Published by City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture
Urban Agriculture Notes
by City Farmer
Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture
Home Page Continued - Page 2
Established 1978
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Now Celebrating Our 24th Year!
Prepared by Michael Levenston, Executive Directorcityfarmer@gmail.com
On-line on the World Wide Web since October
15, 1994.
© Copyright City Farmer 1994-2006
- IDRC-CSFS Workshops on Urban Agriculture
- Presentation papers available for downloading. Workshop 1: Regional
Training and Courses in Urban Agriculture and Food Security. Workshop 2:
The Urban Agriculture Research Partners' Meeting: First Preparatory
Workshop for World Urban Forum 2006."
Posted August 12, 2004
- Micro
Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small-Acreage in Partnership
with the Earth
- New Book: "Micro eco-farms fill in
spaces that larger sized farms don't attend to. They use back yards,
vacant lots, or their family's own small acreage. As they grow in
number, it is anyone's guess as to what type of new economical
foundation they could create." Posted
August 12, 2004
- An Urban Food Garden in Malaga, Spain
- "Esta es una historia real que demuestra que es posible cultivar un
huerto "ecol�gico" en tu casa, casi sin importar donde vivas. Tan
sólo necesitas sol, agua y, lo más importante, algo de
interés, entusiasmo y amor a la naturaleza. Un tomate criado por
tí de forma artesana y natural (sin pesticidas, ni herbicidas, ni
abonos químicos) tiene el indescriptible y fantástico sabor de
la satisfacción personal." Posted
August 12, 2004
- Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes -
Designing Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities
- New Book: "The first book on urban agriculture for architects,
landscape architects and urban designers. Over 230 images give the
reader a clear visual idea about the impact of this pioneering subject.
Urban design is shown in practice through international case studies.
Chapter One: Carrot and City: A New Urbanism. Chapter Two: Pro Urban
Agriculture. Chapter Three: Open Urban Space." Posted August 9, 2004
- Environmental Youth
Alliance - Urban Agriculture in Vancouver
- "EYA
youth worked with the Strathcona Community Garden Association to build a
Community Nursery so plant material will be more readily available for
local urban agriculture projects. Phase one of the project involved the
construction of a lockup nursery building in order to securely store
plant material and supplies." Posted August
5, 2004
- A Mini-Farm Trip to
Uzbekistan 2004
- "This country is self-sufficient
in food and only imports tropical fruits such as bananas. They are more
expensive than at home so very few can afford them. Every house has a
garden and as you fly over the country all you see is gardens and
minifarms." Posted August 5, 2004
- Urban
Agriculture on the Rooftop
- "Rooftops are places
of fantasy and imagination - places that sit above the din and chaos of
the city, engaged with and yet apart from the city's motion. Rooftops
yearn for the sky and yet are grounded to the city through the buildings
which they top. What better place could there be for a garden? Or even
better, a garden and a source of food?" Thesis in PDF format Posted July 15, 2004
- Grow Veggies and
Herbs From Your Condo in Vancouver
- "Freesia is
offering a garden terrace with about 60 personal plots. For an
additional $2,800 on top of the selling price, a buyer can purchase one
of the 1.5-metre-square gardening plots and a small tool locker."
Posted July 12, 2004
- Urban Farmers as Extension Domain: The Case of
Atteridgeville,(Pretoria, South Africa)
- "The
article identifies and explains three extension domains among urban
farmers among the informal settlements of Atteridgeville. These consist
of home gardeners, community-project gardeners, and users of open urban
spaces. ... The paper concludes by calling for closer involvement of
government and public extension in urban agriculture in the study area
because urban farming mainly benefits the poor." PDF
download. Posted July 9, 2004
-
Montreal Rooftop Garden
- "This
summer, Alternatives, Santropol Roulant and a range of other partners
are building a major demonstration garden on the roof of the University
of Quebec's TélTéUniversitTé (TelUQ) building. This
500 square meter garden, situated in the heart of the densely populated
Plateau-Mont Royal neighbourhood, will be coordinated and maintained by
Santropol Roulant volunteers, providing vegetables for their
meals-on-wheels service." Posted July 7,
2004
- The Planner in the Garden: A Historical View into
the Relationship between Planning and Community
Gardens
- "A historical review of community garden
programs in the United States since the 1890s reveals an ambivalent
relationship between community gardens and the planning profession. On
one hand, garden programs are praised and supported as local action to
serve environmental, social, and individual objectives. On the other
hand, because they are perceived as opportunistic and temporary,
community gardens are largely ignored in long-range planning. (Journal
of Planning History, May 2004) Subcription required for full
text." Posted July 6, 2004
- BBC World feature - A Growing Trend - on Urban
Agriculture
- " 'A Growing Trend' highlights
exactly that: how different methods of producing food - small-scale,
organic, natural farming and urban agriculture are on the increase.
While alternatives to large-scale agriculture are often born out of
necessity, these methods are proving to be highly effective at meeting
nutritional and economic needs and at the same time helping to build
communities and protect the environment."
Posted June 18, 2004
- Edible Cities from Gobar Times in India
- "We cityfolk consider ourselves to be very smart. Not so, discovers
Gobar Times. The modern city has a garangutan appetite and is
frightfully wasteful. It takes more than it gives. It ingests tonnes and
tonnes of cereals, meat, vegetables and fruits grown in rural areas far
and wide; chomps, chews and digests all that foodstuff; converts some of
it into human energy; burps, and then spews the remaining all out as
organic garbage and sewage." Posted March 28
2004
- Urban
Agriculture Network - Western Pacific - Monthly
Newsletter
- "Urban agriculture is one
counter-measure to food terrorism that must now be considered and
developed. ... Good business people know that behind most threats lie
opportunities. The threat of food terrorism is an opportunity in
disguise for global urban and peri-urban agriculture." Posted March 24 2004
- Simplifed
Hydroponics and Urban Agriculture in Uruguay and Ecuador
- "Simplified Hydroponics has provided real
solutions for low-income families and impoverished communities in many
parts of the world. MARTIN CALDEYRO describes one innovative project in
Uruguay that has improved family health and living standards, and is a
model for other communities in Latin America to follow." Posted February 21 2004
- In The Real World, Poor People Practise Urban Agriculture
- According to a needs assessment by the
Millennium Development Goals Hunger Task Force, all problems of food
security in poor countries would be solved if the rich world spent US$70
billion per annum, or 0.3% of its GNP, on addressing them, mainly by
building infrastructure. The fact is, they don't, and they are probably
not about to do so. Meanwhile, in the real world, poor people practice
urban agriculture." Posted February 19 2004
- Urban agriculture: What limits?
- Don
Okpala, Chief of UN-HABITAT's Urban Economy and Finance Branch and
Acting Director of its Monitoring and Research Division, comments in
Habitat Debate, December, 2003. "In the ongoing debate over urban
agriculture, UN-HABITAT focuses on food security and income enhancement
for urban populations. The agency is not opposed to urban agriculture as
such. But its view is that the practice must be subject to certain
conditions and limitations. " Posted February 19
2004
- NASA Paper Speaks of Urbanization and
Agriculture
- NASA says "Though cities account for
just 3 percent of continental U.S. land area, the food and fiber that
could be grown there rivals current production on all U.S. agricultural
lands, which cover 29 percent of the country. Urbanization follows
agriculture. Throughout history, highly productive agricultural land
brought food, wealth and trade to an area, all of which fostered
settlements." Posted February 18 2004
- Urban Agriculture Reaches New Heights Through Rooftop
Gardening
- "A Montreal-based development
organization is experimenting with a gardening system called "rooftop
simplified hydroponics"ÊÑ a system adapted from the group's experiences
in the developing world. During the winter of 2002, with the support of
Canada's International Development Research CentreÊ(IDRC), a researcher
from the development organization, expanded her knowledge of
hydroponics in other countries. She worked with the University of
Casablanca in Morocco and the Institute for Simplified Hydroponics in
Mexico." Posted February 3, 2004
- ACGA
Conference: "Gardens of Diversity, Growing Across Cultures" Friday
October 1 - Sunday October 3, 2004 Toronto, Ontario
- American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) - Themes: Community
Development, Conservation and Restoration, Diversity, Entrepreneurial
projects, Food Security, Horticulture, Innovations, International
activities, Politics and Public Policy, Professional and Organizational
Development, Research, Special Needs, Youth, Children, School Gardens.
Posted January 28, 2004
- Organic Farming in Pakistan
- "Organic Products, Social Qualities With Equal And Fair Trade Its Constrain And Future, Composting As An Organic Fertiliser, Producing Pesticide Free Fruits And Vegetables, The Characteristics Of Rabbit Farming, Chiku or Sapodilla The Neglected Fruit of Sindh, Gender Issue In Rural Development Of Sindh In Pakistan." Posted January 21, 2004
- Does Irrigated Urban
Agriculture Influence the Transmission of Malaria in the City of Kumasi,
Ghana?
- "To verify the possible impact of irrigated urban agriculture on
malaria transmission in cities, we studied entomological parameters,
self-reported malaria episodes, and household-level data in the city of
Kumasi, Ghana. A comparison was made between city locations without
irrigated agriculture, city locations with irrigated urban vegetable
production, and peri-urban (PU) locations with rain-fed
agriculture." Posted January 10, 2004
- Urban and
Metropolitan Agricultural Prospects
- Jac Smit, a pioneer urban agriculturalist, wrote this paper in 1978.
"North American metropolitan agriculture is likely to have smaller
production units, similar to family farms. It is unlikely to have lower
production costs, particularly when one includes the cost of overcoming
soil and air pollution. However, marketing costs are likely to be much
lower with savings in transport, packaging, middlemen and wastage
losses." Posted December 17, 2003
- Heavy Metal
Concentrations in Urban And Peri-Urban Gardens of Dzerzhinsk and Nizhny
Novgorod, Russia
- "The general heavy metal concentrations in the study area, however,
was significantly lower than e.g. in Berlin, Hamburg, Moscow or London,
which was attributed to less traffic and potential leaching due to sandy
soil texture." Posted December 16, 2003
- Livestock Keeping in Urban Areas
- "Studies have revealed that more than 20 000 households in Bamako
keep livestock in town, and thousands more people supply them with
inputs or marketing services; over one-third of households surveyed in
Harare keep livestock, mainly chickens but also rabbits, pigeons, ducks
and turkeys. In Dar-es-Salaam urban farming is the second largest
employer after petty trade and labour, and 74 percent of urban farmers
keep livestock; and even in densely populated Cairo, 5 percent of
households keep animals, especially chickens and pigeons. " Posted November 20, 2003
- Lead Levels Of Edibles Grown In Contaminated Residential Soils: A
Field Survey
- "Some edible portions of the leafy
vegetables and herbs, however, were found to have lead levels that, if
consumed, could contribute to the total body burden of lead. Therefore,
urban gardeners should test the lead levels in their soils and develop
strategies to ensure safety.". Posted November 20,
2003
- Mayor of
Vancouver Proclaims November "City Farmer Month"!!
- "AND WHEREAS City Farmer is recognized as one of the leaders in
providing service and information out to the world about urban
agriculture, waste reduction and sustainability;.NOW, THEREFORE, I,
Larry Campbell, Mayor of the City of Vancouver, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM the
month of November 2003 as "CITY FARMER MONTH" in the City of Vancouver."
Posted November 8, 2003
- Urban Agriculture in
Kano, Nigeria - Three Reports
- They are: "Feeding
Africa's urban poor: urban and peri-urban horticulture in Kano,
Nigeria", "Urban agriculture under threat: the land security question in
Kano, Nigeria", and "Water, land and health in urban and peri-urban food
production: the case of Kano, Nigeria". Posted
November 2, 2003
- Feeding Africa's
Growing Cities Into The 21st Century: The Potential Of Urban
Agriculture
- "From a survey of literature and
detailed empirical evidence from Kano and Dar es Salaam, this paper
presents a framework for analysing urban agriculture and proposes a
number of policy recommendations which could possibly enhance its future
sustainability." Posted November 2,
2003
- Urban and
Peri-Urban Agriculture - A briefing guide for the successful
implementation of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Developing
Countries and Countries of Transition
- FAO's "Food
For the Cities" web page links to a number of excellent reports in PDF
format. As well as the title shown above by Dr. Alex Drescher, there are
three other files by the same author titled: "SOFA - Special Chapter on
Urbanization "Urbanization - Linking Development Across the Changing
Landscape" Updated October 26, 2003
- Kenya -
Experts Call for Urban Farming Policy
- "According
to Eric Kisiangani of ITDG "officially sanctioned and promoted, urban
agriculture could become an important component of urban development and
make more food available to the urban poor in Kenya besides providing
employment in a moribund economy that Kenya is"." Updated October 26, 2003
- British Pathe News
Reels Show Historic War Garden Programs
- "You
have to see the clip of the chimpanzee dressed in clothes using tools to
dig in his vegetable patch, or the children digging in allotments in
amongst bombed out buildings after the Blitz in London. Then there are
the costumed British actors advising people to prepare their winter
gardens and still another film of school children watering gardens
during WW1 dressed in outfits from fashion long gone, - unbelievable. "
Posted October 22, 2003
- Kathmandu Rooftop Organic-Hydroponics Project
(KROHP)
- "Combining composting and locally
constructed 'simplified' hydroponics technologies, along with grey and
rainwater collection for irrigation, this project encourages a form of
urban agriculture that integrates energy and resource efficient
production to create an innovative and sustainable industry." Updated October 13, 2003
- Green Roofs,
An Icon For Our Urban Future
- "Roofs able to hold the weight of 12 to 18 inches of soil can successfully grow large quantities of produce such as hot and green peppers, cucumbers, sweet potato, tomatoes, and eggplant. With ongoing research and development of lightweight growing media, rooftop greenhouses, and hydroponic techniques, the potential to grow crops on a wider range of rooftops will continue to increase." Posted October 10, 2001
- Farm Experiment
Thrives In The City - Philadelphia
-
"Farmers Lori Albright (left), 32, and Nicole Shelly, 28, have worked
since March on the farm, which is expected to gross $25,000 this year.
