Farmers-for-Hire: The New Status Symbol?

The LA Times has an interesting article on an emerging market that’s taking advantage of the urban farming craze. New businesses are sprouting in Southern California as urban farmers tend to their own backyard gardens and then tend to others’  for a fee. As the growing demand for fresh, homegrown produce has spread, the dream to cultivate one’s own soil may no longer be crushed by not having enough time or skill. Small businesses like Farmscape are stepping in to provide gardening services to those who can afford it– from installing protective raised garden beds to weekly maintenance work.

The fees may be kind of steep, however. Buying organic produce from the grocery store may at times be more economical, but it doesn’t have the same appeal as something that came from your backyard…even if you weren’t the one doing any of the work. For some, having urban farmers tend to their land is something of a status symbol. One farmer told the LA Times, “The sign of success used to be who had the best lawn. Now, it’s all about how much food you can grow.”

What are the implications of this cultural shift? What if we lived in a world where  the neighbor on the block with the showiest vegetable gardens is the equivalent to the one with the red hot Ferrari?

Related posts:

1. Faux Farmers’ Markets Spur Anger
2. Urban Farmers Selling Locally
3. How Many Farmers’ Markets Can Survive?

Comments RSS You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.