“Given the near inevitable rise in future oil prices, the economic benefits of expanding urban agriculture, even in affluent societies, will become much more obvious. Aside from supplying more fresh produce, it will help millions discover the social benefits and the psychological well-being that urban gardening can bring.”
So ends an article, which is actually an excerpt from a chapter of a book (whew!) by Lester R. Brown called, Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. Now let me jump backward to the paragraph before it:
“In some countries, such as the United States, there is a huge unrealized potential for urban gardening. A survey indicated that Chicago has 70,000 vacant lots, and Philadelphia, 31,000. Nationwide, vacant lots in cities would total in the hundreds of thousands. The Urban Agriculture report summarizes why urban agriculture is so desirable. It has ‘a regenerative effect…when vacant lots are transformed from eyesores—weedy, trash-ridden dangerous gathering places—into bountiful, beautiful, and safe gardens that feed people’s bodies and souls.’”
I have discovered that there is quite a broad and somewhat mature “urban agriculture” movement in the U.S. Clearly it has plenty of room to grow (so to speak). I was surprised to learn that there are about three dozen such projects in New York City. I’m not talking about the suburbs of NYC, I’m talking about within the city. You can find them here at Just Food’s City Farms pages.
You can find similar projects in and around major cities across the country. Here are a few examples:
Boston (The Food Project), Philadelphia (Somerton Tanks Farm), Chicago (CSA Learning Center at Angelic Organics), Milwaukee (Growing Power), and Oakland (People’s Grocery: Healthy Food for Everyone!).
For those who want to find local produce in their area try Local Harvest.
We have enjoyed an urban, organic, french-intensive garden for over 28 years on 400 square meters. Manure from a nearby stable and autumn leaves is composted and rototilled in annually. We supply three families with fresh organic produce once per week, June to November. Because of companion-planting, there are no weeds. We dehydrate extra and enjoy a year-round harvest and good eating. Tomatoes grow in cages 1 meter in diameter and 3 meters tall. Basil grows between tomatoes and produces fine pesto in autumn.
Don’t just buy locally, grow locally!
your blog is really good for information on Agriculture.(Edited to delete advertising…)
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Local First (www.localfirst.com) and the work being done by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (www.wmeac.org) is very similar. In Phoenix, Arizona, the work of The Urban Farm (www.urbanfarm.org) and Permaculture guru Dan Thompson is also spectacular.
I have a vested interest in urban agriculture (it was the premise for my recently completed architectural thesis), so have been following the subject intently for approximately the last year. If anyone is interested, the website http://www.verticalfarm.com has some great information on some of the ideas currently being explored. Urban infill is great, but in climates with more temperature extremes, more extreme measures are likely to be necessary…
We’re working on a number of sustainable local food initiatives in the greater Kansas City area, including a growing urban ag movement – see http://www.KCFoodCircle.org for more info and links to other local orgs.
Dear Ira,
Thanks for this program – I listened to the discussion with interest. Marion Nestle (?) mentioned toward the end the wealth of community garden programs all over the country. Thought people interested in knowing more about community gardens might enjoy checking out a book published by University of California Press a couple years ago titled _City Bountiful_, which explores the variety of community garden programs and gives their history from the turn of the 20th century up to today. It was a great read on this topic. In particular it was an eye-opener to learn about the school garden movement (where I live, next door to Berkeley, this is a movement newly revived largely by local foodie heroine Alice Waters), and victory gardens during the World Wars, and on and on. Interesting and inspiring.
Again, thanks for the show; it’ll certainly help me remember to make the effort to get to the local farmers’ markets more often (we’re spoiled, they’re all over, all the time around here). That is, until I convert my black thumb into a green one, and grow my own.
-Jean M.
Book details:
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9533.html
Laura J. Lawson
City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America
978-0-520-24343-9
In Oregon there are a lot of CSAs, but for a more politically involved group check out Ecotrust. They were recently trying to pass a farm-to-school set of House Bills.
http://www.ecotrust.org/foodfarms/index.html
A few of us who live in the city of Chicago are trying to grow heirloom vegetables on our rooftops in cheap homemade earthboxes. It sounds more than a little preposterous to suggest that what we’re doing is a real solution to the huge environmental problems we’re facing, but it might be a tiny piece. We think they’re a great way to build connections in a fragmented social/political landscape.
Not selling anything, I’m giving “it” away.
Here’s the Flickr link, along side the pics is a little how-to guide with plenty of links.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7458996@N06/sets/72157603652656573/