The pair usually work 45-hour weeks for $7 an hour. " Posted October 8, 2001
- Design, Analysis and Management of Urban Agriculture For
Resilient Communities - A Course
-
For people in policy formulation and action
planning, January 12 - 23rd, 2004. Wageningen, The Netherlands.
"The course adresses promises and drawbacks of urban agriculture. It
uses modern system approaches to study practical experiences, challenges
and breakthroughs as brought forward by the participants. Insights from
architecture, chaos theory, ecology, social science, agriculture,
energy-supply and logistics provide new avenues in problems that are
difficult to deal with in traditional thinking." Posted October 6, 2001
- Community Gardening In The City Of Ottawa
- "There are 19 community gardens currently in the City of
Ottawa, with approximately 1,080 gardeners. Fourteen of the 19 community
gardens are currently on land owned by the City of Ottawa; two are on
church property, two are on private land, and one is on property owned
by the University of Ottawa. The Gloucester Allotment Garden Association
has two locations, one of these is on NCC land leased by the City and
the other is on City property." Posted September
14, 2001
- Green Roof on our Cob Garden Shed
- See all
the stages involved in building a green roof.
Posted September 12, 2003
- BC Mushrooms - Non-Timber Forest Products
(NTFP)
- "The pine mushroom (Tricholoma
magnivelare), is by far the most valuable commercially harvested
mushroom (in BC). Other valuable edible mushrooms are the chanterelles,
morels, lobsters, boletes, cauliflowers and hedgehogs." Posted September 2, 2003
- New Agricultuist Magazine - Focus on Urban
Agriculture
- "Often illegal, and usually ignored
by planners and policy-makers, the growing of crops and keeping of
livestock by town and city dwellers creates both opportunities and
risks. Urban consumers may enjoy improved availability of fresh
vegetables, milk or poultry products." Posted
August 31, 2003
- 2003 AGROPOLIS Awardees
- 12 new urban
agriculture research awards presented, e.g. "Impact of wastewater
irrigation on crops and consumers in Kumasi, Accra, and Tamale [Ghana]"
and "Evaluation of the socio-economic determinants and benefits of urban
agriculture: The case of Kadoma, Zimbabwe" Posted
August 31, 2003
- Advisers or
spies? Why some people fear communist infiltration in this Caracas
garden. Fears of Cuban 'infiltration' in Venezuela
- "The controversy has arisen because many of the advisers assisting
with the gardening programme are Cubans. And Mr Chavez's opponents, who
accuse him of desiring to convert Venezuela into a communist
dictatorship similar to that led by his friend, Cuban leader Fidel
Castro, suspect that the Cubans are here to do more than teach farming."
Posted August 24, 2003
- The Garden City
Handbook
- PDF download. "Over the past two
years, Greater Victoria has lost two of its precious community gardens
to development. The Handbook provides a description of the current
context and circumstances of community gardens across the region. ... It
offers a range of alternatives for ensuring that community gardens are
protected and provides community groups with guidance for starting
gardens and ensuring that they thrive over the long term." Posted August 20, 2003
- Seeds of Success
- PDF
download. "Cities across Canada and the United States offer models
for creating and maintaining community gardens. Seeds of Success reveals
the range and breadth of possibilities for integrating community gardens
into the fabric of communities and protecting these gardens from
development. ... Within smaller cities, including Inuvik, Waterloo and
Bloomington, local governments and nonprofit groups are adapting
community gardens to the specific needs of their citizens." Posted August 20, 2003
- Landmarks: A touch of Tolkien Emerges at Kits Demo Garden
- Story in the West Ender newspaper. "When
completed, the tool shed will have a living green roof, a surrounding
bench area and an impressively sculpted cob cooking oven. It will be
festooned with a relief sculpture depicting the stratification beneath
the topsoil surface: rocks, roots, old fossils, shells and some
gnome-like creatures. The door to the structure is a work of art itself,
resembling a rounded ship's hull, and several inches thick." Posted July 18, 2003
- Drought
Tolerant Plant List for Vancouver City Boulevards
- "List compiled by volunteer Master Gardeners from Van Dusen
Botanical Garden for the Prince Edward Street Waterwise Blooming
Boulevard Project. Because soil and water conditions vary, results
cannot be guaranteed. This list is intended as a guide to those plants
which have proven drought tolerant in average conditions"(Large
page/slow loading) Posted July 13, 2003
- The Status Of Urban And Peri-Urban Agriculture In Windhoek And
Oshakati, Namibia
- "The study showed that urban and peri-urban agriculture is practised
by over 70% of the residents of Windhoek and Oshakati, and that over 23
types of vegetables and fruit trees are grown on tiny plots. Most of the
produce is consumed by the household and contributes to improvement of
their nutritional status. The absence of policy on urban and peri-urban
agriculture is seen as a serious constraint towards its intensification
and development." Posted July 9, 2003
- New Village Journal: Issue Two: Urban Agriculture
- Urban Agriculture: A Revolutionary Model
for Economic Development Forward and Profiles by Chris Lazarus
Urban Aquaculture by Beth Ferguson
Profiles in Urban Agriculture
The Food Project- Roxbury and Lincoln, Massachusetts
Isles Community Farm- Trenton, New Jersey
Fairview Gardens- Goleta, California
Annex Organics/ Field to Table- Toronto, Ontario
Greensgrow Farm- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Growing Home- Chicago, Illinois
Village of Arts and Humanities- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Urban Agriculture Network- Washington, D.C.
Resources in Urban Agriculture
Updated May 3, 2003 - New Village Journal: Premier Issue: Community
Gardens
- Reclaiming the Sacred Commons
(Full article in Acrobat PDF format, 370K) by Karl Linn
The Death of Little Puerto Rico: New York City Gardens Plowed Under by Urban Development by Sarah Fegusen
Brief History of Grassroots Greening in New York City by Sarah Fergusen
Resources: Community Gardening
Updated May 3, 2003 - Cuba Exports
City Farming 'Revolution' to Venezuela
-
"Inspired by Cuba's system of urban market gardens, which has been
operating for several years, left-wing President Hugo Chavez has ordered
the creation of similar intensive city plots across Venezuela in a bid
to develop food self-sufficiency in the world's No. 5 oil exporter.
Inside Fuerte Tiuna military headquarters, soldiers of the crack Ayala
armored battalion supervised by Cuban instructors have swapped their
rifles for shovels and hoes to tend neat rows of lettuce, tomatoes,
carrots, coriander, and parsley." Posted April
28, 2003
- A Healthy Garden
is a Healthy Ecosystem
- "The best way to solve
plant health and pest and disease problems is not by cleaning the garden
and applying fertilizers and pesticides. Simple horticultural practices
such as soil improvement, effective deep watering and increasing the
variety of plant material are the best way to create a stable and
healthy garden." Posted April 21, 2003
- Family Business
Garden: A New Dimension Of Urban Agricultural Extension In Colombo, Sri
Lanka
- "The Census of Population and Housing of
Sri Lanka-2001 shows that urban population has risen and the highest
urban population of 54.7% is concentrated in the Colombo district. The
main theme of the concept of Family Business Garden is to stress the
need in converting simple form of home gardening or kitchen gardening
into the entrepreneurship development venture on the long-term basis. It
based on conservation of resources and aesthetic values in association
with mental satisfaction." Posted April 12,
2003
- Seeds Of Our City : Case Studies From Eight Diverse Community
Gardens
- "We were interested in learning how
much food can be grown in the typical community garden plot, and what
kind of impact it has on the food security of the people involved.
Essential to this study was the involvement of a core of dedicated
gardeners who settled in Canada from many different countries: China,
Ghana, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam." Posted
April 1, 2003
- The Garden
Project
- "The Garden Project, a nine-year-old
gardening and job-training program, has provided free food to soup
kitchens and residents of the Bay Area's poorest communities for years.
Based at the San Francisco County Jail, the program trains 15
ex-prisoners each year to grow organic vegetables and helps them make
the transition into a legal working life. "
Posted April 1, 2003
- Argentine Postage
Stamps Celebrate Urban Agriculture
- "The design
of the first stamp is of two united hands that tend to the gardens and
the produce they yield, while the other stamp depicts a stalk of corn.
Both have as a background, city plans, evoking the urban context of
community gardens. -- The series takes into the account the current
state of the economy in the Argentine Republic, and recognizes its
terrible effect on the large numbers of families who live below the
poverty line and it acknowledges the effects of the lack of food on
these people." Posted March 23, 2003
- Supporting and
Encouraging Initiatives of Urban Agriculture in Gaza Refugees
Camps
- "The low standard of living in Gaza strip,
the low income of individuals, the mass unemployment, the rapid
population increase, ... a great number of families living in and off
the cities, depend on Urban Agriculture to create job opportunities to
elevate their standard of living. The majority of refugees in camps and
city dwellers in Gaza Strip are farmers in origin." Posted March 22, 2003
- Six Student Essays on the Theme: Ag Science in the City: "The
Importance of Agriculture for Urban Areas
- Click
on report: Boundless Science for Bountiful Agriculture: Winning
Student Essays, 2003. "How can a city dweller eat healthier, live in
a better environment, and save money all at the same time? Natural
resources are limited in urban areas, so nothing should go to waste.
Urban agriculture is our chance to save money, help our environment, and
improve health. Urban agriculture can benefit all of society." Posted March 22, 2003
- Arachnophobia in
the Garden of Food and Flowers
- "Then I turned the
page to the real horror show - the three monsters known as House
Spiders. In university I called them the Cheap Basement Suite Spiders.
The first of this group is the Barn Funnel Weaver. This is the guy
making those thick webs in dark, damp basements and in the corners of
old house windows in horror movies. The Hobo Spider has an "alarmingly
ugly bite" and the Giant House Spider, which is in the author's words
"quite frankly, the creepiest bug in the whole darn province of BC."
" Posted March 19, 2003
- Aquaponics
- "Aquaponics is the combination
of intensive aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants
without soil). In an aquaponic system, the fish consume food and excrete
waste. Beneficial bacteria convert the waste to nitrate which the plants
use in the growth process. Many backyard gardeners are setting up
systems to grow hundreds of pounds of fish and all the fresh vegetables
a family needs." Posted March 17, 2003
- Victory Garden Network Providing Urban Agriculture
Grants
- "The International Victory Garden Network
is currently providing grants of up to $10,000 to food security
organizations or activists who want to initiate innovative pilot
projects around issues of urban agriculture and urban food insecurity in
the spirit of the World War 2 Victory Gardeners."
Posted March 7, 2003
- Wastewater's Value in Urban and Peri-urban
Agriculture
- "The use of urban wastewater in
agriculture is a centuries old practice that is receiving renewed
attention with the increasing scarcity of fresh water resources in many
arid and semi-arid regions. Driven by rapid urbanization and growing
wastewater volumes, wastewater is widely used as a low-cost alternative
to conventional irrigation water; it supports livelihoods and generates
considerable value in urban and peri-urban agriculture despite the
health and environmental risks associated with this practice." Posted March 5, 2003
- In my
Backyard: Growing a Sense of Place in Bankside
- "In the book you will discover: How a Bangladeshi garden group has
helped create friendships, a sense of community and some tasty meals;
Why sheep and goats were grazing in the middle of an inner-London local
park; That Bankside used to be two riverside gardens, with orchards and
vineyards." Posted March 3, 2003
- Feast Your Eyes: The Unexpected Beauty of Vegetable
Gardens
- "Pennington tells a terrific story of the
rise and fall of ornamental vegetable gardening between the seventeenth
and the nineteenth centuries, and its comeback in the twentieth. The
cast of supporting characters is made up of both familiar figures
(Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Pope, etc.) and obscure heroes of
horticulture and landscape architecture." Posted
March 3, 2003
- Training Organic Farmers & Gardeners: Resources for
Instructors
- This 600-page manual covers practical
aspects of organic farming and gardening, applied soil science, and
social and environmental issues in agriculture. Units contain lecture
outlines for instructors and detailed lecture outlines for students,
field and laboratory demonstrations, assessment questions, and annotated
resource lists." (PDF edition available on-line)
Posted March 3, 2003
- Urban
Cultivation In Accra: An Examination Of The Nature, Practices, Problems,
Potentials And Urban Planning Implications
- "Exotic vegetables and ornamental crops from Europe were purposely
grown to feed the European settlers and to beautify their residences;
the cultivation of vegetables was confined to the residences of European
civil servants and merchants and the castles and forts which served as
both the seat of government and the homes of the colonial
administrators." Posted February 13, 2003
- The
Richmond Fruit Tree Project
- "Plums, apples and
pears are picked from August through into October from the gardens of
Richmond residents. A fruit tree registry and a fruit identification
program are in the works." Posted February 13,
2003
- Changes In Official Attitudes Towards Urban Agriculture In
Accra
- "This paper is about urban agriculture,
which is one of the most important informal sector activities chosen by
urban dwellers in Accra. It explains why officials initially held
negative attitudes toward urban agriculture. It also identifies the
factors that contributed to changing official attitudes. It is noted
that Ghanaian officials began supporting and even encouraging urban
agriculture once they realized the importance of the practice." Posted February 13, 2003
- Green
Roofs
- "They also create space for food production
in the city. The herbs used on some 6000 meals a day served at Toronto's
Royal York Hotel come fresh-picked from the hotel roof. In Vancouver,
chefs at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel help pay for the roofs over their
heads by harvesting $30,0000 a year worth of food, including original
marsh mallows used for exotic treats." Posted
January 23, 2003
- Ministry of Agriculture Allotment and Garden Guides -
1945
- "A series of 8 pamphlets published by the
U.K. Ministry of Agriculture at its wartime base at the Berri Court
Hotel in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire, England. The pamphlets were
published for January through July and December 1945 '...to help you to
get better results from your vegetable plot and your fruit garden.'
