Cemetery Gardens

The United States of America is going to be facing a new challenge in the coming years. A rapidly increasing population, and dwindling farm land will cause a shift in how Americans get their food. In 1980, polls show that 90% of Americans were buying meat and produce grown in the US. By 2007, polls show that only 67% of the food bought in the US was grown and produced here.

Dr. David L'Beaudoux, of New Orleans University School of Agriculture, reports that the main reason for this shift is our [US] population explosion. Growing population means more need for housing, more need for shopping centers, and more need for landfills. With the expansion of sub-urban areas, traditionally agricultural areas are being overrun by McDonald's, Walmarts, and sub-divisions.

Dr. David L'Beaudoux

Dr. L'Beaudoux states that there will not be enough farmland to support the US population by 2015. Increasing acreage is being transformed into corn and soybean production. Most of the crops grown in these operations are not fit for human consumption, but used for ethanol and food additive production. When asked what the answer to this dilemma was, Dr. L'Beaudoux pointed us in the direction of "fringe" agro-scientist, Luke Hammond.

Luke Hammond on his moisture farm.

Luke Hammond has expertise in harvesting water vapor from the atmosphere and using it to grow crops in underground hydroponic labs. He proposes that the US start utilizing the vast open areas in and around urban areas used to house postmortem individuals. Yes folks, that's right, Luke Hammond proposes that we start using graveyards to grow food. Hammond has already convinced the people of Versailles, Illinois, to do so.

Saint Marks Cathedral Cemetery/Garden in Versailles, IL

While the majority of people in the US would be horrified to find that their iceberg lettuce was grown atop Great Uncle Eddie, most admit they would be more concerned that food was being imported from "them foreigners." Dr. L'Beaudoux and Hammond, are planing on meeting with the Wayne County (Detroit, MI) board of commissioners next month for similar plans. Hammond believes that with Detroit being the murder capital of the US, they're bound to have hundreds of acres of available farmland.