City farm
Encyclopedia
City farms are usually community-run projects in urban area
s, which involve people interacting and working with animals and plants. They aim to improve community relationships and offer an awareness of agriculture
and farming to people who live in built-up areas.
They vary in size from small plots on housing estates to larger farms that occupy a number of acre
s. It is estimated that more than three million people visit city farms each year and around half a million people work on them as volunteers. Although some city farms have paid employees, most rely heavily on volunteer labour
, and some are run by volunteers alone. Others operate as partnerships with local authories. In London the city farms now have a show at an agricultural college called Capel Manor every September.
City farm also refers to "City Farm," a three quarter acre bio-intensive
farm on the Southside of Providence, Rhode Island
. This is one element of the Southside Community Land Trust
. At the City Farm, crops are grown both for donation to local charities and for selling at local farmers' markets. The City Farm is also a site where children's groups from the Greater Providence area come for education on organic local farming.
City farms can allow urban dwellers to interact with farm animals and crops. For some people who may never visit a rural farm this provides a chance to see how farm animals are raised and to make the link between 'agriculture
' and 'food'. They provide a focus for educational, environmental and conservation
activities.
, influenced by the community garden movement in the United States
. The first city farm was set up in 1972 in Kentish Town
, London
. It combined farm animals with gardening space, an addition inspired by children's farms in the Netherlands
. Other city farms followed across London and there are now over sixty city farms in the United Kingdom. In Australia, several city farms exist in various capital cities. In Melbourne
in 1979 the Collingwood Children's Farm
was established on the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands (the APHF), the oldest continually farmed land in Victoria
, farmed since 1838.
also provide agricultural space for individuals and groups within urban areas.
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s, which involve people interacting and working with animals and plants. They aim to improve community relationships and offer an awareness of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and farming to people who live in built-up areas.
They vary in size from small plots on housing estates to larger farms that occupy a number of acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s. It is estimated that more than three million people visit city farms each year and around half a million people work on them as volunteers. Although some city farms have paid employees, most rely heavily on volunteer labour
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
, and some are run by volunteers alone. Others operate as partnerships with local authories. In London the city farms now have a show at an agricultural college called Capel Manor every September.
City farm also refers to "City Farm," a three quarter acre bio-intensive
Biointensive
The biointensive method is an organic agricultural system which focuses on maximum yields from the minimum area of land, while simultaneously improving the soil. The goal of the method is long term sustainability on a closed system basis...
farm on the Southside of Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. This is one element of the Southside Community Land Trust
Southside Community Land Trust
Southside Community Land Trust is a 501 non-profit organization located in Providence, Rhode Island with a mission to provide access to land, education and other resources necessary for people in the Greater Providence area to grow food in environmentally sustainable ways as a means to creating a...
. At the City Farm, crops are grown both for donation to local charities and for selling at local farmers' markets. The City Farm is also a site where children's groups from the Greater Providence area come for education on organic local farming.
Purpose and Aims
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
' and 'food'. They provide a focus for educational, environmental and conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
activities.
History
During the 1960s a number of community gardens were established in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, influenced by the community garden movement in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The first city farm was set up in 1972 in Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It combined farm animals with gardening space, an addition inspired by children's farms in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Other city farms followed across London and there are now over sixty city farms in the United Kingdom. In Australia, several city farms exist in various capital cities. In Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1979 the Collingwood Children's Farm
Collingwood Children's Farm
The Collingwood Children’s Farm is a not-for-profit, inner city farm situated on the Yarra River in the Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford, Australia. It is adjacent to, and considered part of the larger Abbotsford Convent complex. The Abbotsford Heritage Precinct Farmlands supporting the Farm are...
was established on the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands (the APHF), the oldest continually farmed land in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, farmed since 1838.
Other similar schemes
There are also around a thousand community gardens and seventy-five school farms in the UK. Together with city farms they are represented by The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens. The Access to Farms scheme is a project to enable educational access to working farms. AllotmentsAllotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
also provide agricultural space for individuals and groups within urban areas.
See also
- Allotment gardens
- Asset-Based Community DevelopmentAsset-based community developmentAsset-based community development is a methodology that seeks to uncover and utilize the strengths within communities as a means for sustainable development....
- Collingwood Children's FarmCollingwood Children's FarmThe Collingwood Children’s Farm is a not-for-profit, inner city farm situated on the Yarra River in the Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford, Australia. It is adjacent to, and considered part of the larger Abbotsford Convent complex. The Abbotsford Heritage Precinct Farmlands supporting the Farm are...
- Community Food Security CoalitionCommunity Food Security CoalitionThe Community Food Security Coalition is a North American non-profit made up of 325 member organizations who focus on social and economic justice, the environment, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, community development, labor, anti-poverty, and anti-hunger initiatives...
- Community gardens
- Container gardenContainer gardenContainer gardening is the practice of growing plants exclusively in containers instead of planting them in the ground. Pots, traditionally made of terracotta but now more commonly plastic, and windowboxes have been the most commonly seen. Small pots are commonly called flowerpots. In some cases,...
- Ecological sanitationEcological sanitationEcological sanitation, also known as ecosan or eco-san, are terms coined to describe a form of sanitation that usually involves urine diversion and the recycling of water and nutrients contained within human wastes back into the local environment....
- Intercultural GardenIntercultural GardenIntercultural Gardens is a project of the German Association of International Gardens , resident in Göttingen. The project has the goal to further intercultural competence and racial integration.- Ideas and goals :...
- Living wallLiving wallA green wall is a wall, either free-standing or part of a building, that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and, in some cases, soil or an inorganic growing medium. The concept of the green wall dates back to 600 BC with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon...
- Meanwood Valley Urban FarmMeanwood Valley Urban FarmMeanwood Valley Urban Farm is a City farm in Leeds established in 1980. The farm is sited on Meanwood Beck and occupies . The entrance is on Sugarwell Road, LS7 2QG. It demonstrates organic farming and sustainability to members of the public, and introduces schoolchildren to various aspects of...
- PermaculturePermaculturePermaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. It is based on the ecology of how things interrelate rather than on the strictly biological concerns that form the foundation of modern agriculture...
- Vertical farmingVertical farmingVertical farming is a concept that argues that it is economically and environmentally viable to cultivate plant or animal life within skyscrapers, or on vertically inclined surfaces...
- Sustainable agricultureSustainable agricultureSustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
- Rooftop gardens
- Sheet mulchingSheet mulchingIn permaculture, sheet mulching is an agricultural no-dig gardening technique that attempts to mimic natural forests' processes. When deployed properly and in combination with other permacultural principles, it can generate healthy, productive and low maintenance ecosystems.-Technique:A model for...