Urban Agriculture, Urban Renewal

In between concrete, boarded up buildings, and abandoned lots, patches of green are emerging. Heirloom tomatoes, butternut squash, and poultry, are calling home what used to be abandoned lots. And around the country, a core of scrappy urban farmers are transforming the urban landscape into something pastoral, useful, and alive. 

Author Sarah Rich takes us on a tour of these innovative spaces in her new book, Urban Farms. She looks at metropolitan farms across the country, examining their connection to localism, to the foodie culture, and to urban renewal. For urban farmers, these gardens are not simply a hobby, they are a means of survival. Just as any farmers, they live off of their land. Rich's book studies their way of life and the challenges associated with it, which are not few. Ultimately, they advocate a return to our pastoral roots. But could their means of subsistence be the future of food production? 

A Colorful Tour of America's Urban Farms from FastCo. Exist