" Posted January 19, 2003
- Microfarming at
High Latitudes: A Resource for Small-scale, Cold-climate, Food
security
- "I'm also concerned mainly with special
conditions encountered in cold weather climates at high latitudes, that
is, above 40 degrees north latitude. I am located at 61 degrees 36
minutes north. Most of the garden books I've read dealing with northern
climates, define the far north as the upper peninsula of Michigan. Most
never venture into Canada, and very few even mention Alaska." Posted January 17, 2003
- Introductory Manual for Greening
Roofs
- "This manual provides a practical
introduction to building green roofs in Canada. It outlines the
economic and environmental benefits to green roofs as well as barriers
such as safety and maintenance issues. The manual gives a thorough
discussion of design and construction considerations including loading,
building codes, microclimate, membranes, growing medium and
drainage."(PDF File) Posted January 17,
2003
- Taiwan Urban
Agriculture
- "As you can see, despite the urban
chaos, the steep slopes of the area allow for much of the space to be
utilized for agriculture. Much of the green space that you can see has
some kind of agriculture, whether it be food crops or flowers." (This
travel journal will be updated over the next few months.) Posted January 8, 2003
- Victory
Garden Contest Winner 1942
- "My grandfather (Jack
Reading) won 1st prize in the 'Vancouver Sun' Victory Garden contest in
1942. I have photos of the garden, the prize letter from the Sun and the
original newspaper clipping with all the various winners names." Posted December 28, 2002
- Botswana
Civic Leaders Visit Toronto Community Gardens
- Solomon Boye, originally trained in his native Ghana, takes over.
Gardens are wonderful for young people who are feeling lost and angry,
he says. "We tell them that nature's laws are relentless; if you don't
seed, you won't harvest, if you don't care for the plants, they will
die. It is not adults who are demanding obedience. It is nature
demanding cooperation." Posted December 27,
2002
- City Farmer - Site to Visit - Garden Inspired Tourism
- "Garden Inspired Tourism's mission is to act as
a catalyst and to facilitate the development and promotion of BC as a
globally recognized garden interest destination. Beautiful British
Columbia offers year round garden interest with seasonal showings
beginning as early as February and lingering on until November, and with
unique winter gardens and festivals." Posted
December 25, 2002
- Southeast False Creek Urban Agriculture
Strategy
- "While the study of urban agriculture
has gained considerable momentum in North America and elsewhere, and
even become fashionable in recent years, this study may be the first of
its kind in North America to focus solely on the role that food-related
activity and urban agriculture could play in the comprehensive planning
of a new neighbourhood." Posted December 15,
2002
- A Training
Manual on Urban And Peri-Urban Agriculture (For
Nepal)
- "The training manual has suggestions,
ideas, recommendations and technologies which can contribute to UPA
development in Nepal. Urban and Peri Urban Agriculture (UPA) has been in
existence in Nepal since time immemorial. The Jyapus of Kathmandu were
excellent producers of food in the valley. Similar groups are also found
in other parts of Nepal. This training manual will present information
which will help to improve traditional technologies. It will present new
appropriate technologies which will be useful to the urban and
peri-urban farmers in food production, processing, preservation and
utilization. (21,000 words)" Posted December 10,
2002
- Urban and
Peri-Urban Agriculture in Nepal (Partners and
Expertise)
- "Urban population is increasing in all
the urban areas in Nepal. More satellite towns are getting established
and older cities are getting more crowded. Traditional agricultural
systems are changing. Farming in or around urban and peri urban areas is
getting more sophisticated and focused. This publication can be a useful
companion/reference material for anyone who is interested in urban and
peri urban agriculture in Nepal. The names and addresses presented in
this publication were collected from within the whole country. (12,000
words)" Posted December 10, 2002
- Urban and
Peri-Urban Agriculture Directory (People, Organizations and Enterprises
- Nepal)
- "This is a directory of addresses of
government departments, aid agencies, international and national
non-governmental organizations, community based organizations, and
individuals who are involved in urban and peri urban agriculture in
Nepal. Urban and peri urban agriculture does not receive the importance
it deserves from the government or other donor agencies because it is
mostly practiced by the poorer section of the urban population. This
group own small pieces of land, practice customary farming practices and
produce food to meet the needs of the family and mainly of their
traditional customers. (16,000 words)" Posted
December 10, 2002
- Call For
Contributions, Urban Agriculture Magazine, No. 9, Financing Of Urban
Agriculture
- "Financing urban agriculture is
broader than just the provision of credit to urban farmers. Next to
formal credit, other forms of financing are considered, like informal
loans, tax incentives, controlled land rent, subsidies on certain
inputs, investment (of Government or private sector) in infrastructure
or technologies, etcetera." Posted November 26,
2002
- "Home Grown" by the Worldwatch Institute
- "In the United States, food typically travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate, as much as 25 percent farther than in 1980. For some, the long-distance food system offers unparalleled choice. But it often runs roughshod over local cuisines, varieties, and agriculture, while consuming staggering amounts of fuel, generating greenhouse gases, eroding the pleasures of face-to-face interactions around food, and compromising food security." Posted November 21, 2002
- Urban Fringe
Agriculture
- Report of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Seminar on Urban
Fringe Agriculture held in Tokyo from 17 to 24 May, 2000. Examples of
Stories: Transition of Urban Farmland Policy and Development of New
Urban Agriculture in Japan (Kenji Ishihara), and the Present
Situation of Urban Agriculture and Related Problems (Mitsuzo
Gotoh) Posted November 18, 2002
- ... from the Olympic Village Athens 2004 architectural team who prepared the greenest proposal... "Hydroponic plantations on the roof, fish farming for nitrate water purification, bioclimatic roads, active thermal capacity of the structure with use of inter-seasonal thermal storage, almost all of the architects aspirations are found in this proposal." Posted November 29, 2002
- Community-Based Urban Agriculture As History And Future:
- Jac Smit ... "It is clear reviewing 25 years of studies of urban agriculture that urban farming is expanding more rapidly than rural agriculture or agriculture as a whole. No surprise, it's happening in an urbanizing world. Agriculture is reinventing itself to fit the new reality of human settlement on the earth." Posted November 6, 2002
- 40% of Toronto Households Grow Food says City Farmer
- "These figures represent more than two and one half million people in Greater Toronto and Vancouver who live in households growing vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts or herbs in their yard, balcony or community garden."" Posted November 6, 2002
- City Farmer Cob Workshop: June 9 - June 15, 2003
- One week intensive - limited enrollment - $400. City Farmer's Compost Demonstration Garden in Kitsilano is to be the site of Vancouver's first cob garden shed. Cob is an ancient building method using clay, sand and straw. Building with earthen materials pre-dates the pyramids.
Updated October 22, 2002 - ... from the Olympic Village Athens 2004 architectural team who prepared the greenest proposal... "Hydroponic plantations on the roof, fish farming for nitrate water purification, bioclimatic roads, active thermal capacity of the structure with use of inter-seasonal thermal storage, almost all of the architects aspirations are found in this proposal." Posted November 29, 2002
- Philippine
References - Urban Agriculture
- 12 papers and a book are referenced, including: "Allotment Gardens
for the Philippines: A Contribution to Urban Food Security"; "Quality
and quantity requirements for vegetables by private households, vendors
and institutional users in a Philippine urban setting"; "Urban
Agriculture - A Step-By-Step Guide To Successful Container Gardening in
the City"; and "Appropriate methods for microenterprise development in
urban agriculture". Posted October 21,
2002
- The Urban Agriculture
Network (UAN) President's Annual Report 2001/2002
- "The importance of urban agriculture is becoming recognized as an
important element of programs for not only food security, but also for
sustainable urban development and efficient provision of the necessities
to low-income families. UAN wants to expand its central coordinating
role in making urban agriculture a reality throughout the world." Posted October 11, 2002
- 44% of Vancouver
Households Grow Food says City Farmer
- "This is the first time in Canadian history a question of this sort
has been asked by a professional pollster and the result is
significant," says Michael Levenston, Executive Director of the
25-year-old non-profit society based in Vancouver. "That figure
represents more than three-quarters of a million people in Greater
Vancouver who live in households growing vegetables, fruit, berries,
nuts or herbs in their yard, balcony or community garden." Posted October 6, 2002
- Toronto's
Official Plan from the Perspective of Community Gardening and Urban
Agriculture
- "'Urban agriculture' is often viewed as an oxymoron. The city
displaces agricultural land; it doesn't create it. Or so conventional
wisdom would suggest. Yet, in cities around the world, urban agriculture
and a city's role in supporting it, has gained new prominence." Posted October 3, 2002
- A Deeper Ecology: Community
Gardens in the Urban Environment
- "In their article, Kameshwari Pothukuchi and Jerome L. Kaufman
point out that it is the food system that is missing "from the writing
of planning scholars, from the plans prepared by planning practitioners,
and from the classrooms in which planning students are taught".
Discounting the food system as part of a community development plan,
which helps to strengthen the sense of place and belonging and aids in
improving the overall environmental quality of an area, is an
opportunity lost." Posted September 30,
2002
- The Rural-Urban
Interface, Idealistic Visions and Current Projects in Lisbon, Portugal
And Santiago, Chile. -- La Interfase Urbano Rural, Idealidades Y
Proyectos. Acerca De Los Casos De Lisboa, Portugal, Y Santiago De
Chile.
- 12,000 word paper in Spanish. "Urban and peri-urban
agriculture successful practises are presented as examples to be
followed by other big cities, intended to reduce socio-economic
differences, and to diminish the occurrence of hazards as floods, soil
contamination, air pollution and green spaces retraction within
metropolitan areas." Posted September 27,
2002
- The Mango City: Urban
Agriculture in Belém, Brazil
- "It is a tribute paid to a hard working and ingenious people, who
against all odds survive in one of the poorest metropolis in Latin
America, frequently complementing their monthly income with fruits,
herbs, spices, medicinal plants, and all sorts of animals, cropped or
raised in front and backyards, in idle public and private plots,
existent either within the urban tissue or in the wider peri-urban
areas." Posted September 24, 2002
- Inuvik Community
Greenhouse - Arctic Food Growing!
- Inuvik, which means "Living Place" in Inuvialuktun, is a town of
3200 in the upper corner of Canada's North West Territories. It enjoys
56 days of twenty-four hours of daylight (late June, July and part of
August) and has 30 days without sunlight mostly in the month of
December. "We are the most Northern commercial greenhouse in North
America and the largest community greenhouse of it's kind on the
planet." Updated December 3, 2002
- Greensgrow
Philadelphia Project
- "Begun as a commercial
hydroponics lettuce farm supplying high-end gourmet greens to
restaurants, Greensgrow now operates a CSA and Farm Market while
continuing to serve the Philadelphia restaurant community with the
products of our and other local farms. We serve as a clearinghouse of
information on urban agriculture issues [and] advocate adoption of urban
agriculture as a tool for neighborhood redevelopment..." Posted September 19, 2002
- Rural Allotments and Sustainable Development: A Japanese
Perspective
- "Allotment gardens first appeared in
urban Japan in the 1920s (Kinoshima, 1994), and enjoyed only limited
success, even in the preferred kleingarten model, prior to the Pacific
War. With the outbreak of hostilities, the same enthusiasm for growing
vegetables which had British and American gardeners "digging for
victory" swept Japan as well, and vacant plots of land everywhere were
brought into cultivation." Posted September 19,
2002
- Tiny Bubbles to
Make Your Garden Grow
- "How much fuel energy does
it take to grow tomatoes in a Lanark County greenhouse in January when
it's, like, -10 C outside? Well, if you're Kathryn and Ross Elliott of
"Lively Up" Winter Harvest, less than $6 a month worth, or about $70 a
year. That's instead of an estimated $3,000 a year to run a comparably
sized greenhouse heated with propane or natural gas." Posted September 16, 2002
- Growing
Gardens
- "We serve the St Johns, north, inner
north/northeast and outer southeast low-income areas of Portland,
Oregon. Requests for gardeners come by word of mouth, presentations to
groups such as the WIC (Women, Infant and Children) programs, as well as
strategic contacts made by staff to housing agencies such as the Housing
Authority of Portland and local public schools."
Posted September 15, 2002
- Vacant Land
in Latin American Cities
- "As long as significant
amounts of urban land remain unoccupied, equally important numbers of
poor urban residents will continue to occupy land lacking infrastructure
of services, located in areas not appropriate for urban development.
This pattern both creates precarious habitats and deepens the processes
of socio-spatial segregation." Posted September
14, 2002
- City of Vancouver May Ban Cosmetic Use of Pesticides on Lawns and
Gardens.
- "The use of Integrated Pest Management
on public lands has illustrated that significant reductions in the use
of pesticides on lawns and gardens can be achieved without sacrificing
overall landscape quality. This direction would further reduce or
eliminate both known or possible environmental and health risks."
Council
Decisions on Report. Updated September 16,
2002
- Indigenous African Food Crops and Useful Plants: Their
Preparation for Food, and Home Gardens
- Here is a
report with information on home gardens in Kenya, Edo and Delta States
of Nigeria, Anambra, Enugu, Benue, and Kogi States of Nigeria,
Southeastern Nigeria, Northern Nigeria, West Africa, Cameroon, and
Ghana, Eastern and Southern Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Niger, Ethiopia,
Ghana. The whole book is available as a PDF.
Posted August 22, 2002
- Transition to Ecological Urban Agriculture: A
Challenge
- Urban Agriculture Magazine May, No. 6,
March 2002 "Ecological agriculture is seen as especially relevant to the
urban setting. The introduction in rural settings of ecological
practices is still debated, although it seems that the call for the
coexistence of both conventional and ecological farming in an adequate
mix seems to be the best option." Posted August
20, 2002
- The Urban Farmers Almanac - A Journal of Post Punk
Gardening
- A new urban agriculture publication
featuring stories titled Minneapolis Squatter Gardens, Small-Scale
Urban Soybean Farming, and Low-Light Indoor Agriculture. The
author "created this site... to serve as a psychological steam valve".
