City farming facts for kids
City farming, also called urban farming, is a way of using space in cities and towns to grow food. Think of it as bringing the farm closer to your home! It involves planting fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and sometimes raising small animals like chickens or fish, all within the city limits. This can happen in many different places, like backyards, empty lots, rooftops, balconies, or even inside buildings.
The main idea is to produce food where people live, which can help make fresh food easier to get, create jobs, and make cities greener and healthier places. It's not just about growing food; it also includes getting the food ready (like washing or packaging) and selling it to people nearby.
City farming is different from farming that happens far away from cities, often called rural or peri-urban agriculture.
City farming happens all over the world, no matter how rich or developed a city is. Growing food close to home means you can get fresh fruits, vegetables, and sometimes meat more easily. This helps make sure people have enough to eat and that the food is safe. It also means food doesn't have to travel very far to get to your plate. This is called reducing "food miles," and it helps lower the amount of pollution that causes climate change.
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History
Growing food in cities isn't a new idea at all! People have been doing it for thousands of years.
Ancient Times
Some of the earliest examples come from ancient cultures like those in Mesopotamia (around 3500 BC). Farmers would set aside small areas inside the city walls to grow food. In ancient Persia, towns in dry areas used water channels to bring water from mountains to grow lots of food in green spots called oases, even using waste from the community to help the plants grow! The famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, if they were real, would be another example of amazing city farming from that time. In China, the city of Xi'an has been around for a very long time (since at least 5000 BC), and people there have practiced city farming throughout its history. The Incans at Machu Picchu were also clever city farmers, using stepped gardens designed to catch the sun and save water to grow vegetables. In the Americas, before Columbus arrived, groups like the Aztecs built floating gardens called chinampas on lakes, which were super important for feeding their growing cities. People in places like Cahokia (near modern St. Louis) and the Pueblo cultures (like at Mesa Verde) also grew food right in or near their communities.
Times of Need
The idea of growing extra food beyond what comes from big farms far away became really important during difficult times, like wars or economic problems when food was scarce.
In Germany in the early 1800s, small gardens called allotment gardens were created to help people who were poor and didn't have enough food. In the United States, city farming became popular during an economic downturn in the 1890s. The mayor of Detroit, Hazen S. Pingree, encouraged people to use empty land to grow potatoes, which were easy to grow and helped feed families. These were nicknamed "Pingree's Potato Patches." This idea worked so well that other cities started similar programs. By 1906, the government estimated that over 75,000 schools had gardens to help students and their families get fresh food. During World War I, growing food became a matter of national security. President Woodrow Wilson asked Americans to use any available space to grow food to help make sure there was enough for everyone and to send food to soldiers fighting overseas. Campaigns like "Sow the Seeds of Victory" encouraged people to plant "victory gardens." By 1919, there were 5 million victory gardens in the US, producing huge amounts of food. During the Great Depression, growing food in cities helped people who had lost their jobs and didn't have money for food. These gardens provided food and a sense of purpose. Victory gardens became popular again during World War II. The government actively supported these gardens as a way to help the war effort. Millions of Americans participated, and victory gardens produced a large percentage of the country's fruits and vegetables during that time. After the war, government support for city farming decreased as farming became more industrialized.
Modern Revival
In the 1950s and 1960s, city farming started to come back, often led by community groups, including those involved in the Civil Rights movement. They used empty lots left behind as people moved out of cities. In the 1970s, groups like the Green Guerillas in New York City and P-Patch in Seattle helped bring more interest back to city farming, focusing on community development and helping the environment. The 1980s saw more funding for city farming programs from the government, and the practice continued to grow in the 1990s, with different groups focusing on different goals.
Recent Times (2000s-2020s)
City farming has continued to grow and change. Today, groups use it for many reasons, like helping immigrant communities, working for social fairness, making sure people have enough food, and making cities greener. It's also connected to movements that want food to be grown and distributed in ways that are better for people and the planet, like local food movements. As of 2025, city farming is seen as an increasingly important part of making cities sustainable and healthy places to live.
Types of City Farming
There are many ways to do city farming, but they generally fall into a few main types:
Gardens
These are smaller areas where people grow plants.
Community Gardens
These are shared spaces where people from a neighborhood can have their own small plot or work together on a larger garden. They are great places to learn about growing food, get fresh produce, and connect with neighbors. Seattle's P-Patch program is a well-known example.
School Gardens
These are gardens at schools where students can learn about nature, science, healthy eating, and where food comes from. They help kids connect with the outdoors, especially in cities where natural spaces might be limited. The idea of school gardens in the US started in the late 1800s, inspired by similar programs in Europe.
Farms
These are generally larger areas than gardens, often aiming to produce more food.
City Farms / Urban Farms
These are agricultural areas within cities that might include both plants and animals. They often aim to improve community relationships and teach city dwellers about farming. They can be small, like a backyard farm, or larger, taking up several acres. Some are run by volunteers, while others have paid staff or partner with local governments. An early example is the Kentish Town City Farm in London, started in 1972, which included farm animals. In Melbourne, Australia, the Collingwood Children's Farm is on land that has been farmed since 1838! New York City has seen the development of large rooftop farms in recent years. Countries like the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and China are also actively developing urban farms to help feed their growing populations and improve sustainability.
Aquaponics Systems
This is a clever way to farm that combines raising fish (aquaculture) with growing plants in water (hydroponics). The fish waste provides nutrients for the plants, and the plants help clean the water for the fish. It's a closed system that uses very little water and doesn't need chemical fertilizers. The ancient Aztecs used a similar idea!
Vertical Farming
This involves growing crops in stacks or layers, often indoors in controlled environments. It's great for cities because it uses space very efficiently and allows food to be grown year-round, no matter the weather. Vertical farms often use hydroponics (growing in water) or aeroponics (growing in air with mist). Singapore is a leader in vertical farming because it has limited land.
