6 Urban Farm Projects Focused on Grassroots Innovation
Urban farm projects are popping up in different cities across the United States. The new, unique projects provide nourishment to urbanites and serve up educational opportunities for youth. While there are many great urban farm projects throughout the U.S., FoodTank recently featured eight interesting urban farm innovations. Several of them caught my eye.
1. City Chicken Project:Just Food, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting local farmers and communities with resources that make locally grown, fresh produce accessible in New York City organized and created the City Chicken Project. The chickens in the project provide fresh eggs, serve as an educational tool for youth, and provide fertilizer for gardens, kitchen and garden scrap recycling opportunities and more. Experienced chicken keepers help run the project and teach gardeners how to keep healthy, happy chickens. The project works with two to three new community or school gardens every year.
2. The San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance: This urban farm project promotes growing food in San Francisco through advocacy, grassroots action and education. The alliance’s members include social justice organizations and backyard gardeners. The organization also provides resources to new urban farmers and gardeners.
3. The Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago Honey Co-Op: The Conservatory and Co-Op host urban beekeeping classes. City hives are in backyards throughout Chicago and atop some city buildings. The project aims to train new beekeepers, educate the public about the importance of bees and provide the city with local honey.
4. Farmscape: This project was founded in 2009. Farmscape helps Los Angeles residents, businesses and schools to start and set up home orchards and gardens.
For the rest of the list, visit FoodTank.
A few other notable urban farm projects:
5. Perry Street farm and FarmedHere in Chicago, Ill.
6. Beacon Food Forest, Seattle, Wash.
Image: swanksalot
