Urban farming might be a relatively new term but working in community gardens has been going on for a while and many are not only are enjoying the fruits of their labor they are also are enjoy in working the land.
‘Farming’ doesn’t always mean ‘rural’
By Lou Fancher – Correspondent
MercuryNews.com
Ten years ago, the phrase “commercial urban farming” might have resulted in furrowed brows and a puzzled “Do you mean commercial rural farming?”
Today, in Northern California, with locavores flooding farmer’s markets and green thumbs finding their joy in community gardens, the prospect of working city land for a living no longer raises eyebrows. Growing and harvesting fresh, often organic food has gone mainstream.
Thirty aspiring farmers participated in an introduction to SCUFI, James Kalin’s Sustainable Commercial Urban Farming Incubator program, held Oct. 9 at The Gardens at Heather Farm. They came from Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and — one woman, at least — all the way from Denver.
What sets Kalin’s program apart is the elevation of urban farming, a term frequently applied to church or neighborhood gardens, to farming as a commercial enterprise.
“Climate change and the skyrocketing cost of producing food is gutting the industrial agricultural system,” Kalin said, explaining the origins of his interest in developing the Sustainable Commercial Urban Farming Incubator program.
Lectures during a SCUFI workshop cover basic aspects of farming, but also startup financing, integrating farm operations into urban buildings and business properties, land use permits and municipal zoning ordinances.
Hands-on field exercises dig into crop bed preparation, micro climates, pest control and irrigation.
Curtis Stone, who operates a small-scale farm in British Columbia, introduced workshop participants to Small Plot INtensive (“spin”) farming during the opening sessions.
The Small Plot INtensive practice allows farms with less than one acre to generate a significant amount of income. A competent spin farmer can put 210 growing beds in a half acre and gross $300 per bed, to equal an annual income of $63,000 during a seven-month growing season, according to Kalin.
“It’s a formula that can be replicated successfully and profitably by anyone willing to do the work and faithfully implement the model,” he claimed.
Smart crop choice is key, according to Stone, who grows high-value items like microgreens, produced from the seeds of vegetables, herbs or other plants. His composting techniques, using restaurant waste and leaves he collects in the fall, also contribute to his financial success.
Lunch and break sessions offered the expertise of Molly Bloom, of California FarmLink, who shared information about finding small-farm loans and obtaining land. San Francisco beekeeper Robert MacKimmie added advice aimed at improving profitability and crop yields.
Kalin, who leads a double life as SCUFI’s director and as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional for his architectural and planning firm Virtually Green based in San Francisco, said cities are just beginning to understand the benefits of the program.
“The biggest obstacles to commercial urban farming usually have to do with local county or municipal zoning ordinances,” Kalin said. “Some cities prohibit growing (crops for sale) on residentially zoned land. Other cities allow it after the applicant farmer goes through a costly and uncertain permit process.”
Kalin named several organizations that support not-for-profit gardens, like the Community Alliance for Family Farmers, and rural farming services like the Brentwood Area Land Trust. But he said assistance for urban farmers working less than one acre is lacking.
He suggested that corporations and businesses are one step ahead of the government in joining forces with urban farmers.
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