Street Farm

Author: Michael Ableman
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603586032
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
Street Farm is the inspirational account of residents in the notorious Low Track in Vancouver, British Columbia—one of the worst urban slums in North America—who joined together to create an urban farm as a means of addressing the chronic problems in their neighborhood. It is a story of recovery, of land and food, of people, and of the power of farming and nourishing others as a way to heal our world and ourselves. During the past seven years, Sole Food Street Farms—now North America’s largest urban farm project—has transformed acres of vacant and contaminated urban land into street farms that grow artisan-quality fruits and vegetables. By providing jobs, agricultural training, and inclusion in a community of farmers and food lovers, the Sole Food project has empowered dozens of individuals with limited resources who are managing addiction and chronic mental health problems. Sole Food’s mission is to encourage small farms in every urban neighborhood so that good food can be accessible to all, and to do so in a manner that allows everyone to participate in the process. In Street Farm, author-photographer-farmer Michael Ableman chronicles the challenges, growth, and success of this groundbreaking project and presents compelling portraits of the neighborhood residents-turned-farmers whose lives have been touched by it. Throughout, he also weaves his philosophy and insights about food and farming, as well as the fundamentals that are the underpinnings of success for both rural farms and urban farms. Street Farm will inspire individuals and communities everywhere by providing a clear vision for combining innovative farming methods with concrete social goals, all of which aim to create healthier and more resilient communities.

Urban Farms

Author: Sarah.C Rich
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1613123191
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 230

Book Description
Profiles of sixteen innovative farms in major cities across America, plus basic how-to tips for composting, canning, beekeeping, growing vegetables, and more. Urban Farms takes readers on a journey across the country to sixteen established and emerging urban farm leaders, from Edible Schoolyard NYC in New York to Novella Carpenter’s Ghost Town Farm in California. Sarah C. Rich’s profiles about each farm, as well as her basic how-to tips on such activities as kitchen composting and beekeeping, offer insight and inspiration. Matthew Benson’s photographs, meanwhile, reveal the quirky individuality that is innate in these green spaces tucked among city buildings and empty lots. In addition, five essays by experts in the field examine a variety of roles that urban farms can play in our lives today. Praise for Urban Farms “These snapshots of urban farms reinforce the truth about farming in a city is one of the surest ways to build community, feed our children real food, become fiscally responsible, and support a sustainable future.” —Alice Walters, chef, author, and founder of the Edible Schoolyard “Rich’s handsome, intelligent Urban Farms . . . chronicles a movement to bring kale to the people, an effort that stretches across the country, from Brooklyn to Oakland. . . . Benson’s spirited photographs capture the joy and beauty of urban farming’s bounty.” —New York Times Book Review

Urban Farmers

Author: gestalten
Publisher: Gestalten
ISBN: 9783967040067
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Urban agriculture is the global movement that encourages the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in the city.

City Farming: A How-to Guide to Growing Crops and Raising Livestock in Urban Spaces

Author: Kari Spencer
Publisher: 5m Books Ltd
ISBN: 1912178664
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 390

Book Description
Farming in cities and small spaces is becoming increasingly popular, but it has its challenges. City Farming addresses the problems the urban farmer might face and turns them into creative solutions. It assists the new grower to gain expert understanding of how to create a production urban farm, as well as helping established farmers to troubleshoot and discover new ways to bring their space into greater harmony and production. From the perspective of a holistic gardener, growing plants and raising livestock are covered as well as integrated approaches, which bring together the whole farming system in a small space to produce high yields with minimal energy and effort. The content is organised by themes of importance to urban farmers‚ sun and heat, water usage, seasonal production, spatial planning, soil quality and usage, propagation and breeding, pests and diseases, farming under time constraints, sustainability and community initiatives. These are all discussed within the context of urban farming and include common issues and strategies like microclimates in built-up areas, natural and organic approaches, water harvesting, toxic land, roof gardening, converting ornamental gardens to productive edible gardens, municipal regulations, vertical gardening, aquaponics, composting methods, livestock suitability in limited space, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) schemes, permaculture in small spaces, community gardens and trade & barter schemes. Each chapter unfolds a piece the story of The Micro Farm Project that provides an overview of the theme, and then discusses the crop and livestock considerations relating to the theme of the chapter in the form of the challenges they present and practical solutions to the problems such as lack of space, high population density, poor soil quality, planning restrictions etc. Case studies giving examples of different methods used within urban farming from different regions throughout the world are included. City Farming is a beautifully illustrated source that can be valuable to both beginners and more experienced urban farmers. 5m Books

Cities Farming for the Future

Author: International Development Research Centre (Canada)
Publisher: IDRC
ISBN: 1552502163
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 474

