Fifty years ago Silicon Valley in California was known as the “Valley of the Hearts Delight.” That may be hard to imagine, but when I was a boy the valley floor was covered by miles of orchards, with wheat fields and food production of unlimited varieties. The land was one of the most fertile in the world and the climate was perfect for growing everything from grapes to granola. The valley was known world-wide as a food basket.

Sadly, we buried that productive land under endless miles of concrete and asphalt. Today, instead of producing 1/3 of the world’s prunes and continuing to be a primary source for food and produce for our country and the world; Silicon Valley produces computer chips and computers. But you can’t eat computer chips.

These hi-tech products could have been produced in the desert, but we chose to bury the fertile land that once provided the ingredients for life itself under concrete. There is evidently more money in technology and housing than prunes or grapes.

Now, for the first time in our history, we import more food than we export. I guess being dependent on foreign countries for our food isn’t much different than depending on foreign countries for the products we require and the energy we need for mobility.

For a variety of reasons, many people are beginning to grow their own food, to the extent that this is feasible. There are seeded plant trays that can fit on a small balcony and some folks have designed rooftop gardens. These may be a source of pride and an interesting hobby, but unless your balcony can handle a small orchard and a wheat field, your farming enterprise will be limited to a couple of tomatoes and some cilantro.

Despite urban limitations, a green business that focuses on encouraging people to grow their own food may have potential. We’re told there is very little inflation, but the cost of food belies that assertion. Food costs, tomatoes that taste like plastic and questionable foreign farming techniques are enough motivation for some folks to build a greenhouse and grow their own tomatoes and zucchini.

Greenhouses that can be adapted to residential areas might have potential. There are a number of innovative ideas on how to grow food in a limited space and under conditions that might be considered impossible for food production - possibly even year around. This is an area worth researching as a business opportunity.