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15 Feb ’12
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not really surprised they are making that little
A new type of agriculture has recently taken shape in American cities. Vacant properties and high-rise rooftops are morphing into farms, yielding fresh produce and honey, and exposing urban dwellers to the once strictly rural activity of food production. But sadly (and perhaps nor surprisingly), it might be a passing fad.
At least that’s what a new study published in the British Food Journal suggests. Carolyn Dimitri, the lead author and an associate professor of food studies at New York University, set out to assess the viability of American urban farming and to identify what drives urban farmers. She and her colleagues found that about two-thirds had a social mission that went beyond food production and profit. She also found that, regardless of their mission, roughly two-thirds of urban farmers say they’re failing to make a living, reporting sales below $10,000 per year.
In a survey of 370 farmers working in or around U.S. cities, Dimitri and her colleagues posed questions addressing what and how much they produce, how they sell and market their products, the risks and challenges of urban farming, and the farm’s size and characteristics. The researchers allowed the survey respondents to self-identify, so the respondents came from a range of farm types—vertical farms, hydroponic farms, crops planted on large parcels, on tiny lot corners and on rooftops, non-profit and for-profit, located within the downtown of a city, in the suburbs, or even in peri-urban areas.
3 Nov ’12
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There's not enough information in that article to help diagnose what is really going on.
Do these people that are making only $10,000 know what they are doing? Have they made their systems as efficient as possible? What are they growing?
If you're going to be an urban farmer, you have the advantage of being able to adjust to your market on the fly. This is something that large producers don't have. The urban farmers that are successful grow short season crops. radishes, salad greens, micro greens, spinach, kale and things like that should be 80% of what you grow. If you're an urban farmer growing potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, you just cant compete because the margins on those are too small and you need access to huge tracts of land to turn a profit on those things.
The short season crops with a short shelf life should be the bread and butter. You can get that to market faster and fresher than commercial growers. That is what appeals to the foodies and local consumers.
You also need to pay attention to your market. kale was huge 1-2 years ago. Now it's kind of falling out of popularity. As a small, urban grower, you can see this trend and plant less of that and more of what is being desired at the time.
I believe there is a big opportunity and a place for urban farmers, but you have to know what youre doing. If you want to be all idealogical about what youre doing, you will have to compromise. You cant save the world if you cant save yourself and be successful first.
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