November 3, 2011
This is part of a series of articles that will be published intermittently throughout the year. They are written by HEAG members, but do not represent the opinions of the entire organization.
When you picture farming in the United States, chances are you see vast acres of farmland rolling over the countryside, perhaps somewhere in the Midwest or even, given Hamilton’s location, upstate New York. Maybe you think of plows and tractors, countless rows of corn or herds of cattle being raised for beef and dairy production. I doubt that, when you think of farming, you envision an agricultural production taking place on top of a roof in New York City.
As an article in the Los Angeles Times recently highlighted, however, the perception of agriculture is beginning to change. The article, “Crops spring from on urban rooftop,” by Geraldine Baum, features The Brooklyn Grange, a farm grown on the rooftop of a six-story building in industrial Queens. The farm has many features of traditional agriculture, including 140 (yes, 140) rows of crops, high-tech irrigation and even five hens.
This isn’t just an isolated scenario, either. According to the USDA, approximately 15 percent of the world’s food supply is currently grown in urban areas. Although farming in the middle of the city faces many challenges and may seem a bit unconventional, doing so brings a wide variety of benefits to an environment that may not otherwise experience the advantages of local agriculture.
“Food deserts” are still a major problem in many cities across the nation, and urban farming has the potential to solve to this issue. Urban farming combats food security problems by increasing the amount of food available to city residents (nothing produced by The Brooklyn Grange travels farther than three miles) and also fights hunger and malnutrition by ensuring that the food available to residents is fresh, locally-sourced and healthy, thus providing a substantial alternative to the packaged, heavily-processed foods that often line corner store shelves.
As our world population level continues to escalate, it will become increasingly important to find new ways to feed and sustain our growing society. Promoting urban agriculture looks like a promising way to do this, as it not only increases food access by providing local fruits and vegetables, but also brings the health, educational and community benefits that accompany such access. So, the next time you venture off the Hamilton campus and into an urban center, look around. You just might see something that you didn’t expect: a farm in the middle of the city.