"Everyday I spend festering in this rotten city working on my graduate
degree (Masters of Agriculture in Horticulture) makes me more and more
insane." Posted August 14, 2002
- Evaluating
the Potential of Green Roof Agriculture
- "I
established an experimental vegetable garden on the green roof of the
Trent University Environmental Sciences building. I was looking at the
suitability of green roofs for urban agriculture, comparing different
crops and growing conditions." Posted July 28,
2002
- Small-Scale Farming and Gardens in Urban and Rural Areas -
Working Group, Humboldt University, Berlin
- "Gardens and small-holders agriculture belong to the informal
economy - newly rediscovered in the public discourse as a result of
increasing joblessness. In the old society, yard and garden were
indispensable parts of the oikos, as Otto Brunner called the 'whole
house'. Still today gardens, small animal holding and self-subsistence
agriculture belong to the domain of the home economy. Household and food
growing constitute actually the primary, basic sector of the economy."
Elisabeth Meyer-Renschhausen (In both German and English) Posted July 16, 2002
- FAO Journal includes Urban Agriculture
Articles
- Food, Nutrition and Agriculture No. 29, 2001, includes articles such
as "Cities of the Future: urban agriculture in the third millennium" and
"Peri-urban agriculture in Delhi, India." "Farming, processing and
selling food generates income for urban households and enables families
to spend more on non-food items (e.g. transport, housing, school fees,
health care), which can have an impact on nutritional status." Posted July 8, 2002
- Nyanga Declaration
on Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Zimbabwe
- "Urging local authorities to promote Urban and Peri-urban
Agriculture in their cities, develop appropriate incentives and other
policies necessary for its growth, mainstream urban food security within
their operations and promote the collection and dissemination of
information on Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture activities in their
territorial planning areas." Posted July 3,
2002
- Why Hawked Milk
Can Save Your Baby
- "Historical and scientific evidence shows that, after boiling, milk
can actually save, not kill, your baby by providing essential nutrients.
If boiling milk were ineffective as implied in the article, most Kenyans
who each day buy raw milk, boil and consume it would be sick each day.
And as we all know from our own day-to-day experience, we do not get
sick from drinking chai with maziwa." Posted July
3, 2002
- Urban Agriculture Study -
Consulting Services - RFP
- "The City of Vancouver Engineering Services is inviting proposals
for Professional Services to complete an Urban Agriculture Study for the
proposed sustainable community to be located on the south east shore of
False Creek near downtown Vancouver. The study will be incorporated
into the Official Development Plan to direct development of the site
including public infrastructure, private development, and community
facilities." Posted June 28, 2002
- "Return of Lenin" (to a Swedish allotment garden) - a short
film
- "In 1917 Lenin passed through Stockholm on his way to the Russian
Revolution. Anna Lindhagen invited Lenin to the allotment gardens of
"Barnangen" to show all its benefits. Lenin was totally unresponsive to
this, - to poke in the soil was to prepare the ground for political
laziness in the class struggle. The workers shouldn't be occupied, with
gardening, they should rather devote themselves to the proletarian
revolution. - " Posted June 17, 2002
- City Farmer's
Country Count
- "Therefore City Farmer still has over 50 "countries" still to
collect in order make sure everyone has heard about urban agriculture.
Like stamp collectors we await the arrival of such rare finds as the
Comoros(KM); the Holy See (Vatican City State)(VA); Kiribati(KI);
Antarctica(AQ); and Western Sahara(EH)." Posted
June 15, 2002
- Urban Agriculture Now
Includes Healthier Living
- "The Americans are widening the definition of urban agriculture,"
Mr Wilson said. "They see it as part of promotion of better human health
in cities, and one of the important answers to protecting the global
environment. I will not be surprised to see urban agriculture become
part of the US response to Japan's signing last week of the Kyoto Treaty
on environmental protection," said Geoff Wilson, editor and publisher of
Urban Agriculture Online Posted June 12,
2002
- Human-Environment Research Laboratory (HERL) Studies the
Relationship between People and the Physical
Environment
- "The impact of the physical
environment on human aggression has been well-established - crowding,
high temperatures, and noise have all been linked to violent behavior.
Some scientists believe that it's because people living under these
conditions suffer from something called chronic mental fatigue, which
can make them inattentive, irritable, and impulsive - all of which can
be linked to aggressive behavior. Exposure to green spaces, it has been
shown, can mitigate the harmful effects of chronic mental fatigue,
reducing aggressive behavior in the process."
Posted June 7, 2002 - Proposed Community Garden Legislation in New
York
- "After more than a month of behind the
scenes negotiation, members of the new NYC Council will file legislation
that, if passed, can protect community gardens from development. The
legislation being proposed will look different from the law that was
introduced in the last Council. It now focuses on a stipulation that
would turn the GreenThumb program into an independent public/ private
partnership to act as a land trust for the preserved gardens."
Posted June 3, 2002 - The War Garden Victorious
- This rare book
(1919), about the USA food gardening program during World War I, is
being republished chapter by chapter on the Internet. "The United
States government strongly encouraged everyone to plant a garden to
provide their own food so that food, transportation and other resources
could be freed up for the war effort." - "The sole aim of the National
War Garden Commission was to arouse the patriots of America to the
importance of putting all idle land to work, to teach them how to do it,
and to educate them to conserve by canning and drying all food they
could not use while fresh. The idea of the 'city farmer' came into
being."
Posted June 1, 2002 - Re-Vision Urban
Farm
- "Re-Vision Urban Farm is a project of Re-Vision House, aÊ shelter
for homeless pregnant and parenting women and their children. We are a
shelter-based, community supported urban farm growing organic produce
and fish on reclaimed land which was once vacant lots." Posted May 23, 2002
- Urban Agriculture and Community Food Security in the United
States: Farming from the City Center To the Urban
Fringe
- The document advocates for policies that promote small-scale urban
and peri-urban farming, and thereby prepare the next generation of urban
farming leaders. The task is to increase public knowledge and support,
in order to transform urban agriculture "from its cottage industry
status into a major instrument against hunger and poverty." Posted May 23, 2002
-
E-Conference: Agricultural Use Of Untreated Urban Wastewater In Low
Income Countries: 24 June - 5 July 2002
- "The use of the urban wastewater in agriculture is a widely
established practice, particularly so in urban and peri-urban areas of
arid and seasonally arid zones. Wastewater is used as a source of
irrigation water as well as a source of plant nutrients (such as
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and trace elements (K, Na, etc)
allowing farmers to reduce or even eliminate the purchase of chemical
fertilizer and of organic matter that serves as a soil conditioner and
humus replenisher Lunven (1992) estimated that one tenth or more of the
world's population currently eats food produced on wastewater (but not
always in a safe way)." Posted May 23,
2002
- Urban Agriculture
Online - a new magazine
- Geoff Wilson, editor and publisher of Urban Agriculture
Online said he chose to launch the online magazine at the 'Dallas
Urban Agriculture Symposium' because he saw it as the most important
global event in urban agriculture in 2002. "Many countries have endorsed
urban agriculture as most complementary food production that well meshes
with rural agriculture. They are seeing it as an important response to
the world's rapid urbanization of rural areas, desertification,
pollution of air and water, and the possible impact of bio-terrorism."
Posted May 21, 2002
- Vancouver
Landscaper Moves from Power to Push Mowers
- "But there is this one big lawn spreading between 5.5 acres of
townhouses, parking lots and perennial beds. The lawn area itself
represents probably a quarter of the property. No one thought this lawn
could possibly be maintained with reel push mowers on a weekly basis."
Posted May 6, 2002
- Walled
Kitchen Gardens
- "They were like an early version of supermarkets. Nowadays, our food
system is global. Food is flown in from far away, which is widely
regarded as unsustainable. Walled kitchen gardens succeeded in growing
this food at home, all-year-round. By developing techniques and
technology that we rely upon today, walled kitchen gardens were
intensive food factories that spearheaded our industrial food system."
Posted May 2, 2002
- Chinese,
Japanese, German, Swedish, English Allotment Garden
Reports
- "In Japan allotment and community gardening have been paid striking
attention to during the last two decades. For example, the number of
allotment sites has increased and allotment gardens were given a legal
basis. After World War II the primary objective of allotment gardens was
to obtain food. This changed to recreation and to improvement of urban
environments later on." Posted May 2,
2001
- Community
Greens: Shared Parks in Urban Blocks
- "Community greens are shared parks tucked away on the inside of
residential blocks. They are collectively owned and managed by the
neighbors whose homes and backyards, decks, patios, and balconies
enclose the green.These secret gardens bring neighbors together as they
care for and enjoy their community green." Posted
April 21, 2002
- Pigs in Streets of
Dili, East Timor
- "Asked how many pigs were wandering around Dili, Mr. Da Silva said
he wasn't sure. 'They are hard to avoid at times, choosing to cross
roads when they please, bringing traffic to a halt. Initially I thought
they didn't have owners, but they do. And people know exactly which ones
belong to them,' he added, without explaining just how." Posted April 17, 2002
- A Taste of Urban Agriculture in Havana - Tara's Latest Update
- "Mosquitoes are no laughing matter here in Havana. In fact, there
are armies - with uniforms to boot - of people employed to rid Cuba of
the dreaded Dengue Fever. These people patrol the streets with huge
machines that look a lot like leaf blowers. ...The warriors will then
enter the house and spray every inch with a terrible white chemical that
smells horrible and that no one can identify - not even the fumigation
warriors who brave the terrible white fumes without even a gas mask."
Updated April 16, 2002
- Urban Agriculture: An Overview
- Prepared for 'Both Ends'- which supports inspiring environmental
initiatives all over the world. "This report provides in very general
terms the key characteristics of UA and the barriers that hinder its
promotion. It also outlines some of the work that NGOs have been doing
with respect to UA. The last section offers some recommendations with
respect to the role that NGOs can play in advancing UA." Posted April 14, 2002
- Evaluating
Voluntary Stormwater Management Initiatives in Urban Residential
Areas
- "In recent decades, stormwater runoff has emerged as an issue of
major concern to water resource managers. Stormwater affects local
waterways both in terms of the volume of runoff that is generated, and
the nature of the pollutants that may be conveyed. Allowing stormwater
to infiltrate in urban residential areas is one way of managing runoff
at-source, and by doing so, preventing a wide variety of down-stream
effects." (40,000 word Master's Thesis in PDF format) Posted March 29, 2002
- Farm/Garden Land For Rent in Greater
Vancouver
- "The land is just off of River Road on the North Arm of the Fraser
River. We are a 30 minute drive from Downtown Vancouver, (15 minutes if
they are from the south end of Vancouver), as we are just off of the
east/west connector." Posted March 28,
2002
- Whose Garden Is It?
- Governing Magazine/March 2002 - "Community gardens can help
turn neighborhoods around. It's their very success that threatens them."
- "The city accuses garden activists of being insensitive to the need
for low-income housing; the activists say their views are being
misrepresented. The city, says Aresh Javadi, director of a group called
More Gardens, 'makes it sound as if it's housing versus gardens. That's
wrong. It's both housing and gardens.'" Posted
March 27, 2002
- Food for Everyone Foundation
- "Dr. Jacob
Mittleider has spent decades teaching and growing all over the world,
perfecting his incredible gardening techniques. Many organizations raise
money to feed the hungry, however Dr. Mittleider lives by the profound
maxim: "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish
and he'll feed his family for a lifetime." Because of this belief, Dr.
Mittleider has dedicated his life to teaching people everywhere how to
be self-sufficient by growing super high-yield gardens, even in small
boxes or soil plots." Posted March 26, 2002
- Urban Waste
And Rural Farmers: Enabling Low-Cost Organic Waste Reuse In Developing
Countries
- "Farmers and animal husbanders in poor
countries have acquired and continue to access urban organic wastes and
to process and use them in various ways. Green wastes obtained from
fruit and vegetable markets are used for animal fodder; food wastes from
hotels, canteens and food processing industries are fed to pigs and
goats; slaughterhouse wastes are processed for poultry feed"
Posted March 20, 2002 - Common Ground Program & Mini-
Ag Center (CGP) in Kenya
- "I was able to stop working away from my farm as a wage laborer in
Mumiasi to work full-time tending my one-acre farm. After receiving
training in Biointensive practices my wife and I converted our
conventionally cultivated farm to one using double-dug beds. This
enabled us to produce surplus vegetables for sale in local markets. The
income increased four times what it was as a day laborer and I am a much
happier person working for myself. As a result I have trained 530 other
families in my Community" Posted March 20,
2002
- References Relevant To
Urban Agriculture
- Here you will find reports on topics related to urban agriculture.
Updated March 9, 2002
- GIS-based Urban Environmental Resources Management and Food
Security Project, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
- "The project will establish a GIS-based urban environmental planning
system in Cagayan de Oro through a participative process. It will
address the needs of the community in terms of improved solid waste
management linked with urban food security. The target groups are the
urban poor, particularly the garbage pickers at the landfill site, and
the marginal urban farmers. " Posted March 6,
2002
- RUAF Urban
Agriculture Film
- "This video on Urban Agriculture has been produced to facilitate a
greater understanding of urban agriculture among policy-makers, urban
planners, NGOs, sectoral organisations and other people who can make a
contribution to the integration of urban agriculture into urban
policies, plans and development programmes." Posted March 4,
2002
- Sweat Equity: a Film
- "Sweat Equity is the first film produced by the Metro Farming Film
Project. The documentary focuses on community gardening activism that
was occurring throughout the City of Los Angeles during the years
following the 1992 civic unrest. Grassroots actions by local leadership
and the sweat equity of community people made it possible to reclaim
abandoned land to create urban gardens. " Posted
March 4, 2002
- References Relevant To
Urban Agriculture
- Here you will find reports on topics related to urban agriculture.
