Boggy Creek Rooftop Farm — Brooklyn New York
What is Urban Farming Exactly?
It is the growing and distribution of food around urban areas. As cities grow they are becoming more densely populated and often have an increase in pollution. Cities have more buildings due to these increases in population. This only means it is getting more expensive to live there and there is less farmland. This negatively affects the people since there are more pollutes and they have less access to healthier food. With space being a limiting factor it allows farmers to find creative ways to farm in small spaces throughout the city. Some of these spaces may include- rooftops, porches, tiny backyards, hanging baskets, on a wall with pallets, etc. This is something that is becoming more and more common since it lowers pollution, fresh and healthier food are close by, and it helps the environment. It’s like having your own mini vegetable garden at your disposal.
Overall Benefits of Urban Farms
There are many benefits that come with urban farming, including:
- Decrease of carbon emissions
- Farms create job opportunities
- A economic growth
- Brings people together
- Food quality and food security
- Healthy benefits
- More green spaces
Rooftop vegetable garden
Global Effect
It takes so much non renewable energy to transport food, including negative emissions, fuel, labor, and more. On average your food travels 1500 miles before it will reach you. One of these sources could be a family business. In Mexico we have a family sugar cane farm. We grow sugar cane outside of Mexico City. In order to sell our products we have to load up a truck and drive it down miles into the cities. When doing this it increases the carbon footprint rather than decreasing it. This might seem like such a small example but this is rather what goes on in all of food production. Which is why urban farming is very important and more sustainable. It allows healthy food that is both accessible and affordable to be purchased within the city. Alongside this it also has many environmental benefits. Some may include the decrease in urban heat, the decrease of stormwater runoff, and energy efficiency.
The Effect on Communities
One urban farm that has made a difference is a 15,000 square growing space farm in Brooklyn that Bright farms constructed . This farm provides 500 pounds of fresh produce to local communities daily. One of the biggest benefits is that it is located near supermarkets, which keeps the carbon footprint and cost minimal. Another benefit is its greenhouse, which can adapt to a range of climates. This means it will allow food to still produce in colder climates or warmer climates as well.
One of Bright farms vertical farming techniques.
Comparison Between Urban and Traditional Farming
A big problem in farming is not having enough space or taking up too much space. Land is expensive and even if you can afford it, then it has to be prepared for farming. If you grow a lot of stuff you have to invest in a lot of equipment, fuel, food for plants, labor etc – the bigger the farm, the more expensive it is. Farms can be on average 444 acres big. One thing about urban farming is that it is very space efficient and rather than farm horizontally you can simply have a vertical garden. Space is one of the many reasons why urban farming is a lot more sustainable. When looking at space, water, and other resources regular farming has definitely increased these factors unlike urban farming. There are many other reasons why urban farming is beneficial. For example: healthier food because urban farms use fewer and less dangerous pesticides instead of crop friendly chemicals used in traditional farming. One of the biggest things of traditional farming is that crops get picked when they are not ripped, meaning when it gets to the store it often isn’t as fresh as something that does not need to travel that much. Urban farming is a year round harvest of anything. This is possible because it is rather simpler to harvest one thing and replant something else. People are able to grow constant fresh food since they can replant something after a harvest.
What Next?
As we can see urban farming has many benefits. It reduces the amount of emissions, and water used to farm. It also allows people to have healthier food. I think urban farms should replace traditional farming for small to medium sized produce including squash, peppers, tomatoes, etc. Produce types like this can be grown locally since they do not have a long growing season. Unlike things like sugar cane or fruit trees that require more time and a significant amount of space. This means cost will be significantly different due to things like labor, production, and the actual transportation. I think we can rethink how people can sell and consume produce in urban areas by allowing the produce to be grown in the city. Slowly decreasing the cost it takes to transport produce and allowing a more sustainable food production.
Credits:
Photo Credit: https://www.agritecture.com/blog/2018/5/2/the-future-with-urban-farming
PERCENTAGE OF SMALL MEDIUM AND LARGE FARMS IN THE U.S. (n.d.). Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://www.usfarmdata.com/percentage-of-small-medium-and-large-farms-in-the-us