In response to yesterdays mood-board, we’ve been taking a deeper look into urban agriculture and are wondering if this could be the solution to many city-dwellers’ dreams of being close to nature while still enjoying the convenience and excitement of big city living. According to the US Department of Agriculture, about 15 percent of the world’s food is grown in cities, and this number seems to be steadily increasing as cities strive for efficiency and reduced fuel consumption.
The photographs in this post show a visit to Annie Novak’s Eagle Street Rooftop Farm by one of our favorites, Todd Selby. This urban farm is located on the shoreline of the East River with a sweeping view of the Manhattan skyline. The 6,000 square foot green roof organic vegetable farm is located atop a warehouse rooftop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The farm supplies fresh produce, by bicycle, to local restaurants and their own onsite farmers market. They also offer a range of educational and volunteer programs.
Gardens like these are springing up all over the place, even here in Berlin. Nomadisch Grün launched Prinzessinnengärten as a pilot project in the summer of 2009 at Moritzplatz in Berlin, Kreuzberg. They aim towards creating a new urban place for learning, where locals can come together to experiment and discover more about organic food production, biodiversity and climate protection. In addition there are 80,000 community gardeners in Berlin with 16,000 on a waiting list.
Despite challenges, when it comes to the risks of soil contamination, design and the engineering of these gardens, urban farming is a trend that is here to stay. If you’re one of the many ‘office rats’ longing to get off your buns and get your hands dirty (literally), there are plenty of great opportunities out there.