Updated March 9, 2002
- Self-Sufficiency Plan for Copenhagen Suburb
- "The Environment and Energy Centre (MEC) in Höje Taastrup
(population 45,000), to the west of Copenhagen in Denmark, has developed
a realistic plan to make the region self-sufficient in food. Double the
percentage of garden owners who grow their own vegetables; Triple the
number of allotments; Quintuple the number of people owning hens (5 per
cent already do); Increase production of honey and strengthen bonds with
nearby farms by getting more people to buy produce directly from them;
or for people to buy their own animals and rent pasture from the
farmers;" Posted March 2, 2002
- City Farmer's Net
Bulletin Board
- As announcements of upcoming events cross my desk, I'll thumbtack
them up here. Updated February 22, 2002
- A Taste of Urban Agriculture in Havana
- "So much of the food I love in Canada and eat regularly is sold in
American dollars in Cuba and is therefore inaccessible to many Cubans
and hard to find for people who do have dollars. Cheese is gold, eggs
are diamonds, buns and rice are my sustenance, rum is blood. I realize
now in a deeper sense that food does not exist without the people or
animals that grow it or gather it, or process it." Posted February 13, 2002
- Urban Agriculture in
Thailand
- "I find that practicing urban agrology has helped me integrate with
Thai culture more easily as my neighbours have an excuse to come visit,
talk, bring me their kitchen scraps, paint the sides of my planters, get
their hands dirty, have their children feed the chickens, etc." Posted January 31, 2002
- Restrictive
Covenants on Animals in Urban Agriculture
- "It began of course with conflicts between those who in past times
kept animals for food and extra income. In my grandmother's day, women
looked after chickens or other small animals in order to earn a small
steady income they had exclusive control over. I am speaking of
Massachusetts in the 1900s. Later, to end this practice, various
legalities were brought to bear." Posted December
28, 2001
- Jobs, Jobs,
Jobs!
- In answer to the many requests we receive for information about
employment opportunities in urban agriculture, we have begun a page
which lists job openings in this field. Updated
March 18, 2002
- Growing Sites:
The Use of Gardening and Farming in Youth Development
Projects
- "Throughout North America, there is a growing movement of
community-based youth farm and garden projects. Young people are
participating in the transformation of their communities, as well as
themselves by growing and distributing healthy, organic vegetables."
(35,000 word thesis) Posted November 28,
2001
- The German
Allotment Gardens - a Model For Poverty Alleviation and Food Security in
Southern African Cities?
- "Conditions of hunger and poverty were widespread in Germany and
other European countries nearly 200 years ago when the first "gardens
for the poor" emerged. Rapid industrialisation, accompanied by
urbanisation and migration, forced large numbers of people into dismal
living conditions. Urban gardens were one official response. " Posted October 28, 2001
- FAO's Horticultural Crops Group supports UPA
- "City farmers have developed small and medium size market gardens
specialising in the production of vegetables, fruits and root crops for
sale on city markets. This activity is becoming more and more popular as
it provides employment and income for women and young farmers." Posted September 28, 2001
- Denmark's New Law
About Community Gardens
- "The status of the gardens will be radically changed as of November
l, 2001: Previously the gardens had "temporary" status; after November
1 they will become "permanent" gardens - they will now be secure in the
future." Posted September 21, 2001
- Alice's Colony Garden in Holbaek, Denmark
- "In my case I have ended up with a true jewel. The house is like a very tiny cottage, has a bedroom, dining room with table and chairs, a weeny kitchen with gas cooking-plates, and a sink." Posted September 21, 2001
- The History of The Allotment Gardens in Copenhagen
- "The allotment garden movement peaked during the Second World War with lOO,OOO gardens. After the war prosperity increased and the allotment gardens flourished. In the l960's however, when a private car became within reach for some people in Copenhagen, one just had to have a summer house, preferably on the North Coast about lOO kilomet- res away." Posted November 22, 2001
- Alice's Colony Garden in Holbaek, Denmark
- FAO's Food and Nutrition Division's latest
Publications on Home Gardening
- Home Gardening for Africa
Posted September 4, 2001 - More Kenyans
Consume Raw Milk Due to Poverty
- "It is now official, more raw milk than processed milk is consumed
not only in the rural areas in Kenya, but also in the urban centers
including Nairobi, Kenya's capital city where 80% of all milk
consumption is unprocessed. " Posted August 25,
2001
- Cultivating
Community Knowledge: Growing Food, Flower & Ethnobotanical Gardens with
Street Children in Brazil.
- "Creating community gardens costs very little money for the positive
results it achieves for the people involved. Given the dangerous
effects of pesticide residues on children's physical and intellectual
development, an organically grown community garden provides inexpensive,
vitamin rich food to the earth's most vulnerable citizens, the
children." Posted August 22, 2001
- Government
Sets Urban Agriculture Program in Metro Manila
- "Montemayor said potential sites for the urban agriculture program
are schools, vacant lots and backyards, including subdivisions and
public lots, individual homes and other available lands." Posted August 4, 2001
- Asia
Urbs Magazine Article on Feeding The Cities
- See Issue No. 5, Summer 2001 (PDF format). "Importing food has
always been a major activity of city life. But as the size of
populations grows and the logistics become more complex, urban planners
are having to address issues of food security. Vincent Rotgé,
Asia Urbs Project Operations Manager, told an audience in Bangkok
recently that the Asia Urbs Programme can play a key role in this
area." Posted August 4, 2001
- Wasabia
Japonica
- What is usually known as wasabi in North American restaurants, is
actually horseradish powder (dried and ground regular horseradish),
mustard powder, with a little cornstarch and artificial food coloring.
Real wasabi, made from the wasabi plant (Wasabia japonica) a member of
the cruciferous family, is native to Japan and is traditionally found
growing in or by cold mountain streams. Updated
July 11, 2001
- Economic Costs
and Benefits of Urban Agriculture in East London
- "UA in East London is generally no longer a response to crises or
'coping strategy' as it once was during the first and second world wars
and in previous centuries. Commercial activities are primarily
motivated by profit although some producers, particularly organic, have
a 'philosophy' attributed to their lives and see it more than simply a
way to make money." Posted July 4, 2001
- User
Benefits of Urban Agriculture In Havana, Cuba
- "In Havana, the popular garden movement occupies 8% of total urban
land in agriculture (3.4% of total urban land) and is practiced by
18,000 gardeners who produce vegetables and fruit, and raise small
livestock to increase food security and generate income. The purpose of
this study was to provide estimates of the user benefits of UA, as well
as qualitative and quantitative information related to this activity."
Posted June 11, 2001
- Community
Agriculture in Metropolitan Sandwell: A realistic
vision?
- "Sandwell's history of highly polluting heavy industries has left a
legacy of degraded and contaminated land that is difficult and expensive
to reclaim for food and gardening projects. At the outset, the issue of
land contamination was given high priority, and SUGS project workers
undertook detailed site investigations as a first step in risk
assessment." Updated April 8, 2001
- Urban Agriculture
And Sustainable Cities
- "In the overwhelming and circular maze of problems that we face
today, I see two key changes that are required: a reaffirmation of the
value of small-scale businesses and communities, and the need to
overcome individual apathy and make sustainable lifestyle choices on a
personal level. While these are lofty goals which require both
localized and systemic changes, I believe that the many facets of urban
agriculture can begin to address these needs." Posted March 5, 2001
- A Survey of Community
Gardens in Upstate New York: Implications for Health Promotion and
Community Development
- "Community gardens involve the main characteristics that have been
described as important for health promotion in minority communities;
these are social support, an emphasis on informal networks, and
community organizing through 'multiple change tactics'". Posted March 1, 2001
- A Brisbane
Community Garden, Australia
- Gardening In The Street: Sociality, Production and Consumption in
Northey Street City Farm. "From a sociological viewpoint, the notion
and practice of urban agriculture challenges the traditional urban-rural
dichotomy, that is, the geographical differentiation of labour between
food producers in rural areas, and non-food producers in urban areas.
This blurring of rural-urban boundaries has postmodernist connotations."
(thesis 23,000 words) Posted February 10,
2001
- Solid Waste Reuse And
Urban Agriculture--Dilemmas In Developing Countries: The Bad News And
The Good News
- "Urban waste reduction and reuse involves, among other things,
composting of urban organic wastes (especially in cities of developing
countries where the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) is
high) and the feeding of kitchen and food wastes to domestic animals and
livestock. Discussions of urban agriculture (UA) frequently point out
that city farming often absorbs urban solid waste, thus reducing the
volume of waste and the need to collect and transport wastes to distant
dumps. In practice, urban farmers in many cities acquire municipal
wastes as resources." Posted January 15,
2001
- Anaerobic Digestion
in Rural China
- "Since the 1970s, China has been promoting the use of underground,
individual household scale, anaerobic digesters to process rural organic
wastes. There are approximately 5,000,000 households using anaerobic
digesters in China. The digesters produce biogas that is used as an
energy source by the households, and produce fertilizer that is used in
agricultural production. " Posted January 15,
2001
- Urban Farmers in
Nakuru, Kenya
- "According to the municipal by-laws, farming practices are forbidden
within the town's boundaries. The problem for the municipality is that
the enforcement capacity is too small; hence, farming in town has become
a very common phenomenon. Nowadays, the municipality allows crop
cultivation as long as the crop is less than one metre high. Although
that excludes maize, even this crop can be seen everywhere. Most people
cultivate the common food crops, mostly for their own consumption."
(large download - over 22,000 words) Posted
January 10, 2001
- Alleviating
Poverty In Maputo, Mozambique
- "Peri-urban agriculture, on the contrary, is an economical and
environmentally sustainable and increasingly important occupation in
Maputo. The authors explain the trends of these production activities
developed after the independence on the outskirts of the capital-city,
emphasising the decisive role of the General Cooperatives Union, which
nowadays counts 6 200 members, cropping about 2 100 ha of arable land,
technically oriented and socially supported by the organization, and
namely constituted by women and children." Posted
January 8, 2001
- Family Allotment Gardens in Georgia: Introduction of a European
Model for Community Food Security In Urban Areas
- "The neighborhood that was finally chosen for implementing the
project was a high-rise district with a majority of unemployed and poor
families. It was near the river, where a city sub-district office was
located. This building was put at our disposal for meetings with the
families who would participate in the scheme."
Posted January 6, 2001
- Women in Agriculture Conference - Introduction to UA
- This is a transcript of a talk given by Jac Smit of the Urban
Agriculture Network, Judy Tiger from Garden Resources of Washington, and
Allison Meyers the Chicago field representative for the Heffer Project.
Posted November 21, 2000
- Urban Agriculture in St Petersburg - Russian
Federation
- This is Case Study 1 in the World Health Organization's
(WHO) Series on Urban Food Security. "A retired pensioner, Ms
Alla Sokol, the former chief engineer of a flower company, was the first
enthusiast to take on the responsibility of starting a new roof top
garden in her house. She decided to supply those who did not have access
to dacha plots with fresh vegetables and greens. They could buy her
produce at very moderate prices. "(Also in Russian)(Slow Download) Posted October 30, 2000
- Urban Agriculture
in the City of Winnipeg - Four Case Studies
- "For equipment Growing Prospects Inc. (GPI) cultivated a unique
relationship with City of Winnipeg police and their cache of confiscated
hydroponics equipment for which they had little storage and no manpower
to supervise. ... Under the Health Canada seized property protectorate,
GPI would be able to absorb the equipment and disperse it to the more
than seventy schools in the province of Manitoba who want it to
implement hydroponics programs." Posted October
8, 2000
- Inuvik Community
Greenhouse - Arctic Food Growing!
- Inivik, which means "Living Place" in Inuvialuktun, is a town of
3200 in the upper corner of Canada's North West Territories. It enjoys
56 days of twenty-four hours of daylight (late June, July and part of
August) and has 30 days without sunlight mostly in the month of
December. "We are the most Northern commercial greenhouse in North
America and the largest community greenhouse of it's kind on the
planet." Posted September 29, 2000
- Native Crops
Project For Hull's Field
- "Traditional food plants of this region were once used extensively
by First Nations people and to a lesser degree by early settlers.
However, their use quickly declined with the rapid influx of non-native
species from the Old World and South and Central America. This current
lack of representation in the food market is by no means due to any
natural deficiency, on the contrary, there is a wealth of healthy,
flavourful, and unique food items waiting to realize their potential
once again." Tatiana M. Montgomery Posted
September 20, 2000
- The Food System: A
Stranger to the Planning Field
- "We present evidence for the limited presence of the food system in
planning's list of concerns by scanning leading journals, texts, and
classic writings, and reporting on a survey of 22 U.S. city planning
agencies. We analyze this low level of attention and discuss reasons and
ideas for planning involvement to strengthen community food systems."
Kameshwari Pothukuchi and Jerome L. Kaufman
Posted September 19, 2000
- Urban and
Peri-urban Agriculture on the Policy Agenda
- "Virtual conference and information market - 21 August to 30
September 2000. The conference invites everybody interested in urban and
peri-urban agriculture and especially urban planners and municipalities,
researchers and practitioners to participate by sharing needs, research
results, questions, and project ideas." Posted
July 27, 2000
- The Grandview
U'uqinak'uuh Community Schoolyard
- Includes: the
community garden, the bosque, the outdoor classroom, the feature
landmark, the school garden, the butterfly garden, the hummingbird
garden, the Mound, the dissipation pond, and the ethnobotanical
garden. Posted January 26, 2000
- Neighbourgardens
- "Neighbourgardens was established in Vancouver to connect land-owners who have garden space they do not use, with land-less gardeners who would like the use of a garden, primarily to grow fresh vegetables in." Updated March 13, 2000
- Sustainability
from the children's perspective - A journey through the landscape of
German children's city farms
- "In a survey among city farms and farm like projects in six
European countries, I found that projects with just 1 hectare (2,5
acres) size host as many as 60.000 visitors a year. The numbers of
visitors tend to increase up to a size of 2 hectares (with 200.000
vistors a year)." Oliver Ginsberg Posted September
18, 2000
- Adventure
playgrounds and city farms in Europe and what they contribute to
sustainable urban development.
- A comparative survey on adventure playgrounds and city farms in 6
European countries (Denmark, UK, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland &
Germany) in English and German. Posted September
18, 2000
- Rediscovering the Animation Playground
- Landscape Architect, Oliver Ginsberg in Berlin, Germany wrote this
research paper on the contribution of adventure playgrounds and city
farms to sustainable development in Europe.
