CHAPTER ONE CITY FARMS A farmer wakes up bright and early to work the land She pulls weeds trims plants and carefully waters her soil She picks some of the ripest tomatoes and cucumbers to sell at the market later in the day In these ways she is a typical farmer However she is also unique Instead of driving to her farm she takes the subway Her farm is not A growing number of farms and gardens around the world are starting in urban areas 5
YOUR LIFE Fresh Eggs People who raise their own chickens enjoy fresh eggs and the company of their birds Chickens are relatively inexpensive and easy to care for They need food water a clean chicken coop a small amount of outdoor space and protection from predators Do you think you’d like to take on the challenge of caring for chickens Before you start make sure to check your city’s regulations 6 located in the countryside It is in the middle of a bustling city She is an urban farmer What Is Urban Farming Urban farming is the practice of raising food inside a city’s limits It is not a new idea Urban farming has been around for thousands of years Archaeologists discovered evidence that ancient Maya people practiced urban farming more than 2,000 years ago They farmed crops inside their cities Ancient Romans who had small herb gardens in their villas were urban farmers too In the past few decades however urban farming has become increasingly
popular Many people see it as a way to grow fresh healthy food Urban farms can range in size from very small to quite large Some provide only enough food to supplement a family’s groceries A family might keep a container garden on their apartment balcony This is a very small-scale type of urban farming Other urban farms are so big they produce enough food to be sold at local markets Food Deserts In some urban areas it is difficult to buy fresh produce There may be only a few grocery stores or the stores that exist may sell only very small amounts of fruits and vegetables These urban areas are called food deserts Cities such as New Orleans Louisiana and Chicago Illinois have some of the worst food deserts in the United States People who live in food deserts often suffer health problems such as obesity or diabetes Some cities are tackling the problem of food deserts with urban farms Schools churches and 7
