F5. Households will experience increased pressure to grow, process and handle their own food.

As the price of purchased food rises, many households could turn to growing and processing more of their own food. Local organic agriculture and residential gardens are least vulnerable to rising fossil fuel costs and will likely contribute a growing share of the food consumed by Portlanders. Since many households do not have adequate or appropriate space for gardening, demand for community gardening space will increase.

Since few households now grow and process a significant amount of their own food, there will be a need for educational programs to teach these skills. Likewise, demand will increase for equipment and supplies used for home processing and storage of food. Many people will not have the cooking skills required to make the best use of food that is not significantly processed.