Posted January 25, 1999
*** Most Recent Pages and Links Added (by Date) ***
- Involving Children In
Children's Gardens - Farm In The City
- "The mission of Farm in the City was to educate children about the
environment, food, creativity, and the importance of diversity, in our
communities and in the natural world." (6,000 words) Posted January 27, 1999
- Farming Inside Cities: Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture in the
United States
- 46,000 word research paper by Jerry Kaufman and Martin Bailkey. "The
report investigates the nature and characteristics of for-market city
farming, obstacles to such activities, and ways of overcoming these
obstacles. It also offers proponents of urban agriculture suggestions to
advance the cause of city farming in environments where many are either
uninformed of the multiple benefits of entrepreneurial urban
agriculture, disinterested, or skeptical about its durability and longer
lasting significance.". Posted September 12,
2000
- Introducing Simplified
Hydroponics in Manila Philippines, Payatas, Quezon
City
- "Community response after tragedy. ... The project aims to
introduce, develop and promote community-based and at low-cost
hydroponically grown food production, in particular vegetables, among
poor Filipinos residing in the urban areas. It will enable these sectors
to produce hydroponically-grown crops all year round for themselves and
their neighboring communities, allowing them to meet their own
nutritional requirements and complement to their daily income." .
Posted September 12, 2000
- Achieving Urban Food and Nutrition Security in the Developing
World
- "In a recently released set of policy briefs from the International
Food Policy Research Institute's (IFPRI) 2020 Vision Initiative,
distinguished experts examine the key factors influencing and shaping
future urban poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, and suggest policies and
programs to achieve urban food and nutrition security." Example brief:
"Hidden significance of urban agriculture".
Posted August 30, 2000
- Home-based Food Production in Urban Jamaica
- "The project began in October 1997 and seeks to improve food security through increasing vegetable and poultry production. Twenty women are raising chickens for sale and home consumption. Women used their own resources to build chicken coops and were assisted with inputs and technical advice for raising chicks. The vegetable component of the project began in April 1999. Women involved in vegetable growing received agricultural inputs for growing callaloo (a green leafy vegetable), pakchoi, tomatoes, sweet pepper and cucumber." Updated November 26, 2001
- The Fruit Tree
Project
- "The Fruit Tree Project connects people who have fruit trees, people
who can help harvest fruit, and community groups that use fruit in their
programs. ... Each year thousands of pounds of apples, pears, plums and
cherries fall to the ground and rot in City of Vancouver backyards. ...
In 1999, the first year of the project, volunteers harvested and
distributed 2000 pounds of fruit from local backyards. Most of the fruit
was given to the Vancouver Food Bank and Community Kitchens." Posted August 15, 2000
- Municipal Organic Waste
Recycling for Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Africa and
Asia
- "Regarding the high price of industrial fertilizers, organic waste
stream products generated in the urban and peri-urban areas are
considered as valuable nutrient sources for crop production, especially
for high-value crops (e.g. vegetables, ornamental plants) and for urban
gardens and recreation areas." Posted August 12,
2000
- Vegetable Production
on Open Spaces in Dar es Salaam - Spatial Changes from 1992 to
1999
- "Almost 650 ha of the urban area of Dar es Salaam are currently used
for vegetable production on open spaces, which is equivalent to 4% of
the whole surveyed area, offering employment for over 4000 farmers. From
these 650 ha, 12% are privately owned land, 48% are institutionally and
40% publicly owned." (16,000 words) Posted July
28, 2000
-
Urban Food and Nutrition Action Plan (WHO European Region)
- See link to PDF file part way down page. "Cities produce enormous
amounts of waste, and this waste is usually transported as far away and
as cheaply as possibly. Urban food growers have the potential to
transform organic waste, storm water and treated grey-water and recycle
it for use in food production. Urban organic waste (solid and water) can
be used as a productive resource and moreover the energy used in
packaging and transporting food can be reduced."
Posted July 26, 2000
- Gardening Questions? Visit one of these sites.
- The Internet is
a treasure chest full of gardening secrets and these excellent sites
will link you to many of them.
- How the Wasp was
Done
- "I have some sympathy and admiration for wasps, I truly do. The
non-union worker females bust a gut on gruelling 17 hour day flying
missions gathering various insects - many of which are plant parasites -
for the high protein diet needed by the larvae, and making paper from
plant material such as dead weed stalks. The stings aren't mainly for
our benefit but to subdue any large prey reluctant to become baby food."
Posted July 15, 2000
- Travelling
in Asia - Urban Agriculture Journal - by April
Richards
- "My first morning in Beijing was spent walking around the neighborhood of Haidan on the northwest corner of the city. Following the oncoming streams of bicyclists toting baskets full of fresh produce to their origin, I found two separate open-air markets. The stalls of these markets were filled with green peppers, scallions, lychee, melons, bok choy, daikon, celery, various dried beans, sunflower seeds, eggs, wheat noodles, live fish, chickens, ducks, and butchered pork amongst other things that I have yet to identify." Posted June 27, 2000
- Urban
Agriculture - Justification and Planning Guidelines
- "The authors want to show that planned and guided support of urban
agriculture can be an effective tool to buffer hardships for vulnerable
urban groups and create a better urban habitat." The study is based on
the experiences of the Urban Vegetable Promotion Project ... and draws
additional information extracted from 20 papers on city case studies on
urban agriculture world-wide. [13,000 words] Posted June 21, 2000
- Gaza Urban Agriculture
Committee (GUAC), a Palestinian Agricultural Relief
Committee
- "GUAC has managed to implement some important and basic activities
since the beginning of the year 1999, such as; producing the first book
of its kind in the country about the Future of Urban Agriculture in
Gaza Strip; starting up local contacts to establish a local network
for UA in Gaza; furnishing two local gardens and 15 houses and three
schools with fruitful trees, shade trees, seeds and seedlings." Posted June 14, 2000
- Urban and
Peri-Urban Forestry: Case Studies in Developing
Countries
- "FAO's work in urban and peri-urban forestry aims to integrate the environmental, social and economic role of trees and forests in an urban environment in light of the rapid urbanisation processes, migration fluxes and impact of cities on the rural environment. Efforts have been concentrated on examining the potential role of urban forestry in developing countries, on increasing awareness of the issue, on developing practical techniques, providing policy advice to city planners, and on improving documentation and overall accessibility to information on the subject." Posted April 5, 2000
- International Symposium: Urban Agriculture and Horticulture - The
Linkage with Urban Planning
- Domäne Dahlem, Berlin, 7.-9. July, 2000. "Most of highly
developed ancient societies benefitted from the advantages of urban
gardens. Modern societies, though much more urbanized, generally forgot
about this rich culture. Only very recently, faced with increasing
poverty and ecological degradation, the potentials of Urban Agriculture
and Horticulture are being rediscovered." Posted
March 26, 2000
- In the
United Kingdom, The National Society of Allotment And Leisure Gardeners
Ltd. (NSALG) Serves Gardeners
- The NSALG is the representative body for Allotments in the UK. With over 80,000 members and 1600 affiliated societies it is the largest and most respected organisation of its type in the country. Allotments are being built on every day in every part of the country. There has been a fall in allotment provision of over 40% in the last two decades. Posted March 20, 2000
- Simplified
Hydroponics in Urban Agriculture
- Peggy Bradley introduces us to home hydroponics systems by
describing working examples from around the world. Peggy Bradley and
Cesar Marulanda have just published Home Hydroponic Gardens.
"Simplified hydroponics is a vegetable production method that utilizes
modern day hydroponic technology adapted for areas with limited
resources. This technology is based on minimal inputs, requiring no
pumps, energy, or expensive equipment." Posted
March 14, 2000
- Manual on Hydroponics by Fao
- The book La Huerta Hidroponica Popular by C.Marulanda and J.Izquierdo published by FAO in 1991, reviewed by J.Izquierdo in 1998, is available as a PDF document. The English and Portuguese versions are also available on paper at request. An audio-visual (video) training course with nine classes, available in Spanish and Portuguese, is also available upon request to the FAO Office.Updated March 27, 2000
- Manual on Hydroponics by Fao
- Update...New York Community Gardens Threatened With Destruction
- New
York gardeners are battling to preseve their community gardens as City
Hall attempts to auction off city owned lots, on which many gardens
rest. Various sources. "...By 3:15 a.m., the police began towing away
cars on the street, while the protesters gathered around a fire. By 7
a.m., the crowd of protesters had grown to 150. They chanted: 'New York
City has got to breathe. More gardens, more peace.' " Updated February 18, 2000
- Peri-urban
Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Cirad, Centre de coopération internationale en recherche
agronomique pour le développement, has published the proceedings
of CIRAD/CORAF workshop on periurban agriculture in sub-saharan Africa
(20-24 April, 1998) Updated February 14,
2000
- Le péri-urbain en Afrique : une agriculture en
marge?
- par Paule Moustier et Jacques Pagès. 1. Le constat d'une agriculture marginalisée à promouvoir 2. Le péri-urbain à sa juste place 3. Quelques éléments de conclusion Posted January 25, 2000
- Urban Agriculture
Agrotechnology Park Study Tour
- Singapore Tropical Hydroponic Study Tour, August 27 to September 3,
2000. See the new opportunities for hydroponics in urban farming's
agrotechnology parks and rooftop farming and rooftop and indoor
gardening. Posted February 12, 2000
- Roofwater Fish Farm
Ideal For Learning
- "Scientist Vivienne Hallman on periurban acres at Figtree Pocket, 10
kilometres from the Brisbane, CBD Australia, is proving that urban
fringe farmers can grow native fish successfully on natural foods. Most
of the water can come from a home rooftop. Much of the fish food can be
home-grown earthworms and insect larvae." Posted
February 12, 2000
- An Urban
Rooftop Integrated Microfarm For Mt.Gravatt's Commercial Buildings
(Australia)
- "Key technologies, such as hydroponics, aquaculture, aquaponics,
vermiculture, and very small animal husbandry can now be integrated
safely and economically into modern urban rooftop microfarms which can:
A. Take food wastes from local restaurants and food shops.
B. Put them through a biogas digester to eliminate pathogens and
other harmful micro-organisms. C. Use advanced vermiculture to
create nutrients for fish and plants from the sterilised food wastes.
D. Grow fish, crustaceans, herbs, salad vegetables and selected
small animals (such as quails and meat rabbits) for sale to local
restaurants or food stores." Posted February 12,
2000
- This Urban Fringe
Farm Is Worth Adapting
- "The Laredo Demonstration Farm, an urban farm in Texas, teaches
students about the successful integration of farming systems with waste
management. Exciting features include: Worms for fish and poultry food.
Insect and insect larvae production for fish food. Harvesting of wind
energy. Production of biofuels, such as methane. Fish production.
Agroforestry combining fruit trees with vegetable growing. Solar
refrigeration. Food processing." Posted
February 12, 2000
- Oval Pipes Make Sense
For Tropics
- "Oval pipes make great sense for hydroponics in the tropics and
sub-tropics. ... Using such technology, microfarms around peri-urban
areas, or on commercial rooftops in shopping strips or shopping malls,
could be the future for a great deal of fresh vegetable production."
Posted February 12, 2000
- Singapore's
Aero-Green Pioneers Tropical Aeroponics
- "One of the most interesting concepts mooted for Singapore is
rooftop gardening and farming using aeroponics. Professor Lee Sing Kong,
the academic who has led Singapore's aeroponic development, is a
long-term advocate of better use of rooftops through plant growing for
aesthetics, better energy conservation and improved food production. The
aeroponic technology has significant advantages in reduced weight for
rooftops, plus greater versatility for vertical or sloping walls of
buildings that face the sun." Posted February 12,
2000
- Urban
Agriculture -- Is It For Real?
- March 6th, 2000, Philadelphia "A conference that looks at
Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture in North America: what the studies
say, who's doing it, and who's actually making money at it? Where do the
opportunities lie, what are the obstacles, and what really makes it
work?" Posted January 25, 2000
- The United Nations
University Press - Food and Nutrition Bulletins, 1985, 1987
- These valuable, early papers on Urban Agriculture, look at food
gardens around the world. Northern Colombia; Lima, Peru; Lusaka, Zambia;
Chagga home gardens, Northern Tanzani; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea;
Javanese home garden; West Indian kitchen gardens; Newfoundland; Poland.
Posted January 27, 2000
- Backyard Farmers
May Hold Major Piece of World Food Puzzle
- "As urban populations grow at unprecedented rates here and around
the globe, city farmers are becoming more and more important. Under a
new initiative launched by the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in Washington, some of the world's leading
agricultural scientists will be looking for ways to help those farmers
play an even bigger role. The $500,000 Global Strategic Initiative on
Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture will link several of the CGIAR's 16
research centers with international aid agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, and research networks in Latin America, Africa, and
Asia." Posted January 20, 2000
- The Urban
Agriculture Network - Western Pacific. (Covering Australia, New Zealand,
Pacifc islands, and South East Asia)
- An office of the Urban Agriculture Network (TUAN) has been set up to
begin work in the Western Pacific region. "According to the Australian
Bureau of Statistics, about 2.5 million Australian households (about
35%) grow some of their own fruit and vegetables. This is estimated to
be about 110,000 tonnes of fruit and about 153,000 tonnes of vegetables
a year. About 80,000 Australian households have poultry that produce
around 2,000 tonnes of meat and more than 26 million dozen eggs." Updated January 23, 2001
- The Urban Agriculture Network (TUAN): 1999 Activity Report
- "In North America, the average food item on a store shelf has traveled 2,000 kilometers and has cost eight fossil-fuel calories to deliver one food calorie. In contrast, one report has shown urban production of perishable foods in central Europe to deliver eight food calories with the consumption of one fossil food calorie." Posted January 6, 2000
- 2nd Edition of Urban Agriculture: Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities is in the works!
- Authors want to know how you would improve the first edition, by bringing to their attention gaps or errors you may have spotted in the original publication. Posted October 15, 1999
- Urban Agriculture: Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities
- Landmark publication released in February 1996 by the United Nations Development Programme. Written by Jac Smit and his team at the Washington based Urban Agriculture Network, this book marks the beginning of a new age in the development of Urban Agriculture.
