urban agriculture

A city in Brazil recruited local farmers to help do something U.S. cities have yet to do: end hunger.“To search for solutions to hunger means to act within the principle that the status of a citizen surpasses that of a mere consumer.” – City of Belo Horizonte, Brazil.In writing Diet for a Small Planet, I learned one simple truth: Hunger...[read more]

Prinzessinnengarten via wachsen lassen/Flickr

How community gardens help increase awareness about urban ecology One concern about increasing urbanization and reduced access to green areas, is that it creates a sort of generational amnesia about people's relationships to, and dependence upon, ecosystems.   In a recently published article in Landscape and Urban Planning,...[read more]

What role does urban agriculture play in sustaining our cities?as organic moved from fringe to mainstream the goals of the movement succumbed to the industrial modelTravelling long haul from Australia, to pretty much anywhere outside of South Asia, is a chore. Flying from Sydney eastward is a fourteen hour journey over nothing but ocean...[read more]

Urban farms are cropping up in metropolises across the U.S., with New York City proving to a be a particularly fruitful example. But this sustainable farming idea is more than an American trend, with cities worldwide taking strides in growing local produce and plants in developed urban areas. These efforts help to sustain the environment...[read more]

Imagine a rooftop garden lush with salad greens and fresh vegetables. Picture a quaint patio garden growing bay-leaf, lemon-verbena and lime-basil herbs. Urban farming is a sustainability movement that is giving new purpose to rooftops, patios and unused space. The beauty of urban farming is that it not only produces an abundance of...[read more]

S, M, L, or XL-sized metropolitan agriculture? Mia Lehrer, FASLA, Mia Lehrer + Associates, said one size definitely doesn’t fit all when it comes to cities, in a session at the ASLA 2012 Annual Meeting. In an era where it seems like any school or community can start a garden, perhaps it’s time to step back and think about the bigger...[read more]

It has been estimated that by 2050, as much as 80 percent of the earth’s population will reside in cities. Considering that, by conservative estimates, the total population will total 2 billion, this question is, how are we going to feed our cities in an ecologically friendly way? Consider the high-tech, high-yield greenhouse technology developed by the Swedish-American company known as Plantagon.[read more]

 As more people live in cities, it becomes critical to grow food in close proximity to urban centers in order to reduce fuel costs and support the local economy. City policy and ordinances can promote urban agriculture in cities, which can provide residents with healthy, local food.Throughout history, the human population has lived...[read more]

While New York City already has some 700 urban farms and gardens spread throughout its five boroughs, urban farming still feels ad-hoc, somewhat tacked-on in many places. The gains have been slow and future progress isn’t guaranteed. To boost the long-term prospects of urban farming in the U.S.’s biggest city, ...[read more]

Plant Chicago, NFP/Rachel SwenieHere in the U.S. we have no shortage of unused industrial space. In cities across the country there are blocks of old warehouses laying dormant and forgotten. While some find second lives being renovated into hip residential lofts, many of these buildings have a hard time being fashioned with new uses. The...[read more]

Rendering of farm on roof of Food Distribution Center in Hunts Point (image by AN).Thanks in part to Zone Green, the world’s largest rooftop farm could soon grace the top of one of New York City’s largest food distribution centers. Yesterday, the City’s Economic Development Corporation released an RFP for a 200,000-square-foot rooftop...[read more]

Amy Groark

The art of green space: picture by Amy GroarkYou might wonder what an all weather football pitch has to do with a community green space project. But it’s one of the most popular features at Bristol’s Windmill Hill City Farm.  Eric Booth, a volunteer committee member at this community-led farm, displays an obvious pride as he...[read more]