1. Introduction to Urban Farming
Edwin Marty
edwin@eatsouth.org
www.eatsouth.org

2. Outline
What
is an Urban Farm
History of Urban Farms
Current State of Urban
Farms
Urban Farm techniques
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Start-up
Funding
Techniques
Marketing
Evaluation
Resources

3. EAT South Downtown Farm

4. EAT South’s Hampstead Farm

5. What is Urban Farming?

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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

6. Breaking Through Concrete

7. Why Urban Farming?

Re-localize the Food
System

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A safe food system is
a local food system
A local food system
supports a local
economy

8. Why Urban Farming?

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
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

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Wealth generation
for individuals
Wealth generation
for communities
Turning liabilities
into assets

11. Why Urban Farming?

A New Generation
of Farmers

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Appeals to a
different
demographic
Reduces the
barriers to getting
started

12. A Brief History of Urban
Farming
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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
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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

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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
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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
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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

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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
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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
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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

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Business plan – just as
important for not-forprofits!
How will the world be
different as a result of
your work?

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Developing a mission,
vision and strategic
plan
Logic Models

Resources, objectives,
outcomes, evaluations

21. Find your partners

Who will you be
serving?
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Who are your
resources
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Customers
Community
Possible volunteers/
collaborators
Who is your
competition?
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Other farms?
Food Retailers

22. Resources - Funding
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Public Funding
 Local municipalities and counties
 USDA
 SARE, NRCS
 Community Food Projects –
 Full project and Planning grants

23. Resources - Funding
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Private Funding
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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
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Security
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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

26. Production Techniques
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Starting small

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Developing markets
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Tremendous amounts
of vacant urban space
Tremendous
opportunities in niche
markets
Farming in urban soils

A system to match any
soils

27. Cinderblock raised beds

Advantages

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Excellent drainage,
aeration and concentration
of fertility
Much easier harvest and
maintenance
Challenges

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Time consuming/
expensive to build w/o
proper equipment
Lose some planting area to
width of cinder block

28. In-ground Raised beds
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Advantages
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Low cost and easy to build
w/ correct equipment
Improve drainage, aeration
and concentration of fertility
Challenges

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Time consuming to build
w/o proper equipment
Lose some planting area to
pathways and bed
shoulder
Soil must be tested!

29. Container gardening

Advantages

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Excellent drainage and
concentration of fertility
Easy to harvest and
maintain
Can get pots for free
Challenges

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Need greenhouse or
covering
Must be watered frequently

30. Wood/ Metal raised beds
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Advantages

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Improve drainage, aeration
and concentration of fertility
Easy to harvest
Match aesthetics of site
Challenges

Time consuming/
expensive to build.

31. Greenhouses/ Hothouses
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Advantages

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Increases season
Control moisture level
in soil
Challenges

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Expensive to build and
maintain
Must be watered
frequently

32. Crop Planning for Success

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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
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Leafy greens
Root crops

33. Markets for Urban Farm
Products
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Direct Marketing
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CSA
Farmers Markets
Farm Stands
Whole Sale
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Grocery stores
Corner stores

34. Evaluating the Impact
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Design Trust for
Public Space
Economic
Environmental
Health
Community

35. Web Resources
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Design Trust for Public Space
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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
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www.communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php
WHY Hunger’s Food Security Learning Center
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www.foodsecurity.org/ua_home.html
The American Community Garden Association’s toolkit for starting
community gardens.
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www.sustainablecitiesinstitute.org/view/page.basic/report/feature.report/Report_Z
oning_Urb_Ag
The Community Food Security Coalition’s Urban Farm Committee
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www.fiveboroughfarm.org/
www.whyhunger.org/getinfo#
City Farmer’s Urban Agriculture Notes
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www.cityfarmer.info/

36. Further Reading
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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
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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
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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).

39. Training resources
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ATTRA – How to Start
a Farm in the City
Food Project Institute
Growing Power
Apprenticeship
Food Corps