5. What is Urban Farming?
Growing plants in or
near city
Both ‘for-profit’ and
‘not-for profit’
Individuals,
community groups,
schools, or
companies
These often have a
social or public health
agenda
7. Why Urban Farming?
Re-localize the Food
System
A safe food system is
a local food system
A local food system
supports a local
economy
8. Why Urban Farming?
Food is supposed to
taste like something!
Food is supposed to
taste like some
WHERE!
Children don’t want
food that doesn’t
taste!
9. Why Urban Farming?
Reduce the
environmental impact
of our food system
Reduce transportation
costs and dependence
on non-renewable
resources
Close nutrient cycles
to reduce
environmental impact
– waste doesn’t exist
in natural systems!
10. Why Urban Farming?
Economic Impact
Wealth generation
for individuals
Wealth generation
for communities
Turning liabilities
into assets
11. Why Urban Farming?
A New Generation
of Farmers
Appeals to a
different
demographic
Reduces the
barriers to getting
started
12. A Brief History of Urban
Farming
Urban farms have been in existence since the
advent of the city
Cities perhaps wouldn’t have existed without
urban farms
Urban farms throughout the world contributed
substantially to cites food access – especially
perishable fruits and vegetables
Improvements in transportation changed the
relationship of farms to cities
13. Urban Farms in the Modern World
As railroads and
refrigeration became more
popular, farms moved away
from cities to better cheaper
farm land
Coupled with these
technologies,
‘Suburbanization’ drove
farms far from cities
By the mid-20th century,
there were virtually no more
urban farms.
Fairview Gardens
the ‘last’ farm in Santa Barbara
14. Urban Farms address Social Issues
Urban Farms in America have had
multiple growth periods and retractions.
1890’s urban farming exploded out of
Detroit in response to a recession – driven
by the Mayor as a Social Project
Other cities adopted similar projects but all
were abandoned after recession
15. Victory Gardens
During both WW1 and
WWII, government
pushed the public
towards urban farming
with great success – to
support the war effort
After the wars, however,
the gardens were largely
abandoned.
In the 1970’s, urban
farming was again looked
to as the ‘cure’ for urban
blight.
16. Contemporary Urban Farms
Today Urban Farms are being embraced as the
‘cure’ for numerous social issues, such as
childhood obesity and urban blight
All major cities have urban farm projects,
ranging widely in size and scope
In Europe and Asia, however, urban farming has
been integrated into the social fabric – not used
as a response to crisis.
In developing countries, urban farming is
primarily driven by a need for ‘food security’
17. The Future of Urban Farms
Will the current interest in
urban farming sustain
itself after the current
public health ‘issues’ are
resolved?
The current interest in
Local Food Systems
perhaps points at a
longer term shift in the
way America thinks about
urban farming?
18. Modern Urban Successes
Growing Power –
Milwaukee, WS
The Food Project –
Boston, MA
Pea Patches – Seattle,
WA
Greens Grow –
Philadelphia, PA
Truly Living Well –
Atlanta, GA
Growing Power’s
Aqua-ponics Greenhouse
19. Techniques for Urban Farming
Getting Started
Find Your Partners
Resources and
Funding
Issues and
Challenges
School garden at the
Alabama School of Fine Arts
20. Getting Started
Develop a plan
Business plan – just as
important for not-forprofits!
How will the world be
different as a result of
your work?
Developing a mission,
vision and strategic
plan
Logic Models
Resources, objectives,
outcomes, evaluations
21. Find your partners
Who will you be
serving?
Who are your
resources
Customers
Community
Possible volunteers/
collaborators
Who is your
competition?
Other farms?
Food Retailers
22. Resources - Funding
Public Funding
Local municipalities and counties
USDA
SARE, NRCS
Community Food Projects –
Full project and Planning grants
23. Resources - Funding
Private Funding
Local Community Foundations
Local corporations (health insurance
companies)
Kellogg Foundation
Wallace Center
Heifer International
Why Hunger
Private Investors
Kick Starter, etc…
24. Issues and Challenges
Environmental
Quality
Soil test - Before
putting a seed in the
ground!
County
Extension
Private
Air and Water
quality
EAT South’s Downtown Farm
rubber mat below production area
25. Issues and Challenges
Zoning laws
Security
Very few places have urban ag codes
Sustainable Cities Institute
Fences don’t keep people out – only alienate
Shipping containers are fun and effective!
