Urban Farms Hardcover – 1 Jun 2012

I spent 14 years (between 5 and 18) on a small dairy farm in southern Wisconsin, doing almost everything from cleaning out manure to planting strawberry plants using a mule pulled tobacco planter to baling hay, and many other tasks. I've lived in large and small cities since then, but have never lost my love of farming. There is simply nothing like fresh corn boiled for a few seconds within a minute after it is picked and husked. And, one of my pumpkins got to 400 pounds four years ago, before the deer developed an unlikely love for pumpkin flesh.

This beautifully photographed book reflects the author's and photographer's love for farming, and reflects the new and innovative ways in which Americans are growing and selling food. They cover 16 different urban farms -- both the words and the pictures are inspiring. The book has inspired me to check out five urban farms in the New York City area, and a small farmer's market located on Madison Avenue near 40th Street, which handles the produce and meats raised in urban farms in and near New York City.

Turkey shaped park in Battery Park, inspired by Zelda -- one acre to be tended by neighborhood kids.

Gotham Greens Rooftop Hydroponic Greenhouse in Brooklyn.

Gotham Grange said to be the largest rooftop garden in the world at almost a full acre.

Added Value with two small farms in NYC.

Tenth Acre Farms -- veggies, Brooklyn style.

This beautiful book may inspire you to search out similar projects in your area, support them with you purchases and donations, or even start your own.

Here is a recent National Geographic article which may whet your appetite:

For most urban dwellers, visiting a working farm requires a journey into the countryside. But in a growing number of world capitals, a farm is just a short elevator ride away—on the roof.

In Singapore, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Montreal as well as several U.S. cities, farms have been built atop multistory buildings.

"Five years ago, there were virtually no rooftop farms," Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, told National Geographic. "Now they are starting to appear across the globe."

Peck says that as fossil fuels become more expensive and the number of urban dwellers continues to rise, urban farming will help feed the population without increasing the cost and pollution of food transport.

Rooftop farming was born out of the green-roof movement, in which building owners partially or completely cover roofs with vegetation atop special waterproof membranes. Green roofs use plants and flowers to provide insulation, create a habitat for local wildlife, help control runoff, put more oxygen into the atmosphere—and provide a welcome, verdant break from urban drabness.

Rooftop farms take the green-roof concept a step further, with plots that provide fruits and vegetables for local residents and the chance for urban volunteers to become part-time farmers.

"There is nothing more rewarding than sitting down at the end of a good day of working with our hands, watching the sun set over a healthy, productive farm, and enjoying some freshly picked vegetables as a team," said Anastasia Cole Plakias, vice president and founding partner of Brooklyn Grange, the world's largest rooftop farm.

The grange covers 2.5 acres (one hectare) on two buildings in New York City. More than 50,000 pounds of organically cultivated produce are grown there annually, for sale to local restaurants and at the grange's own farm stand. Chicken coops and more than 30 beehives round out the urban farming experience.

Brooklyn Grange opened in 2010 after Ben Flanner, the grange's head farmer and president, spent a year developing a 6,000-square-foot (557-square-meter) pilot project. With the information from that experiment, he and his partners scaled up to 43,000 square feet (3,995 square meters).

"As we realized that we were able to grow quality food in this unique setting, we dove in and pursued the idea without hesitation," Flanner said. "Our hopes and expectations were to grow as much tasty produce as possible and figure out the scale necessary to make all of the production and finances work."

That spirit has helped the organization increase its employee base, product line, and revenue streams. Events are also held at the farm, and schoolchildren visit often.

Brooklyn Grange also provides a nice getaway for the residents of the buildings below. Each week the farm opens its doors for visits from the hundreds of tenants as well as employees. "Having a farm on a roof is not a normal thing, so the farms are definitely the topic of a lot of conversation, excitement, and questions amongst the neighbors," Flanner said.

Other cities are joining the rooftop-farm movement. Peck ranks Boston along with New York City as the nation's top locations for rooftop farming. Cole Plakias notes that Chicago has long been a leader in greening rooftops.

Robert C. Ross
June 2012
revised April 2015

Not as much text as I thought, but beautiful photos and profiles of the farms pictured. A nice coffee table book.

I saw this in the bookstore and started drooling, then saw the sticker price. Yikes. Happened to look on Amazon and saw a much lower price and could not resist.

Aside from being a very nice book, with great photgraphy, it is well written and engaging. It gave me a lot of ideas and more than a little inspiration.

I highly reccomend it for the coffee table or waiting room. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Not only is the book beautiful, but it quickly demonstrates that from coast-to-coast people are making local food a reality on their own terms. Everywhere.

Rich is a surefire and exceptional writer. As she journeys to urban farms, you feel part of it, and better yet, want to become part of "it": this mushrooming movement of grow your own food and feed your community too. Highly recommend!

Great review of city farming. Bought it because my son is in the chicago section and then we went to Cleveland and saw one there so will read up on that one too.