Urban, Suburban Teens Show Increased Interest In Agricultural Sciences

The Chicago Tribune (11/5, Cullotta) reports that "for a burgeoning number of" urban and suburban teenagers, "an affinity for digging in the dirt is proving transformative, blurring the boundaries between rural and urban, fostering a grassroots slow food movement, and perhaps above all, forging future career paths in agricultural sciences." The student participation ranges "from suburban 4-H club members donating bushels of their homegrown produce each week to local food pantries, to Chicago high school students who view their urban farm as a safe haven from dangerous city neighborhoods." An official with the National 4-H Council said it has seen rising interest from large urban centers such as New York and Chicago, as well as suburban areas. She added "that today's chapters of 4-H, long a staple of rural America, are often far more concerned with issues such as eradicating social inequities in food distribution, rather than competing for blue ribbons at the county fair."