Farm The City

Description

An essential primer from one of North America's largest urban farms.

• A unique insider's perspective on the largest urban agriculture enterprises in North America
• Award-winning author is renowned storyteller, author, speaker, and photographer.
• Considered one of the fathers of the Urban agriculture movement
• His work has been profiled in National Geographic, All Things Considered, New York Times and LA Times.
• His 4 previous books have sold over 60,000 copies.
• He is the subject of the award-winning PBS film, Beyond Organic, narrated by Meryl Streep.
• The essential tool kit for those wishing to start their own urban farm enterprise
• A clear-eyed introduction to the principles, the methods, and the realities of creating viable economic enterprises based on urban agriculture
• Shares the farming techniques from Sole Food Street Farms that produces 25 tons of food annually on 4 acres
• Takes traditional open-field experience and applies it to the city
• Empowers individuals to address complex issues
• Differs from other books on urban farming techniques because:
  • It provides a template for using urban agriculture as a way to support the needs of those who are underserved in our cities
  • Its innovative farm management system isolates the growing medium from the earth below
  • Gardens are easily moveable on short notice
• Numerous techniques, innovations, and approaches for establishing production farms in the city
• Vital information about fundraising and marketing strategies
• Planting and harvesting plans
• Endorsements from Paul Hawken, Chef Dan Barber, Will Allen of Growing Power
• New Society Publishers are committed to the highest environmental practices in the industry, including: printing all their books in North America, on 100% post-consumer recycled FSC-certified paper, using vegetable-based, low-VOC inks; and offsetting their emissions to make all of their business operations carbon neutral and is proudly B Corp certified. Their books are so Green you could eat them!

Audience: Members of sustainable and urban agriculture movements, municipalities, community groups, entrepreneurs

Canada: Ableman's work in Vancouver is the subject of a feature-length documentary, A New Economy, he has been featured many times on the CBC, Sole Food Street Farms in Vancouver focuses on addressing issues of poverty and addiction. He is the founder of the charity Cultivate Canada Society, the nonprofit Center for Urban Agriculture, and is co-founder of Agrarian Elders

A tool shed of tips and ideas for setting up a successful urban farm

In Farm the City, Michael Ableman, the "Spartacus of Sustainable Food Activism," offers a guide to setting up and running a successful urban farm, derived from the success of Sole Food Street Farms, one of the largest urban agriculture enterprises in North America. Sole Food Street Farms spans four acres of land in Vancouver, produces 25 tons of food annually, provides meaningful work for dozens of disadvantaged people, and has improved the surrounding community in countless ways. Coverage includes:

• Selecting land and choosing the right crops
• Growing food in city farms, including plans for planting and harvesting
• Fundraising and marketing strategies, philosophies, and vital information for selling fresh products
• Navigating local government and regulations
• Engaging the community and building meaningful livelihoods.

Farm the City is an invaluable tool kit for entrepreneurs and activists looking to create economic and social value through urban agriculture.

Urban farming has the power to change diets, economies, and lives. Yet starting an urban farm can seem daunting with skills and knowledge that extend beyond growing to include marketing, sales, employees, community relations, and navigating local regulations. With this comprehensive guide, you'll be running a successful urban farm in no time.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: PLANNING
   Mission
   Experiential Capital
   Financial Capital
   Fundraising Principles
   Selecting and Accessing Land
   Permits and Policy Challenges

CHAPTER 2: GROWING
   Infrastructure
   Soil/Fertility
   What to Grow
   Time, Space, and the Importance of a Farm Plan
   Creating an Annual Farm Plan
   Implementing the Plans
   Crop Rotation
   Soil Preparation
   Propagation
   Direct Seeding vs. Transplanting
   Beginner's Mind: Walking, Seeing, and Responding
   Never Weed, Always Cultivate
   Water Wisdom
   Pests and Diseases
   Season Extension
   Birth, Delivery, and Postnatal Care (Harvest/Post Harvest)
   Alive and Still Moving

CHAPTER 3: MARKETING
   Where and To Whom
   Farmers' Markets
   Onsite Retail
   CSA
   Restaurant Sales
   Direct to Retail Sales
   Wholesale
   Value-Added
   Pricing
   Your Story

CHAPTER 4: PEOPLE AND PRINCIPLES
   The Human Element
   Urban Farming Manifesto
   An Urban Orchard

INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT NEW SOCIETY PUBLISHERS

Subjects

• Books
• Professional resources
• Business development
• Agribusiness
• Market garden
• Development studies
• Urban agriculture
• Strategic management
• Food security
• Regulation
• Sustainable development
• Development
• Industrie agroalimentaire
• Agriculture
• Soil
• Horticulture
• Industrie

Informations

• Published by: New Society Publishers
• Published: 21 April 2020
• Reads: 1
• EAN13: 9781771423281
• Language: English
• Document size: 1 MB

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