Year: 2017

Back to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Benefits of Roof Top Farming Roof top farming is the cultivation of produce and other crops on the roof of a building.  Farming on roofs enables the use of otherwise underutilized space for food production, and roof top farms reduce urban heat by absorbing solar…

Back to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Benefits of Raised Beds A raised bed is a bed that has been raised above the surface of the ground and that allow for in-soil, above-ground planting.  Raised beds can be boxed or unboxed, and edged with a variety of found materials, such as bricks,…

Back to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Season Extension Structures such as row covers, low and high tunnels, cold frames and greenhouses are ways that urban farmers can extend their growing season and increase yields and profits.  Urban farmers must, however, adhere to all municipal building and construction codes when designing and…

Back to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Climate Considerations Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF) states that globally, cities produce about 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The urban population worldwide is expected to double by 2030 with much of this urban growth taking place in developing countries. Accordingly,…

Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Air Pollution Because airborne heavy metals and particulates are not likely to be absorbed by plants through their leaves, urban air contamination is not considered a major concern for urban-grown food.  The exception is for farm and garden sites close to freeways, as freeway driving…

Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Mitigation vs. Remediation This factsheet outlines both mitigation and remediation strategies for dealing with contaminated soils.  Mitigation (coping) strategies involve reducing human exposure to and/or plant availability of contaminants even though they remain in the soil, such as by safe gardening practices and the use…

Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Contamination in Urban Soils Farmers wanting to cultivate unfarmed urban soils should be aware of possible soil contamination, whether by physical debris or chemical or other toxins.  Physical debris, such as blacktop, glass, and gravel, can be identified and removed much more easily than chemical,…

Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Blacktop, Concrete, and Structure Removal Farmers will often have to deal with existing blacktop and concrete surfaces when preparing vacant lots or other sites for urban farming.  In such instances, farmers can choose to plant into containers or raised beds on top of these surfaces,…

Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Land Access Lack of accessible land can be one of the greatest constraints to urban farming, and finding growing space often requires creativity on the part of urban farmers. Empty lots, utility rights of way, private backyards, parks, institutional land (schools, hospitals, churches, prisons, universities,…