So... what have we at Greensgrow learned about Urban Agriculture over the past few years?

Well, for one, we learned what was different between rural and urban agriculture...

We learned that what makes Urban Agriculture unique is the way the very fundamental components of traditional rural agricultural economics are manifested in the urban setting, including land use patterns, resource and labor availability, and energy and transportation costs.

We learned that unlike rural areas, good land is readily available in cities, and it's cheap. This is because the criteria that define "good land" are different in urban areas. Purchasing land for Urban Agriculture is not a good option since the value of urban land is very often inflated beyond its true value. Vacant, contaminated land may sit empty for years - yet the purchase price and the cost of liability management would make the land unaffordable to an Urban Agricultural enterprise.

The best model is to lease the land for a nominal price for a set period of years (usually 5 or more) from a non-profit entity or city redevelopment group that owns the property, yet cannot redevelop it and would like to see it in use. Greensgrow has had no trouble finding land like this - and many other groups around the country have found the same thing.

Ironically, as it turns out, one of the best uses for brownfields that cannot be immediately redeveloped is as an interim usage for urban agriculture. These properties have often already been cleared. What remains is to perform an environmental assessment (Phase I) to determine the best method to make the site protective for use in Urban Agriculture. Remediation should not be a goal of the urban agricultural enterprise as it will be a distraction. The site need only be stabilized and pathways to contamination closed.

"Good Land" for agriculture is also close to markets. This cuts down on transportation costs. Vacant, post-industrial properties in the inner-city are, by definition, located right inside your market - both the immediate neighborhood and the larger city itself. Greensgrow's customers come from every section of the city - not just the immediate neighborhood.

Labor is not scarce for urban agriculture, unlike rural farms. Greensgrow has found that there are a lot of very smart, motivated, and hard working people who want to work in urban agriculture. The biggest problem with urban labor for agriculture is the lack of training. There just aren't training programs yet for Urban Agriculture - but it will come as the industry grows. We're are all still just trying to figure out how it works...

We plan on using those lessons as a basis for our next big enterprise. In conjunction with the Redevelopment Authority (RDA) of the City of Philadelphia Greensgrow is planning the construction of a new wholesale nursery on vacant property owned by the RDA.

This project will serve as model for new green and sustainable businesses located on vacant industrial properties. This wholesale nursery will :

• Raise trees and shrubs for park restoration projects by the Fairmount Park Commission, the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
• Supply the Philadelphia Water Department over the next three years with grasses and other herbaceous plants for their new green infrastructure projects.
• Provide vegetable starts for community gardens and urban farms in Philadelphia.

The wholesale nursery project will also look at some other important issues for the future of Urban Agriculture including:

• The development of zoning rules for urban agricultural enterprises
• The storage and use of stormwater runoff on urban farms as a way of managing stormwater flows and diverting them away from Philadelphia's sewer system to lower CSO (combined sewer overflow) volumes - a major water quality issue in Philadelphia!
• The use of sustainable building methods and alternative growing systems suited for the urban environment.

So - what else did we learn...?

We also learned what was the same about rural and urban agriculture. As it turns out, we didn't meet one rural farmer who will plant one seed before they know who they are going to sell the produce to and what they expect to sell it for. And then they work hard - and they sell every stick that comes out of the ground for every penny they can get for it.We do that too.

Every business is about customers. You want to do urban agriculture? Figure out who your customer is first! Our very first customers were the restaurants and chefs in Philadelphia interested in locally grown, high quality, specialty food. Those same restaurants and chefs are still amongst our customers today.

You have a vacant lot you want to turn into an urban farm? Greensgrow suggests that you fill up a pickup truck with produce you purchase from local community gardens in your city or regional farmers, drive it to that lot and set up a farm stand and see who comes.

Those are your customers!

Good Luck!

FARM YOUR CITY

Eat well. Eat local.