At one point, talk of "urban farming" would probably have conjured up images of a radical fringe movement populated by preppers and ex-hippies. However, the following two reports suggest efforts to grow food in traditionally densely-populated areas are gaining gaining -- and respectability -- around the country.
"Urban Farm Movement is Taking Root in Akron" (Imperial Twilight)
In Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy, there is a planet called Trantor, the capital of a galactic empire. Every square foot of that world is urban. When the empire falls after a long age of decline, and Trantor becomes virtually deserted, the few remaining inhabitants start tearing away the steel and concrete to expose the soil beneath. Then they farm.
This article in the Akron Beacon Journal describes a somewhat similar process taking place in several cities in Ohio:
In Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Cleveland, gardening and urban farming are vital parts of revitalization plans — and Akron isn't far behind. Grow Pittsburgh promotes local, urban food through farmer education, school gardening and a host of other projects.
Grow Pittsburgh's Braddock Farm project is a large-scale urban demonstration farm operating on eight city lots in Pittsburgh's historic borough of Braddock, set against the backdrop of the borough's last operating steel mill.
In 2009, the half-acre farm's second year of operation, hundreds of pounds of organic vegetables and herbs were grown and then sold to area restaurants and the on-site farmers' market. Grow Pittsburgh's volunteers and staff, including youth employed for the growing season, tend the all-raised-bed farm.
Susanna Meyer, Grow Pittsburgh's director of agricultural production, said youth involved in the project learn where food comes from and how to grow produce, providing for some their first interaction with fresh food.
Meyer said Pittsburgh is ''ripe for urban farming'' because of the city's population loss and shift in recent decades, coupled with the amount of green and vacant space and the growing interest and awareness in gardening over the last decade.
''Young people in particular are looking to sustainability and want to provide for themselves,'' Meyer said.
"Urban Farming Begins to Grow in New Orleans" (The Times Picayune)
The Hollygrove Market and Farm opened more than a year ago and, in addition to providing bi-weekly market customers with local produce, has been training new urban farmers. With the spring growing season right around the corner, slow-food and environmental advocates are making their annual call for more urban farming, with special emphasis on the "urban" part.
Growing food, proponents say, does not require a backyard or a community garden, but simply realistic expectations, some decent sunlight, persistence and some inventive planters.
"Urban agriculture is a global movement, " said Pam Broom, deputy director of the New Orleans Food and Farm Network. Broom will conduct a "Growing For Food" workshop today at the New Orleans Botanical Garden in City Park.
"Particularly because the first lady created the garden at the White House, because recently she launched the initiative focusing on childhood obesity, and because we all as a society strayed away from healthy eating," this trend has not only taken off nationally but here in New Orleans.
"You can grow your food in the smallest space. I'm actually growing food on my porch right now. In a very small space, I have six heads of broccoli, salad greens that I've been cutting off regularly " ... and green onions."
At the workshop, Broom plans to discuss practical solutions for growing food in small spaces, such as the large woven plastic bags and other containers she uses as planters.
"I punched holes in the bottom, lined the bottom with a layer of river rock and heaped the soil in them, and they stand up nicely, " she said. "That model has been used in refugee camps, where you have little to no space but there really is the need for that food."
In addition to the how-to advice, though, Broom said she hopes to put food growing by individuals within the larger picture of urban agriculture in New Orleans, which is experiencing a revival.
The Hollygrove Market and Farm opened last year and, in addition to providing biweekly customers with local produce, it has been training urban farmers.
Michael Beauchamp, a Hollygrove resident, became interested in the farm and took several growing seminars with the New Orleans Food and Farm Network, which is a collaborative partner with the Carrollton-Hollygrove Community Development Corp. in the market and farm.
"He's been growing seasonal crops on two of the (farm's) plots, " Broom said.
Covenant House New Orleans, an outreach group serving homeless teens, recently acquired 11 vacant lots in and around the Treme neighborhood, and plans to turn them into urban farms, Broom said. Young people can grow food in the lots to be used at Covenant Cafe, where the organization offers job training in cooking and restaurant management.
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