May 22 marks the World Day of Urban Farmers, the International Day for Biological Diversity and Sherlock Holmes Day. This day in history is marked by events that left a deep mark in science, culture, wars, religion and the struggle for Ukrainian identity.
World Day of Urban Farmers
This holiday is not widely publicized yet, but it directly affects changes in the way of life of millions of people. It reminds us of the gradual transformation of agricultural production in the context of urban growth, climate change, and the need for local food systems.
Urban farming is an economic activity that is carried out within the city or suburbs. It is about growing vegetables, fruits, greens, mushrooms, as well as keeping bees, fish or small birds in limited conditions, often with the use of innovative technologies – vertical farms, hydroponics, greenhouses with microclimate control. Such practices allow not only partial self-sufficiency in food, but also increase the food security of communities, especially in the face of rising prices and increasingly vulnerable global supply chains.
The holiday arose as an initiative of public organizations that promote the idea of local food production directly within urbanized areas. In many countries, events dedicated to the exchange of experience between urban farmers, discussion of agrarian policy in cities, educational initiatives for schoolchildren and local communities take place on this day.
The idea of urban farming is closely related to the concept of sustainable development. It allows you to reduce product logistics, reduce carbon emissions, reuse organic waste as compost, and involve city residents in direct participation in the agricultural cycle.
Despite this, the development of urban farming faces a number of problems. These include regulatory constraints, access to land within cities, product safety issues, and the difficulty of scaling such initiatives. However, the demand for fresh, local products, the growing environmental awareness of the population and the development of technologies (including energy-efficient lighting, automated irrigation, monitoring of growing conditions) are stimulating the expansion of this segment.
Interesting facts
In Tokyo, one of the most populous metropolises in the world, about 30% of farms are located within the urban area. These are thousands of small producers who supply vegetables directly to local stores.
Brooklyn Grange, one of the world’s largest rooftop farms, operates in New York. It covers an area of more than 5,000 square meters and grows tens of tons of vegetables every year for sale to restaurants and farmers’ markets.
In Havana (Cuba), after the economic crisis of the 1990s, more than 90% of vegetables and greens began to be grown within the city limits – as part of the “organoponics” program (a system of biointensive urban agriculture).
In many countries, there are state or municipal programs to support urban farms – for example, in Paris, the municipality promotes the creation of gardens on the roofs of schools, hospitals and public buildings.
In the Netherlands, the concept of “urban greenhouses”, which are located in former industrial premises and operate year-round thanks to controlled conditions and LED lighting, is popular.
In 2022, the United Nations recognized urban farming as one of the tools for adapting cities to climate change, especially in regions at high risk of food shortages.
Urban farming is increasingly being integrated into the education system: in the USA and Canada, many schools have their own mini-gardens, where students learn biology, ecology and the principles of sustainable food in practice.
International Day of Biological Diversity
This day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2000. The main goal of this initiative is to draw the attention of society, governments and businesses to the problems related to the extinction of species, the degradation of the natural environment, the loss of ecosystems and the need to preserve the diversity of life on Earth. The choice of date is not accidental: it was on May 22, 1992 that the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted — one of the key documents of international environmental law.
Biodiversity refers not only to the number of species on the planet, but also to the diversity of genetic material within populations, as well as the diversity of ecosystems. However, in recent decades, humanity has witnessed unprecedented losses: according to the UN, approximately 1 million species of animals and plants are threatened with extinction. The main causes are deforestation, environmental pollution, invasive species, climate change and overexploitation of resources.
Ukraine, despite the war, remains part of the international biodiversity protection system. Problems worsened as a result of hostilities: large-scale fires, soil damage, water pollution, destruction of nature conservation areas in the East and South of Ukraine caused damage to hundreds of species, many of which are endemic or rare.
Interesting facts
There are about 8.7 million species of living organisms in the world, of which less than 2 million have been scientifically described.
The greatest biological diversity is concentrated in tropical forests, especially in the Amazon, Congo and Indonesia, although these areas are now intensively logged.
Ukraine is home to more than 70,000 species of flora and fauna, including more than 500 listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Over the past 50 years, wild animal populations have declined by an average of 69%, according to the Living Planet Index (WWF).
A single rainforest tree can be home to over 1,000 species of insects, fungi and bacteria.
The global value of ecosystem services (pollination, water purification, soil conservation) is estimated at trillions of dollars annually, although they have no direct market expression.
The disappearance of bees, as the main pollinators, could lead to the collapse of many agricultural systems.
In Ukraine, during the full-scale war, more than 500 environmental crimes that affected flora, fauna and natural resources have already been recorded.
Sherlock Holmes Day
Every year on May 22, Sherlock Holmes Day is celebrated – an unofficial, but well-known holiday among fans of classic literature and the detective genre. The date is dedicated to the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author who created one of the most famous characters in world literature. It was on May 22, 1859 that Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, who would later change the course of the detective genre and lay the foundation for the image of the “ideal investigator” in popular culture.
