New Generation of Farmers Focused on Sustainable Practices

Monday, June 14th, 2010


In this article, Lesley Lammers discusses the passing of the baton from one generation of farmer to the next, citing the demographic of these new farmers as college educated and showing a 30% increase in women since 2002. This new generation of farmers is focused on taking farming into the future by growing sustainably. They’re not only serving areas that were formally food deserts, but also bringing organic produce to thriving metropolises.

Lammers also provides some great resources for farm funding, locating available land, training and support for new farmers. There’s even a link to 40 Farmers Under 40, which profiles some of the young farmers who are making a difference across the country. It’s a great article, definitely worth checking out whether you’re interested in farming yourself or just appreciate the people who are having a positive affect on our food supply!
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New York’s First Hydroponic Rooftop Farm

Saturday, March 13th, 2010


Virag Puri from Gotham Greens

Gotham Greens plans to produce 30 tons of produce annually with the first hydroponic rooftop farm in New York. Constructed on a church rooftop in Jamaica, Queens, at an estimated cost of $1.4 million, the 12,000 square foot greenhouse is powered by 2,000 square feet of solar panels and captures rainwater for irrigation.

They intend to create a model of sustainable urban agriculture. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority awarded a $400,000 grant to the project based on their energy savings plan. They’ll even use a biodiesel van to deliver produce to customers throughout the city, including Whole Foods and local farmers markets.

Gotham Greens is already planning their next project, a 20,000 square foot hydroponic rooftop greenhouse atop a manufacturing plant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. With hopes of ultimately building 100,000 square feet of hydroponic greenhouses throughout the five boroughs by 2030, this will be an interesting group to watch!
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The Future of Urban Farming

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Architects and designers have come up with innovative ways to deal with our impending food crisis. As the world’s population moves toward urban centers and density causes green space to diminish, cities are contemplating how they will feed themselves. The trend toward urban farming is inevitable but anticipating limited amounts of land, designers are focused on vertical possibilities. Here are 26 innovative designs that address the concept of vertical farming.
Designs 1-9
Designs 10-18
Designs 19-26

San Francisco Urban Farm Hopes To Expand

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Little City Gardens in San Francisco, CA is hoping to expand their operation. For the past year, Caitlyn Galloway and Brooke Budner have been growing artisinal salad mix, braising mix and culinary herbs on a 1/16-acre backyard plot in the Mission District, which they sell to individual subscribers and local restaurants. They also hold workshops to teach the local community about farming in the city, and somehow have managed to maintain paid jobs off the farm the entire time. Now they’d like to expand to a 1/2-acre plot, dedicate themselves to farming full time and continue “the local, national, and global dialogue about growing food in cities”.

Brooke and Caitlyn have built a business worth investing in, and in addition to that they have created a model useful to anyone interested in starting or expanding their own urban farm. They have put together a business plan and stated their goals clearly. You can see from their Kickstarter page that their hard work is paying off. They are getting a terrific response from their community and we wish them the best in reaching their fundraising goals by May 4th, 2010!
Don’t miss the Little City Gardens video, just click on the Kickstarter image above.