- 21st Century Cities
What Would the World be Like in the 21st Century if Cities Were Nutritionally Self-Reliant? Paper delivered by Jac Smit in Marmaris, Turkey on April 20, 1996
- The Urban Agriculture Network (TUAN): 1999 Activity Report
- Seed Suppliers for
Developing Countries
- "We have a seed breeding company in Vietnam and a farm in Indonesia
for high quality seed production. Some of our varieties provide
outstanding performance for growing in the lowlands and highlands. For
instance, we have bred tomato varieties that can be cultivated in the
Mekong Delta under 45oC and heavy rains, so that the farmers can grow
them all year round. " Updated January 4,
2000
*** Most Recent Pages and Links Added (by Date) ***
- Lettuce
Link
- "Lettuce Link began in 1988 in an effort to improve the nutritional
opportunities of low-income people. The program aimed to address hunger
in Seattle through garden development in low income communities, basic
garden education, seed and plant distribution at food banks, and
coordination of produce donations from the Seattle P-Patch Program."
Posted December 20, 1999
- Rooftop Gardening in St. Petersburg, Russia
"This year we also started a ground level garden in the Artificial Limb Institute which rehabilitates invalids who lost legs or arms in the War in Chechnia (mostly boys of age 18-25)."- Annex Organics' Rooftop Farming Business
- "Toronto's Annex Organics is growing 25 rare types of tomatoes and 10 varieties of hot peppers, along with various tomatillos and cape gooseberries. All of their produce is certified organic. " Posted February 15, 1999
- Green Roofs Cool City Rooftop Gardens in Chicago to Fight Smog, Heat
- "The city environment department plans to plant gardens atop several city buildings this summer as part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program studying ways to help cool cities and reduce smog." Updated April 23, 1999
- Rooftop Gardens
- Toronto's Rooftop Gardens Resource Group delves into roofing, structural considerations and building codes.
- Masters Thesis: The Potential of Rooftop Gardening
Joseph St. Lawrence has written eloquently about his work creating a roof garden on a warehouse in downtown Toronto. We have published 15,000 words of his 22,000 word paper. - Rooftop Gardening in St. Petersburg, Russia
- Cuba Goes Green:
Government-Run Vegetable Gardens Sprout in Cities Across
Island
- "Venezuela's populist president, Hugo Chavez, discussed the gardens
with President Fidel Castro. He said he is considering a similar
strategy to make food staples more available and provide another source
of employment in metropolitan areas in a country where an estimated 80
percent of the population lives in poverty.
Posted December 1, 1999
- Cienfuegos, the Capital of Urban Agriculture in Cuba
- Professor Alejandro R. Socorro Castro shares with us his research. Includes four tables and seven excellent photos. Posted February 2, 1999
- Article about Cuba's Urban Gardens by the World Sustainable Agriculture Association
- "In 1995, there were an estimated 26,600 popular garden parcels (parcelas) throughout the 43 urban districts that make up Havana's 15 municipalities."
- Cienfuegos, the Capital of Urban Agriculture in Cuba
- CityHarvest: The
feasibility of growing more food in London
New, 1999 report by Tara Garnett of the Sustain Organization. "Using a productivity level of 10.7 tonnes/ha drawn from research into allotment yields, London could produce around 232,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables. Taking the World Health Organisation's recommendation that we should eat around 0.5kg of fruit and vegetables a day (five portions), the amount potentially available would supply Londoners with 18% of their daily intake - roughly one of the recommended five portions a day." Updated November 7, 1999 - City Farms
in United Kingdom
- Things you can do here include: daily feeding and mucking out, milking and cheese making, beekeeping and general animal care.
- Things you can do here include: daily feeding and mucking out, milking and cheese making, beekeeping and general animal care.
- Urban
Agriculture In Europe: Bulletins
- The ETC in the Netherlands has published three bulletins from the
European Support Group on Urban Agriculture (ESGUA). The just published,
third issue of the bulletin focuses on urban forestry in Europe. Updated May 14, 1998
- European Federation Of City Farms
- Find organizations in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. Read the EFCF's philosophy in their "City Farms, a bridge between agriculture and citizen" and "We are a part of the earth and the earth is a part of us." Posted December 10, 1998
- European Federation Of City Farms
- Cities Feeding People Homepage
- This site provides information about
the program initiative on urban agriculture (UA) at Canada's
International Development Research Centre. UA projects in Tanzania,
Zimbabwe, Uganda, Morocco, India, Cambodia, Kenya, Ghana, are described.
The site also describes a Latin American UA organization named AGUILA currently grouping nearly 40 institutions from
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru.
- Urban Food Production: Evolution, Official Support and Significance by Luc J.A. Mougeot
- A major paper (16,479 words) by the Senior Program Officer, Environment and Natural Resources Division at Canada's IDRC.
- Urban Food Production: Evolution, Official Support and Significance by Luc J.A. Mougeot
- International Group Supports Urban Agriculture:
- Urban
agriculture group forms a Global Facility: to reduce food insecurity,
create jobs and improve the environment in cities. A new WWW site
introduces the work of the international Support Group for Urban
Agriculture (SGUA).
- Urban Agriculture a Global Initiative
- New brochure introducing an international effort by CARE International, City Farmer, Developing Countries Farm Radio Network, DGlS (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ETC Netherlands, FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization), GTZ (German Technical Cooperation), lDRC (International Development Research Centre), lFPRl (International Food Policy Research Institute), NRl (Natural Resources International) TUAN (The Urban Agriculture Network), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), World Bank, World Sustainable Agriculture Association, Members of the academic community. July 1997.
- Mayors Discuss Urban Agriculture at the United Nations
Urban Agriculture For Food Security, Jobs And Waste Recovery: Roundtable of Top Local Government Officials, 29 July 1997 - Urban Agriculture a Global Initiative
- Towards the
Establishment of a Development and Research/Training Network on Urban
Agriculture for East And Southern Africa (UANESA)
- UNNESA's founding members include Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania
and the Republic of South Africa (English-speaking African countries). A
similar network is being developed by French-speaking African countries
(West-Central Africa). Posted Oct 7,
1999
- Agriculture Urbaine,
Rapports Sociaux Et Citoyenneté: le cas du jardinage biologique
communautaire au Québec et au Mexique
- "This paper contains an analytical description of four community
garden initiatives from the areas studied. Two of the gardens are aimed
mainly at providing food security while the other two were created to
promote local social development." In French (25,000 words) Posted October 8, 1999
- Synopsis of Workshop on Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture -
August, 1999 Accra, Ghana
- The workshop theme was: "Closing the nutrient cycle for urban food
security and environmental protection". Among the farmer participants
were the "best urban" and "best peri-urban" farmers of Accra and Kumasi.
The workshop was limited to 60 participants. Two-thirds came from Africa
(Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo), one third from Europe
(Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, The Netherlands),
Thailand, USA, and Canada. Updated August 28,
1999
- New York City Rooftop
Beekeepers Defy Law to Get That Sweet Central Park
Bouquet
- "The city's urban bee mavens inhabit their own entomological
universe... There are puns about the, well, plight of the bumblebee and
requests to 'lend me your comb'; and, yes, there are questions about
whether to bee or not to bee." Posted July 21,
1999
- Anacostia's 'Urban
Oasis' - Community Farm Thrives On Help of Neighborhood And Corporate
Volunteers
- "This is a community garden with a goal: providing vegetables, herbs
and flowers for people who live in Anacostia (Washington DC) which lost
its last supermarket in October, a Safeway near St. Elizabeths. For the
many neighborhood residents who do not own cars, it's a two- or
three-mile bus or taxi ride to the nearest full-service market unless
they go to small corner stores instead. " Posted
July 14, 1999
- Plastic
Wading Pools Make Excellent Container Gardens
- "Dr. Ebenezer set about to prove the feasibility of growing
vegetables in plastic wading pools. In 1997, gardeners harvested 984
pounds of vegetables from 38 pools in an area measuring 1,625 square
feet. The urban agriculture project of the ELCA demonstrates how fresh,
healthy vegetables can be grown inexpensively in containers virtually
anywhere -- at the edges of parking lots; along railroad tracks; on back
porches; on rooftops; in patios; in driveways; and in vacant lots
between buildings." Posted July 9, 1999
- Two other useful container gardening sites:
Windowbox.Com
Suite101 Container Gardening - Two other useful container gardening sites:
- Urban
Agriculture and Feeding Latin American and Caribbean
Cities
- "The project will facilitate a formal interaction between regional
networks of experts in urban agriculture and of local authorities
interested in sharing experiences or in phasing urban agriculture
activities into local agenda to better address urban poverty, food
insecurity, unemployment , gender inequity, environmental degradation
and rural-urban tensions. Results will be edited, published and
disseminated to municipal urban actors and others throughout the Region.
" Posted July 9, 1999
- Seminario
Internacional Sobre Desarrollo Sustentable Y Agricultura Urbana
19-23 de Julio de 1999 México D.F.
- Sponsored by Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and
Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la
Alimentación (FAO) Posted June 21,
1999
- Urbanites Enjoy Life
'Down on the Farm' - in San Francisco
- "More likely to be seen are farms like the garden lovingly tended by
Eva Moen, proprietor of Wheat Grass Farm and Depot on 15th Street. Her
75- by 45-foot back yard is a burst of primary colors, a bright red
patio jammed with white shelves of sprouting green wheat. Moen, 59,
takes care of the planting, watering and marketing of 350 flats a week
of the green sprouts." Posted June 8,
1999
- An
Agro-Silvo-Pastoral System In The South-East Of Mexico City, And Policy
Considerations For Peri-Urban Agriculture.
- "Focussing on the mountainous area to the south-east of Mexico City,
policies related to agriculture, urban development and environment are
outlined, and criticised for assuming that the aims of each are mutually
exclusive." Posted June 3, 1999
*** Most Recent Pages and Links Added (by Date) ***
- Suburban Livestock Rearing by Smallholders in the Backyards of Xochimilco, Mexico
- "The sale of pigs in Xochimilco has, as its prime objectives, the production of meat and bi-products for self-consumption, as well as to provide resources to increase family income." Posted September 10, 1998
- Procesos Metropolitanos Y Agricultura Urbana En México
- Pablo A. Torres Lima of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco sent this 221 page manuscript to us which includes 18 papers. The Table of Contents has been placed on our site. Posted July 30, 1998
- Urban Agriculture in Mexico City
- "Our research has reported that producers keep an average of 3 pigs and 26 birds per household, but there are some individuals who manage up to 60 pigs, all kept within the family. ... Their nutrition is based on the use of food wastes available from the city including kitchen wastes, stale bread and tortilla, left-over tortilla dough, chicken guts, and fruit and vegetable wastes from the markets, amounting to 4000 tonnes per day."
The 1999 Resource Guide on Urban Agriculture (277 pages), prepared by the ETC for the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation in the Netherlands, reviews City Farmer's web site:
"In our opinion, simply the best web site on the topic of urban agriculture, collecting valuable information on the Internet, difficult to find elsewhere. The homepage is regularly updated and contains general information on Urban Agriculture in both developing and developed countries, articles, conference announcements, resources and provides links to other relevant Internet sites. Everybody is free to send interesting information to the web site where it is quickly placed and edited. One is able to find information varying from research and policy discussions to composting, vermiculture and community gardens. The site is well organised and easily accessible."
- Suburban Livestock Rearing by Smallholders in the Backyards of Xochimilco, Mexico
- Farmers in British Columbia
Connecting with City Farmers
- Shopping for farm fresh produce, nursery stock, or dairy items with
that incomparable British Columbia quality? Here are some guides to help
you buy at the farm gate. Updated May 28,
1999
- Urban Growth: Urban Agriculture at South East False Creek
- Alexander F. Kurnicki shares with us his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Program graduation thesis. "The City of Vancouver sponsored project to create a sustainable community at South East False Creek (SEFC) offers us an opportunity to raise the profile of urban agriculture in Vancouver." (14,000 words) Posted May 17, 1999
- Wasted Agriculture: The Use Of Compost In Urban Agriculture
- This Working Document (1996) by D.'t Hart, J. Pluijmers, from UWEP
(Urban Waste Expertise Programme),
WASTE web site. Posted May 8, 1999
- Urban Organic Wastes, Urban Health And Sustainable Urban And Peri-Urban Agriculture - Linking Urban And Rural By Composting
- This paper was
presented at the Workshop "Rural-Urban Linkages" sponsored by UNDP and
the Government of the State of Paraná, Brazil, in March, 1998.
Posted May 5, 1999
- Waste
Management in Nairobi, Kenya
- "Organic wastes are also important to the urban agriculture sector
as all sorts of livestock, including goats, chickens and the occasional
cow, feed on top of waste heaps." 15,000 word report written by Kim
Peters. Posted March 5, 1999
- Raising Quail for Food
in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
- Important ruling! Fredericton City Council approves the raising of
quail for food. Jean Louis Deveau describes how he provides a meal a
month for his family raising these birds. Posted
February 25, 1999
- FAO's Agriculture 21 Magazine: Issues in Urban
Agriculture
- "Looming over many urban farmers, both men and women, is the
constant threat of losing access to their plot and being forced to stop
production. In many areas, non-farming households' inability to access
land in the city is the major reason given for not farming." Posted January 29, 1999
- Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Report
- This report was presented to the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG), meeting in Rome on 25-26 January 1999. Updated January 29, 1999
FAO PhotoFiles
- Yemen: crops in old Sana'a town
- Bosnia: a widow with the crops she grows on a plot supplied free by the municipality
- China: ducks at the South Suburb Beijing Company, which raises the "Beijing Duck" - famous worldwide for its special taste
- Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Report
- Agricultural Development in Israel
- "...from the experience of a country situated in a less favorable
natural environmemt, where farming is applied within the framework
of the desert and in areas surrounded by highly populated urban
zones." Posted December 6, 1998
- Agroecological Aspects of The Peri-urban Process
- Raanan Katzir, Specialist in Agrotechnology and Director for Projects and Technologies and Latin American Affairs in Israel's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, describes agroecological solutions which offer mutual benefits to both farmers and city dwellers.