The writer repeatedly admitted that Holmes’s prototype was his teacher – surgeon Joseph Bell. Bell possessed a unique ability to draw accurate conclusions about patients based on their appearance, manner of speaking, or details of behavior alone. These skills—attention to detail, deductive thinking, and intellectual composure—became the basis for the fictional detective.
In total, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 56 stories and 4 novels about Sherlock Holmes, starting with A Study in Crimson (1887). Together with Dr. John Watson, Holmes uncovers complex crimes in London of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was this pair that combined logic and empathy, analytical mind and humanity, which became a model for further literary and cinematographic duets.
Although Conan Doyle initially tired of his character and even “killed” him in the story “The Last Case of Holmes”, he was later forced to bring him back to life due to unprecedented pressure from readers. This phenomenon was one of the first examples of the influence of the readership on the course of the literary process.
The image of Sherlock Holmes entered the Guinness Book of Records as the character with the largest number of screen adaptations. He was played by more than 70 actors in more than 200 films. Among the most famous incarnations are Basil Rathbone (USA, 1930-1940s), Vasyl Livanov (USSR, 1979-1986), Jeremy Brett (Great Britain, 1984-1994), Robert Downey Jr. (2009 and 2011 films), Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC series “Sherlock”, 2010–2017).
Holmes himself has become an archetype — an image used in film, literature, psychology, and even business strategies. His name has become synonymous with analytical thinking, logic, and a non-standard approach to solving difficult situations.
In Edinburgh, where Conan Doyle was born, a monument to Sherlock Holmes was erected opposite the place where the writer’s house once stood.
Interesting facts
In none of Conan Doyle’s works does Sherlock utter the phrase “Elementary, Watson!” in the form in which it became known. It appeared later – in films.
Holmes had knowledge of chemistry, anatomy, forensics, played the violin, boxed and used cocaine – this was legal in the 19th century, and reflected the realities of Britain at that time.
Arthur Conan Doyle did not like his hero. He considered works about Holmes to be of less literary value than his historical novels.
In London, costumed parades of fans in the style of the Victorian era, dedicated to Holmes, are arranged every year.
In Japan, Sherlock Holmes is the hero of several anime series, including a children’s version where the detective is an anthropomorphic dog.
The British Home Office throughout the 20th century did indeed receive letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street asking him to investigate real crimes.
There are entire fan societies dedicated to Holmes: the largest of them is “The Baker Street Irregulars”, founded in 1934 in the USA, and still active today.
Historical events on this day
1846 – In New York, the news agency “Associated Press” was founded, which later became one of the most influential information structures in the world.
1849 – Abraham Lincoln received a patent for his own floating dry dock design, becoming the only US president with an official patent.
1861 – Taras Shevchenko was reburied in Kanev on Chernechaya Gora – in accordance with his will, so that “the wide Dnipro could be seen and the roaring roar could be heard.”
1919 – In Kyiv, in the church of St. Nicholas, for the first time, a divine service was held in the Ukrainian language. This day became the conditional date of the foundation of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
1931 – The Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences, an institution that has become the main scientific center in the field of agriculture, began its activities.
1936 – The first USSR football championship was opened, which started the Soviet history of official national football competitions.
1939 – The “Pact of Steel” between Hitler and Mussolini was signed in Berlin – a political and military agreement between the Third Reich and fascist Italy, which strengthened the axis of aggressive states on the eve of World War II.
1942 – Mexico joined the anti-Hitler coalition, declaring war on the Axis powers.
1971 – Human rights defender Anatoly Lupinis spoke at the Shevchenko monument in Kyiv. His speech ended with his arrest, an example of Soviet repression against freedom of speech.
1972 – US President Richard Nixon became the first American leader to visit the USSR, opening a new phase in relations between the superpowers – the period of “detente”.
1979 – In Lviv, the funeral of composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk took place at the Lychakiv cemetery. The event turned into a mass protest, because the circumstances of his death were unclear, and the official version was dubious.
1998 – In Kyiv, at the Askoldova grave, the solemn dedication of the newly built Greek Catholic Church of St. Nicholas took place – a symbol of the return to the public space of the Church banned in the USSR.
2002 – In the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, the Memorial to the Victims of Communism was opened – as a sign of respect for the millions of people who became victims of the totalitarian regime.
2009 – The Security Service of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings on the fact of the Genocide of 1932-1933. This became part of the official state course on the historical and legal assessment of the Holodomor.
2014 – Near Volnovakha, militants of the so-called DNR attacked the checkpoint of the 51st mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 16 soldiers died, another 32 were wounded. On this very day, three Ukrainian soldiers of the 30th brigade were killed in battle near Rubizhny, seven were wounded. These events became one of the first large-scale losses of the Ukrainian army in the war in Donbas.