Book Description

The Urban Farmer

Author: Curtis Allen Stone
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1771421916
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
There are twenty million acres of lawns in North America. In their current form, these unproductive expanses of grass represent a significant financial and environmental cost. However, viewed through a different lens, they can also be seen as a tremendous source of opportunity. Access to land is a major barrier for many people who want to enter the agricultural sector, and urban and suburban yards have huge potential for would-be farmers wanting to become part of this growing movement. The Urban Farmer is a comprehensive, hands-on, practical manual to help you learn the techniques and business strategies you need to make a good living growing high-yield, high-value crops right in your own backyard (or someone else's). Major benefits include: Low capital investment and overhead costs Reduced need for expensive infrastructure Easy access to markets Growing food in the city means that fresh crops may travel only a few blocks from field to table, making this innovative approach the next logical step in the local food movement. Based on a scalable, easily reproduced business model, The Urban Farmer is your complete guide to minimizing risk and maximizing profit by using intensive production in small leased or borrowed spaces. Curtis Stone is the owner/operator of Green City Acres, a commercial urban farm growing vegetables for farmers markets, restaurants, and retail outlets. During his slower months, Curtis works as a public speaker, teacher, and consultant, sharing his story to inspire a new generation of farmers.

Nourished Planet

Author: Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1610918940
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
Nourished Planet illustrates what our global food system can be - a collection of the smartest ideas to nourish us all. From urban farmers in Kenya to American doctors to government officials in Egypt, its voices demonstrate how diverse perspectives are coming together to feed the world sustainably.--back cover.

Designing Urban Agriculture

Author: April Philips
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118330234
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 294

Book Description
A comprehensive overview of edible landscapes complete with more than 300 full-color photos and illustrations Designing Urban Agriculture is about the intersection of ecology, design, and community. Showcasing projects and designers from around the world who are forging new paths to the sustainable city through urban agriculture landscapes, it creates a dialogue on the ways to invite food back into the city and pave a path to healthier communities and environments. This full-color guide begins with a foundation of ecological principles and the idea that the food shed is part of a city's urban systems network. It outlines a design process based on systems thinking and developed for a lifecycle or regenerative-based approach. It also presents strategies, tools, and guidelines that enable informed decisions on planning, designing, budgeting, constructing, maintaining, marketing, and increasing the sustainability of this re-invented cityscape. Case studies demonstrate the environmental, economic, and social value of these landscapes and reveal paths to a greener and healthier urban environment. This unique and indispensable guide: Details how to plan, design, fund, construct, and leverage the sustainability aspects of the edible landscape typology Covers over a dozen typologies including community gardens, urban farms, edible estates, green roofs and vertical walls, edible school yards, seed to table, food landscapes within parks, plazas, streetscapes and green infrastructure systems and more Explains how to design regenerative edible landscapes that benefit both community and ecology and explores the connections between food, policy, and planning that promote viable food shed systems for more resilient communities Examines the integration of management, maintenance, and operations issues Reveals how to create a business model enterprise that addresses a lifecycle approach

Farm City

Author: Novella Carpenter
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781594202216
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Book Description
Chronicles the adventures of a woman who turned a vacant lot in downtown Oakland into a thriving urban farm, complete with chickens, turkey, bees, and pigs.

Breaking Through Concrete

Author: David Hanson
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520270541
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 200

Book Description
"There’s a conviction among many sustainable agriculture advocates that the best way to move agriculture forward is to look back. The hope is to return to an exalted era in agriculture, to the kind of rural scene fit for a Rockwell painting or a Shaker Village—to food grown the old fashioned way. Breaking Through Concrete is not that, which is exactly the point. This ode to urban farming is not nostalgic (those are skyscrapers in the background, not silos), but instructive. It's a beautiful, gritty and very real portrait of the possibilities for the future of food." — Dan Barber, Executive Chef & Co-owner of Blue Hill "A road map to the future of America. A blueprint of possibilities. A book full of remarkable stories of neighborhood visionaries, stories of people who grow community in their gardens. Where others see trouble, they see food and hope." —NPR's Kitchen Sisters "Finally, a book on the full continuum of urban agriculture in America, replete with inspiring images of the people and places behind today's city-grown food. Hanson and Marty tell these stories with such admiration for their subjects you'll want to bestow hero status to city farmers." —Darrin Nordahl, author of Public Produce: The New Urban Agriculture “Breaking Through Concrete will satisfy readers hungry for a broad perspective on urban agriculture. The beautiful stories and photographs of successful programs throughout North America, combined with practical ‘how to’ guides, provides a valued resource for practitioners, advocates, scholars, and gardeners.” —Laura Lawson, author of City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America