(Editor's note: I'm trying to get myself back into the swing of blogging, but I'm feeling very rusty. Instead of constantly blogging in my head, I've been having a hard time starting anything. So, while I think I'll continue to share some photos from my trips to Seattle and Philly, and hopefully get some stories in there too, here's something to tide us all over.)
The Greater Ohio blog pointed me to this article about a model of urban farming that is actually profitable. Short digression: When I started my master's degree two years ago, one of the first subjects to whip me into an excited frenzy was urban farming. Our current food system - with food being carted so far and farmland being paved for subdivisions that would end up costing municipalities more than their taxes and our complete disconnection from what we eat and where it comes from - concerns me. (Who knew the idea of people eating fresh veggies could be so exciting?) To me there is such a strong connection between how and what we eat, land use, and public health, and I see urban farming as helping untangle that knot.
The article over at Governing discusses Roxanne Christensen and her mission to try and make a half-acre plot in Philadelphia profitable through urban farming (by at least $50,000). By the fourth year, her gross profits were $68,000. They quote Christensen saying, "The only way for urban agriculture to establish itself on any scale is to be a viable business proposition," which I think is true. And I think her venture is really exciting. (Greater Ohio also points to Christensen's organization, Small Plot Intensive Farming or SPIN-farming. I find it all rather fascinating. Check it out.)
Other related links: Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer is currently waiting for me at the library. I heard about it on NPR back in July, and my turn on the reserve list has finally come. Time timing is perfect.
Also, Greater Ohio was connecting urban farming with shrinking cities. Metroblossom, one of my favorite flickrites, spent the summer in Detroit, the poster child for shrinking cities. It's fascinating to see its decay through his sociologist lens. Check out his set here.
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