I was surprised to discover how easy it is to create urban farms in areas where people most need inexpensive, fresh food. Urban-farming is really taking off in cities such as Detroit and Cleveland. Check out this article from Fast Company, on how cities can transform disused land into tomorrow’s (healthy) dinner:
4 Tips For Starting A Farm In Your City All around the country, Americans are dreaming big. Their boldest ideas are changing their communities–and having a ripple effect throughout the world.
Consider this paradox: 49 million Americans live with daily food insecurity, 23 million live in urban food deserts, and collectively we’re all getting fatter. Simultaneously vacant lots, concrete grooves, and other desolate, empty
An urban farm in Chicago (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
spots dot urban landscapes, while a quarter of traditional agricultural land is severely degraded according to the UN.
Enter the urban farm: a fast, smart, cheap way to bring healthy food closer to those who need it, transform ugly vacant spaces into lush gardens, and promote a healthier, greener, more connected urban community.
Plant a garden in your own yard (or farm the job out to someone else).
Acres of perfect green grass are both a hassle to maintain and, nutritionally speaking, useless. Inhabitants with yards in D.C. and Portland can even lease their yard to those with greener thumbs–and take a cut of the produce they yield.
Populate empty lots with crops.
Cities like Cleveland and Detroit are leasing abandoned lots to urban farmers for practically nothing–provided the lessees are committed to filling those spots with edible greenery.
If your lot’s soil is poisoned with lead or other contaminants, simply truck in new soil in raised beds. Even cheaper: Plant your veggies in burlap bags filled with clean soil. Roll the sacks up and fill with more soil as the plants grow, and you can transport them indoors when winter hits.
Use your roof.
ASLA’s video suggests restaurants harness their roofs to grow ingredients for their own meals. Big-box stores can lease or farm their own vast roofs and sell the proceeds in-store or via local greenmarkets. Rooftop farms use wasted space and lower your utility bill, too.
Fill up your food trucks.
Mobile trucks sell prepared foods–often unhealthy at that. Why not use them as fresh-fruit stands? Food truck legislation in many cities has relaxed in recent years. Opportunity knocks, suburban farmers: Coordinate with a food truck owner to sell your produce wherever there’s a need in your city–not just at the Saturday greenmarket. Hook the kids on juicy berries or watermelon in summer, and you may make a confirmed veggie fan year-round.
So long 2009. Time to look forward… I love imagining the exciting new possibilities the New Year brings! What is on your radar for the coming year? How will the next big trends impact your business, your social life or your relationships? Over at Trendhuntertv.com, the big prediction for 2010 includes “Rental Culture,” “Next Besting”…
One of the hottest and most mysterious gift ideas for 2015 seems to be the Drone. It seems the drone is not just for government surveillance anymore. I remember when my boys were fascinated by remote-controlled toys that could drive, fly and entertain them for hours. But times are different, and technology has made it…
Remember those old plaster casts? I remember the discomfort of these casts for broken bones, but here’s an idea that I thought I’d share today: Bone-Aid casts, that I think might make the process of healing broken or fractured bones more comfortable. These were designed by students from Tunghai University in China. The casts aren’t…
I am very excited about the new developments in bioplastics research! Within the past few years there have been numerous new-to-market plastic products that either decompose in the landfill or make the recycling process cheaper, easier and more environmentally friendly. One company from France has launched a plastic “coffee pod” (like the kind used in…
Here’s an innovation and an inspiration: A billboard that cheers you on if you choose to walk, jog or run instead of drive: This idea might just catch on. You can add it to the list of innovative billboards that can make clean drinking water, track air quality, house the homeless, and advertise art instead…
I am very excited about the new developments in bioplastics research! Within the past few years there have been numerous new-to-market plastic products that either decompose in the landfill or make the recycling process cheaper, easier and more environmentally friendly. One company from France has launched a plastic “coffee pod” (like the kind used in…