Indoor Farms
This is a general term for growing plants inside buildings. It allows farmers to control everything about the growing environment, like temperature, humidity, and light, protecting plants from bad weather and pests. They often use techniques like hydroponics, aeroponics, or aquaponics and special lights (like LEDs) to help plants grow. The goal is often to produce high-quality food close to consumers.
Why is City Farming Important?
City farming is important for many reasons, affecting resources, the economy, the environment, and how communities get food.
Resources and Economy
As more people live in cities, getting food can become harder and more expensive, especially for people with less money. City farming can help by producing food closer to where people live, making it more accessible and sometimes cheaper. It can also create jobs in growing, processing, and selling food. Using empty lots or rooftops for farming can turn unused spaces into productive ones. Studies have shown that cities could potentially grow a significant amount of their own food, which could keep money within the local economy. Growing food locally also means less food is wasted during long transportation.
Environmental
City farming can help make cities more environmentally friendly. It adds green spaces, which can make the city look nicer and help clean the air. It can also help manage rainwater and provide habitats for small animals and insects. By growing food closer to home, city farming reduces the need for long-distance transportation, which saves energy and reduces pollution that causes climate change. Some studies are looking into how the environmental impact of city farming compares to traditional farming, finding that while some aspects might have a larger footprint, others, like growing certain crops or using rainwater and composting, can be very beneficial. City farming also gives people a chance to connect with nature and learn about environmental care.
Food Security
Food security means everyone in a community has access to enough healthy, affordable food that they like. In some parts of cities, especially in poorer neighborhoods, it can be hard to find fresh, healthy food. These areas are sometimes called "food deserts." City farming can help by providing fresh produce right in these neighborhoods. This can improve people's diets and health, reducing problems like diabetes. It's also part of a bigger idea called "food justice," which means everyone, no matter their background, should have fair access to healthy food. City farming can give communities more control over their food supply.
Agroecological
This perspective looks at farming as part of a whole ecosystem, focusing on healthy soil, biodiversity, and fairness for farmers and communities. City farming, when done using these principles, can do more than just provide food. It can help build stronger communities, improve physical and mental health, and connect people to nature and each other. It can be a way for communities to work together and make decisions about their food system.
How City Farming Helps Cities
City farming has many positive effects on cities and the people who live in them.
- Economic Benefits: City farming creates jobs in growing, processing, and selling food. It can also help people save money on groceries or earn extra income by selling what they grow. This is especially helpful for people with lower incomes. It can also make food more affordable and available, especially during emergencies.
- Social Benefits: City gardens and farms are often places where people can meet, work together, and build stronger relationships in their neighborhood. This can lead to increased community pride and even help reduce crime in the area. Working in a garden is also good exercise and can improve people's mood and self-esteem. It helps people feel more independent and capable when they can grow their own food.
- Energy Efficiency: Transporting food from far away uses a lot of energy, mostly from fossil fuels. City farming reduces the distance food travels, saving energy and reducing pollution. Studies have shown that local food transport uses much less fuel and produces less pollution than transporting food over long distances.
- Carbon Footprint: Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), a gas that contributes to climate change. City farms add more plants to the urban environment, helping to absorb CO2 and produce oxygen. This can help reduce the city's overall carbon footprint.
- Air Quality: Plants help clean the air by absorbing pollutants like ozone and tiny particles. Adding more green spaces through city farming can improve air quality, which is good for people's health and can even help reduce health problems like asthma.
- Soil Decontamination: Many empty lots in cities have soil that is polluted from past industrial use or other sources. City farming can use special plants to help clean up this soil in a process called phytoremediation. These plants can absorb harmful chemicals like lead and heavy metals, making the land safer. This is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to clean up polluted sites compared to digging up and removing the soil.
- Noise Reduction: Hard surfaces in cities, like buildings and pavement, reflect sound, making cities noisy. Plants can help absorb sound waves, reducing noise pollution, which is good for people's health and well-being.
- Nutrition and Food Quality: Growing food locally means it can be harvested when it's ripe and eaten soon after, which helps keep more nutrients in the food. Studies show that people who participate in community gardens tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and have healthier diets. City farming can provide fresh, healthy food options in areas where they are hard to find, helping to address health problems linked to poor diets. It can also be a cost-effective way for families to get nutritious food.
- Economy of Scale: Using techniques like vertical farming or stacked greenhouses can produce a lot of food in a small space. These systems can also be designed to save water and recycle waste, making them very efficient.
- Health and Environmental Justice: City farming can help address unfairness in access to healthy food and green spaces, which often affects low-income neighborhoods and communities of color more severely. By providing fresh food and green spaces in these areas, city farming can improve health outcomes and make neighborhoods better places to live. It can also empower communities to take control of their local environment and food system.
Challenges
While city farming has many benefits, there are also some challenges:
- Space and Cost: Space in cities is often limited and expensive, which can make it hard to find land for farming.
- Water Safety: If city farmers use untreated wastewater for irrigation, it could spread diseases. It's important to use clean water sources.
- Pests and Pollution: Air pollution in cities can sometimes make plants more attractive to insect pests, which can reduce how much food can be grown.
- Nutritional Quality: In areas with high air pollution, the nutritional quality of some crops might be affected.
- Soil Contamination: As mentioned before, city soils can be polluted, especially with lead. Growing food in contaminated soil can be risky if not managed properly. It's important to test the soil and use safe practices like raised beds or special soil cleanup methods.
- Policy Conflicts: Sometimes, city rules or plans for green spaces might conflict with city farming. For example, planting lots of trees for shade might make it harder to grow vegetables that need a lot of sun.
