The coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of changes in our lives in a relatively short period of time. One day we were busy with our daily routines, and the next thing we knew, we were confined to our homes, forced to find new ways to work, interact and maintain our mental sanity. Needless to say, the transition to a world consumed by the novel coronavirus was neither smooth nor pleasant.
But in the light of everything that’s happened since the outbreak began, we can’t ignore the lessons we’ve learned and the resilience people can show in times of need and uncertainty. While it’s not easy to stop dwelling on the negative and start looking for a silver lining, some people managed to do just that. They’ve found a way to make the most of their confinement – and no, we’re not talking about all the banana bread baking, although that deserves a special mention. We’re talking about those who have turned to gardening and growing their own food as a way to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The road to self-sufficiency
In the past few years, we had already noticed an increased interest in conscious consumption and the idea of going back to a simpler lifestyle that’s more in tune with nature and the environment, in the context of increased concerns on global warming and climate change. But lately, the eco-friendly movement seems to be drawing more advocates than ever, and that can be seen in the rising grow-your-own-food trend. We see more people starting their own vegetable patches, brushing up on their gardening skills, learning about fertilizers, reading humic acid reviews and doing everything in their power to become veritable green thumbs.
This got us wondering: is this trend just a way to keep our minds busy and dark thoughts at bay in a time of tension and turmoil? Or does it run deeper than that? The real motivation is a bit more complex. At the beginning of the outbreak, a lot of people came upon a sight they never thought possible – empty shelves in the supermarket and stores that were out of basic food items. Fresh fruits and vegetables became a luxury at one point. That put the spotlight on food security issues and prompted people to think about alternatives in case the situation persisted. Those who had the possibility to plant a small vegetable garden, suddenly became aware of how lucky they were, and wasted no time in taking advantage of their land.
The pandemic also brought to light the pollution crisis and how collective actions such as reducing traffic can have a huge impact on the environment. Thus, growing at least part of our food at home or buying locally can really make a difference for improving the health of our planet. A few home-grown fruits and veggies might not make us self-sufficient overnight, but it’s one important step towards a safer, healthier and more sustainable future for all of us.
Crisis always sparks innovation
Humankind went through numerous pandemic outbreaks, wars, recessions and other disasters in the course of history, and every time crisis was the engine that drove innovation. Rough times always make people come up with new solutions to tackle the problems they’re dealing with, and the pandemic we’re fighting right now is no different.
Let’s take a minute to recap some of the things we were forced to change since the outbreak began. We were no longer able to travel to work, so a lot of companies embraced a remote work environment in order to keep their employees and continue running their operations. They managed to implement a new working strategy in record time, and a lot of them discovered that this method actually helped them improve employee productivity and increase overall efficiency of their processes.
Similarly, closing schools gave birth to the online school, helping children and teenagers continue their studies in a safe environment. Restaurants were also closed, and reliable food-delivery services started thriving. There’s a common denominator here and that’s innovation. If we were able to adapt so fast, that’s because some people were hard at work, coming up with new ideas to help us transition into the new normal easier.
That principle can also be applied when it comes to sourcing our food. Chances are we’re going to see more innovation in this area, with more resources and tools that will allow people who have little or no experience in food production to grow their own food at home. These tools will not aim at making mass produced food a thing of the past, but will offer a reliable alternative to it.
Life after the pandemic
This was not the first crisis we experienced and it will definitely not be the last. People are quick to forget, and as it happened so many times before in history, we’ll move on and continue our lives like it never happened. Or are we?
Many wonder if the grow-your-own-food movement will stick around even after the pandemic is over. It’s easy to write it off as a passing fad that was born out of boredom when we’ve seen so many trends coming and going in these past few months. But we wouldn’t be so sure about this one. It’s true that once the world will go back to normal, a lot of us will go back to our old routines.
Still, this green movement might be something we’ll adopt in the long run, because we’ve got more than enough reasons to do it. It’s as if the pandemic opened our eyes to the possibility of living our lives differently, in a better, more sustainable way. If we could do it for a certain period of time, we can take it further and embrace it as the new normality. So, we’re hoping to see more people getting their hands dirty and putting their gardening skills to test in the future, for the benefit of all.
Author: Austin Craig
Source by blogs.pjstar.com
