in Albany and the greater East Bay.

And it would provide a space for meetings, classes, research and community, where residents could come together.

There are real needs in all these areas: as a food activist in Albany and the East Bay, I have seen how positive this new model can be, but there is so much needed and more to do. This is a unique opportunity but we are at the crossroads.

This Tuesday, April 24, there is a Planning & Zoning meeting to . It is important that residents attend this meeting and make their voices heard.

We can get on a sustainable path with cooperation and community. But we need to be heard. The occupation today is a huge step in raising our collective voice.

To find out more, visit www.takebackthetract.com, for updates, to learn about workshops and join the Occupy the Farm email list.