Community Support
Neighbors fear smells and sights of farms
27. Cinderblock raised beds
Advantages
Excellent drainage,
aeration and concentration
of fertility
Much easier harvest and
maintenance
Challenges
Time consuming/
expensive to build w/o
proper equipment
Lose some planting area to
width of cinder block
28. In-ground Raised beds
Advantages
Low cost and easy to build
w/ correct equipment
Improve drainage, aeration
and concentration of fertility
Challenges
Time consuming to build
w/o proper equipment
Lose some planting area to
pathways and bed
shoulder
Soil must be tested!
30. Wood/ Metal raised beds
Advantages
Improve drainage, aeration
and concentration of fertility
Easy to harvest
Match aesthetics of site
Challenges
Time consuming/
expensive to build.
32. Crop Planning for Success
Research the market for your products
Match the scale of your operation to the
available market
What can you grow better than others?
Grow high-yield crops
Leafy greens
Root crops
33. Markets for Urban Farm
Products
Direct Marketing
CSA
Farmers Markets
Farm Stands
Whole Sale
Grocery stores
Corner stores
35. Web Resources
Design Trust for Public Space
Policy Link’s toolkit for urban farming www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.7634055/k.41A6/Urban_Ag
_and_Community_Gardens.htm
Sustainable Cities Institute
www.communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php
WHY Hunger’s Food Security Learning Center
www.foodsecurity.org/ua_home.html
The American Community Garden Association’s toolkit for starting
community gardens.
www.sustainablecitiesinstitute.org/view/page.basic/report/feature.report/Report_Z
oning_Urb_Ag
The Community Food Security Coalition’s Urban Farm Committee
www.fiveboroughfarm.org/
www.whyhunger.org/getinfo#
City Farmer’s Urban Agriculture Notes
www.cityfarmer.info/
36. Further Reading
Agropolis; The Social, Political and Environmental Dimensions of Urban Agriculture.
Luc Mougeot. London: Earthscan and IDRC, 2005
A collection of academic papers addressing issues and opportunities for urban
agriculture around the world.
A Patch of Eden; America’s Inner City Gardens. H. Patricia Hynes. White River
Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1996
The story of numerous community gardens around American inner-cities and
how they are rebuilding communities and restoring ecological systems.
City Bountiful, A Century of Community Gardening in America. Laura J. Lawson.
Berkley; University of California Press, 2005
A comprehensive history of urban food projects in America in the 20 th century with
a focus on quantifying their impact.
Continuously Productive Urban Landscapes, Designing Agriculture for Sustainable
Cities. Andre Viljoen. Burlington, MA: Architectural Press, 2005
A collection of articles focused on how food production fits into urban planning.
37. Further Reading
Creating Sustainable Cities. Herbert Girardet. Devon: Green Book, 1999
A manifesto on why we must transform how cities function in order to create a
sustainable future. Examples offered from around the world.
Ecocities; Rebuilding Cities in Balance with Nature. Richard Register. Vancouver:
New Society Publishers, 2006
A manual on how to build cities for people, not cars. Register puts our modern
city into an ecological historical context and then proposes strategies for
reducing sprawl. Urban food production is mentioned throughout the book.
Farm City. Novella Carpenter. New York: the Penguin Press, 2009
The tale of an urban farmer in Oakland, CA converting her next door vacant lot
into a production farm, complete with vegetables, chickens, bees, and pigs.
Food Not Lawns, How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into
a Community. H.C. Flores. White River Junction, VT: Green Publishing, 2006
Methods for changing urban landscapes into edible gardens and developing a
healthy community
For Hunger-proof Cities; Sustainable Urban Food Systems. Luc Mougeot. Ottawa,
Canada: International Development Research Center, 1999
A collection of essays about international food systems and food insecurity.
38. Further Reading
Metrofarm: the Guide to Growing for Big Profit on a Small Parcel of Land. Michael
Oldon. Santa Cruz, CA: TS Books, 1994
On Good Land. Michael Ableman. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1998
The story of how the last 26 acres of farmland in Santa Barbara was saved.
Public Produce, the New Urban Agriculture. Darrin Nordahl. Washington, DC: Island
Press, 2009.
An academic look at the opportunities for municipalities to support urban food
production on public land The Urban Farmer’s Handbook. Paul Peacock.
Preston, UK: The Good Life Press, 2008
Technical guide to producing food and raising livestock in the city.
Toolbox for Sustainable City Living. Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew. Cambridge,
MA: South End Press, 2008
A technical manual for how to redirect urban resources to create a sustainable
society, specifically on water, waste, and energy
Urban Agriculture: Growing Healthy, Sustainable Places. Hodgson, K., Campbell,
M.C., Bailkey, M. American Planning Association. (2011).