- Israel's Compost Program
- "With over 400 tons of organic matter going to landfills every day from Jerusalem, the need to compost is urgent." said Naomi Tzur, head of SPNI Jerusalem branch. ... From Zevel to Zahav (Garbage to Gold) - The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC) is pioneering a compost program in the Bethlehem area with regional outreach. Posted June 9, 1998
- Jerusalem Cityfarm
- The Cityfarm is located on the 20 dunam Jerusalem Educational Farm started 35 years ago to provide the new generation of immigrant youth with practical farming experience. As the city expanded, the farm became surrounded by populated neighborhoods. Over 1,000 children from 25 schools in Jerusalem visit weekly. Posted April 22, 1998
- Agroecological Aspects of The Peri-urban Process
- World Urban Growth Means More Hunger, UN says
- "By the millennium there will be 20 cities of more than 10m people,
nearly all of them in the third world. The number of impoverished city
dwellers will have risen from 400 million in 1990 to 1 billion, and
there will be an 'anarchic spread' of shanty towns, sickness, corruption
and inflation," reports the BBC Online Network. Posted December 3, 1998
- Y2K Threatens ... Urban Agriculture to the
Rescue
A number of writers are looking at city food production as a response to a possible Millennium Computer Crisis. - Y2K and Our Big Bet
- "The bad news," said Levenston, "is that it takes time to grow food. You can't just turn it on. You can't grow food in a panic. It takes planning."
- An Edible
Park
- "The edible park produces multiple varieties of apples, peaches,
pears, figs, mulberries, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, nuts,
culinary and medicinal herbs." Posted November 19,
1998
- Yukon Territory
Community Garden - Year One
- "The young people involved in the Renewable Resources summer program
did some harvesting ... a bunch of 18 year olds digging up the spuds
with such glee you'd think they were gold nuggets ... seems the kids had
never done anything like that before and thought it was great fun!"
Posted October 27, 1998
- Casitas: Gardens Of
Reclamation
- "Drawing on Caribbean agricultural and architectural traditions,
Puerto Rican community gardeners in New York not only cultivate
vegetables, fruit, and medicinal as well as culinary herbs, but also
construct one- and two-room wood frame structures known as casitas or
little houses." Photographs by Ejlat Feuer, text by Daniel Winterbottom
showing at El Museo del Barrio in New York City. Updated November 8, 1998
- Jane Weissman and her
Vision for New York's Community Gardens
- Long-time director of GreenThumb, Jane Weissman, has been given a
People's Hall of Fame award "for tireless work promoting New
York's community gardens and casitas." Posted
October 24, 1998
- City Farmers - the
film
- Directed and produced by Meryl Joseph, City Farmers is "a
journey of hope down New York City's meanest streets where inner-city
residents have transformed derelict, abandoned lots into oases of
vegetables and flowers." Posted October 20,
1998
- WWOOFing: "Willing
Workers on Organic Farms" gives city people a chance to experience
farming
- Over 20 countries around the world have WWOOFing programs. In 1997
WWOOF Canada had 280 hosts across the country, 130 of them in BC. 1000
volunteers worked hard on organic farms, gardens and homesteads in
exchange for 3 wholesome meals and accommodation. Updated October 11, 1998
- Community Gardening
in Greater Madison, Wisconsin
- "In the summer of 1997, twenty-four community gardens were in
operation in the Greater Madison Area. These sites contain approximately
1600 individual plots." (9,500 words) Posted
October 1, 1998
- New York - Bees Bring
Taste of Honey to Inner City
- "Now he has seven hives in Manhattan and Brooklyn and one on the
roof of a school in the Bronx. Blind taste tests conducted here and in
Massachusetts have borne out customers' claims that the city honey is
better than the country variety." Posted September
30, 1998
- Chickens In Soup
- Some people believe that an egg-producing hen is of greater value than a barking dog or a noisy lawnmower, but City Hall doesn't agree.
- Urban "Animal" Agriculture Comes to Chicago
For 52 years, Heifer Project International has brought livestock to rural communities throughout the world to combat hunger and poverty and help restore the environment. Now they are bringing dairy goats and honeybees to the inner city.- Chancen und Risiken der Kleinbäuerlichen Urbanen Tierhaltung
GTZ in Germany has prepared a comprehensive report on animal urban agriculture. The complete report is published here in German.- Rabbit Raising in Cities
- "A survey of rabbit production is done every 4 years in Hungary. About 98% of Hungary's rabbit production is done in small scale enterprises. Over 31% of rabbit breeders have 6 to 10 does. Only 17.2% have over 20 does." Posted June 24, 1998
- Chickens In Soup
- "Rooted in
Community" Community Gardens in New York City
- In a 6000 word report to the New York State Senate entitled "Rooted
in Community", Carole Nemore, writing on behalf of State Senator John
Sampson, urged preservation of community gardens in New York City. The
report was an outcome of a research effort during which questionaires
were sent to most of the City's GreenThumb gardens. Posted April 14, 1998
- Photographs of Community Gardening in New York
- Operation Green Thumb celebrates the beauty and joy of New York's in an exhibition of 43 photographs. Published in conjunction with the show is a wonderful booklet titled Tales From The Field II, Stories By GreenThumb Gardeners
- Montreal Community Gardens
- Pierre Bourque, community garden champion and a 30 year veteran of Montreal's civil service, was recently elected Mayor of Montreal.
- Community Gardening in Major Canadian Cities: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver Compared
- Sean Cosgrove shares with us his paper (9000 words) prepared for Urban Agriculture Policy In Southern Africa, an International Conference held in Pretoria, South Africa, March 3-5, 1998 Updated July 3, 1998
- A Sustainable Future For Boston's Community Gardens
Garden Futures' publication, Rooted in Our Neighborhoods, is a detailed report which seeks long-term solutions for sustaining community gardening in Boston, a city with over 120 community gardens.- Formula for Determining the Value of Crops Produced in Community Gardens
- This formula was developed by the USDA and the National Gardening Association in 1981 at which time it very closely approximated values determined by weighing each harvest and pricing the harvested crops at local markets over an entire season. Posted May 24, 1998
- Photographs of Community Gardening in New York
- Urban Agriculture in
Northern Spain - brief observations
- "We began our search for city farmers at the edge of the city, where
market-oriented production of vegetables is still going on very close to
buildings. Soon we found a particularly impressive site not far from the
city centre - "La Huerta Del Abuelo Rosel." Posted
September 13, 1998
- Urban Market
Gardening in Saskatoon
- Wally Satzewich makes money from small urban gardens. "The produce
is harvested, and then washed in my backyard, and placed in a walk-in
cooler in my garage. It is then taken to market in a small 1/4 ton
truck. I look at the weekly cash-flow from one of my 1000 sq. ft.
gardens, and I am very impressed." Posted August
30, 1998
*** Most Recent Pages and Links Added (by Date) ***
- Jakarta Governor Says
Poor Can Farm City Land
- Agence France Presse reports that "security forces in
Indonesia have been powerless to stop scores of incidents of people
digging up golf courses and parks to plant vegetables, banana trees and
fast-growing tubers." Posted August 10,
1998
- The Autobiography
of an Urban Farm
- Michael Abelman has written a book about his home, Fairview Gardens:
The Center for Urban Agriculture, a 12-acre organic farm in Goleta,
California, surrounded by housing developments, highways and encroaching
urban sprawl. This self-sufficient farm, which employs 15 people,
grosses over $350,000 annually. Posted July 30,
1998
- Urban Horticulture
Project (Care-Haiti)
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
- "Around Port-au-Prince, where slums have developed as rural
populations migrate to the city, there are many areas growing food
(corn, pigeon peas, beans, cassava)." Posted
June 24, 1998
- The Utilisation of
Urban Waste by Near-urban Farmers in the Hubli-Dharwad City-region of
Karnataka, India
- "The report outlines the current situation regarding the management
and use of urban waste, composting practices currently employed, a
review of the use of urban waste in other city-regions of South Asia,
and a review of relevant soil fertility issues..." Posted May 30, 1998
- Ville Et
Nature
Dans Les Agglomérations D'Afrique Et D'Asie
- Where does the town end and the countryside begin? Who is urban, who
is rural? Pierre-Marie Tricaud and Philippe Blancher analyze the
relationship between the two through various examples, taken from large
African and Asian cities. A short introduction to the book (in French)
is included here as well as most of the excellent bibliography. Updated February 3, 1999
-
Satirical Web Site Creates a "College of Urban
Agriculture"
- "Learn how to grow weeds and qualify for federally subsidized
reclamation water." General Delivery University's (GDU) "Bored Of
Rejects" will even provide you with a diploma.
- Tanzania: Urban/
peri-urban Horticulture/ Agriculture Publications
- The Urban Vegetable Promotion Project has sent us a list of 21
papers produced under their guidance.
- Sowing Seeds of
Change: Down On The Farm In Philadelphia
- Urban fish farming is part of a vision of the future for the City
of Philadelphia published in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "The
operation could produce upward of 20 million pounds of fish a year, Penn
researchers say. Add a processing plant to fillet, freeze, package and
ship frozen fish, and you're talking 1,000 to 2,000 new jobs."
- Creating a
Center for Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems at the
University of California Gill Tract in Albany
- More than 30 non-profits and community organizations in the Bay
Area, propose that the University of California enter into a
university/community partnership in order to create the world's first
university center on sustainable urban agriculture and food systems.
- Urban Agriculture in Drylands
- Katherine Waser of the Arid Lands Information Center at The
University of Arizona, has put together a fascinating issue of the
Arid Lands Newsletter. Included is a report on urban agriculture
in Middle Eastern cities by Joe Nasr and Paul Kaldjian and another
featuring city farming in Istanbul also by Paul Kaldjian. Updated March 3, 1999
- Urban Women and
Subsistence Household Production in Kampala, Uganda
- Dan Maxwell writes that "farming in the city in contemporary Africa
... is the deliberate effort of urban women to provide for themselves
and for the persons for whom they are responsible, the security of a
source of food that is not dependent on cash incomes or fluctuating
markets." (8000 words)
- The
Significance of Urban Agriculture
- A report by Rachel Nugent. "The benefits of urban agriculture
include, income to producers (market or in-kind); employment of
low-skilled or unemployed residents; value of produced output;
improvement of environment (air quality, hydrology, reduced run-off);
reduced use/need for rural-urban infrastructure; avoided costs of
wastewater treatment; avoided costs of solid waste disposal; import
substitution; and reduction of urban blight." (6200 words)
- The Nutrition Garden
Project
- This past spring, Albie Miles began growing all his own food in a
4,500 square foot garden at the Center for Agroecology, University of
California at Santa Cruz. ... A typical breakfast consisted of toasted
amaranth porridge with winter squash. For lunch he ate stir-fried or
steamed vegetables with wheat and amaranth chapati bread.
- People, Plants and
Homes
- Government agency, BC Housing, manages 8,000 units of social housing
across the province of British Columbia. More than 1,850 tenants are
actively involved in a unique urban gardening program and large
community gardens flourish at 26 housing developments.
- A Seaside Arcology for
Southern China
- Francis Frick of the Department of Architecture at the University of
Hong Kong writes about 'architectural ecology' in China. "China's urban
population stood at over 350 million in 1995. It is expected to pass 450
million by 2000. 432 new cities in China between 1995 and 2010 will
almost double the 1995 amount, housing approximately 60% of China's
total population."
- The Role of the Living Landscape as an Element of Sustainability In Asian Cities during the 21st Century
Tobias Forster, an urban planner who has been working in Hong Kong for the last three years, presented this paper at the POLMET 97 Conference, November, 1997. - The Role of the Living Landscape as an Element of Sustainability In Asian Cities during the 21st Century
- Urban Agriculture In
Zambia
- Axel Drescher, Associate Professor at the University of Freiburg,
Germany, presents his research on home gardens in Lusaka, Zambia. Two of
his papers are featured here.
- Why Urban
Agriculture?
- William E. Rees, Professor and Director of the School of Community
and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia, gives us
his views on the reasons for urban agriculture. Professor Rees is
co-author of Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the
Earth.
- Sustainable Urban Food Production in the City of Vancouver: An Analytical and Strategy Framework for Planners and Decision-Makers
Rob Barrs wrote this thought-provoking paper as a project for the UBC School of Community & Regional Planning. (20,000 words) - Sustainable Urban Food Production in the City of Vancouver: An Analytical and Strategy Framework for Planners and Decision-Makers
- Sierra Magazine features stories about edible "Livable Cities"
May/June, 1997
- Articles include "Food for Thought - Downtown on the farm"
and "Strong Roots - Teenagers plant seeds of hope." Updated September 22, 1998
- Urban Agriculture
in Zimbabwe
- "...recommended to the serious student of either urban food security
and urban poverty, or urban planning and urban management in Africa."
International Planning Studies
- Yaounde, Cameroon:
Capital Becomes Garden City
- "In the past, urban agriculture had been discouraged by officials of
the ministries of health and environment, who saw farms in towns as
breeding grounds for mosquitoes, snakes and rodents."
- Urban Agriculture in
Nairobi, Kenya
- "The case of Mama S., a single mother with six adult children serves
to illustrate the role food production can have in the education of
children from low-income households. Mama S. states that revenues from
food sales allowed her to put all her children through school."
- City Farming in Albania
"The pigs ate the family's kitchen waste: bread, leftover food, vegetable parings, etc. If their neighbours minded the smell or noise, they said nothing; most people are in the same situation and understand that people do what they have to in order to survive." - City Farming in Albania
- Australian City Farms
- For the first time, a booklet has been produced
to document the activities, focus and set-up of Australian city farms,
community gardens and creative living/enterprise centres.
- School Gardens
- "The food garden increases their sense of
wonder. It's pretty magical, but at the same time, it demystifies the
concept of food production."
- Small-Scale Farmers in Urban Areas
- Here you will find market
gardeners, metrofarmers, bio-intensive farmers and others who sell their
produce.
- Gardening Questions? Visit one of these sites.
- The Internet is
a treasure chest full of gardening secrets and these excellent sites
will link you to many of them. Updated August 22,
2000
- Horticulture Therapy
- Strolling along a path in her electric
wheelchair, she paused, and a gleam came to her eye. Glancing
mischieviously over her shoulder, she leaned closer to confide, "I like
getting dirty the best."
- Urban Agriculture in
Thailand
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