Individuals who live in a city can quickly forget where food comes from and how wonderful fresh food can taste. It was reported in the 2000 Census, that 80% of Americans live in cities or suburbs where it takes fruits and vegetables two weeks of transit to arrive.

But with urban farming, fresh produce is only a garden away.

Urban farmers are growing extraordinary amounts of produce in areas that were previously overlooked. The lack of space in cities has made the wannabe gardeners even more creative. For instance, City Slicker in California grew 6,500 pounds of produce on less than one acre of land last year.

The Added Value farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn grows masses of vegetables in a foot of soil taken from the Bronx Zoo that lies over an old, asphalt baseball diamond.  

Boston’s Food Project grows farm-raised flowerbeds on the roof of Boston Medical Center’s parking garage.

Philadelphia has its Neighborhood Gardens Association, a community land trust that holds land reclaimed by gardeners to avoid development.

And Oakland’s City Slicker has built 50 backyard gardens, 40 percent of which are growing half or more of their households’ produce. They hope to build another 50 next year.

But it’s about more than just becoming gardeners or growing food, “We’re trying to grow young people who are inspired by the world around them and who care and see themselves as empowered to take action in fixing things” said Caroline Loomis of Added Value.

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