The future is uncertain
Crises in finance, energy, climate and the increasing demand for the planet’s remaining non-renewable resources place an air of uncertainty over the future of our planet and our places. Whether or not these issues immediately alter the foundation of our daily lives, it is important that we take out insurance now against the potential challenges we face in the future. It is no more than common sense to do everything we can to ensure that the basic necessities of a local living economy and community are in place so that our neighborhoods are resilient and adaptable to the changes that undoubtedly lie ahead.
We can grow a lot of food in the city
Anyone who has tended a small garden can tell you what an astonishing amount of food can come from a small amount of land. And while we certainly won’t feed the entire region with food grown in the city, we can make a real impact in the local food supply through the extensive and intensive cultivation of urban soils.
Urban agriculture is a pathway towards rural agriculture If we need nearly 10,000 new small farmers to feed 10% of our region’s population where are these new farmers coming from? Many will come from the city and most will have never farmed before. But in order to make this a transition a reality a lot more people must realize that agriculture is a rewarding and financially viable career. Commercial urban farming provides a path of entry for these new farmers – letting them test the waters and develop their skills on a small scale.
It’s the right thing to do
No major system of our modern society is more vulnerable to energy descent than the long-distance industrial food system, which consumes extraordinary amounts of fossil energy in its production, processing, distribution and disposal. Yet at the same time, no other industry provides such an opportunity to turn waste into economic value, community health and environmental benefit. Whether it’s land filled food waste that could be composted, unappreciated and unengaged people waiting for meaning in work, or vacant properties that could become profitable urban gardens, developing a sustainable local food system has the ability to transform all of these liabilities into assets.
An opportunity for entrepreneurship
Supporting community and business development in urban agriculture will provide citizens with opportunities to develop small businesses that require little initial capital investment; improve the health of their communities by increasing local access to and awareness of fresh foods, and transform Cleveland’s urban landscape by establishing thriving urban gardens in previously blighted vacant lots.
Opportunities for entrepreneurship in urban agriculture are significant in part because these small businesses have a low barrier and cost of entry. Beginning farmers with some horticultural experience can establish a profitable market garden with a small business loan of a few thousand dollars, a training course in agricultural business planning and a small parcel of vacant land – all resources which are currently available in Cleveland but which must be taken to scale if we are to develop a local food system that will meet the needs of the future.
Because these businesses are labor rather than capital intensive, they have the opportunity to employ thousands of individuals in the City of Cleveland despite the current economic climate. It is these individuals who can reclaim a portion of the $10 billion that Northeast Ohio annually spends on food and transform those dollars into local community wealth.
Urban Farming?
Crises in finance, energy, climate and the increasing demand for the planet’s remaining non-renewable resources place an air of uncertainty over the future of our planet and our places. Whether or not these issues immediately alter the foundation of our daily lives, it is important that we take out insurance now against the potential challenges we face in the future. It is no more than common sense to do everything we can to ensure that the basic necessities of a local living economy and community are in place so that our neighborhoods are resilient and adaptable to the changes that undoubtedly lie ahead.
We can grow a lot of food in the city
Anyone who has tended a small garden can tell you what an astonishing amount of food can come from a small amount of land. And while we certainly won’t feed the entire region with food grown in the city, we can make a real impact in the local food supply through the extensive and intensive cultivation of urban soils.
Urban agriculture is a pathway towards rural agriculture
If we need nearly 10,000 new small farmers to feed 10% of our region’s population where are these new farmers coming from? Many will come from the city and most will have never farmed before. But in order to make this a transition a reality a lot more people must realize that agriculture is a rewarding and financially viable career. Commercial urban farming provides a path of entry for these new farmers – letting them test the waters and develop their skills on a small scale.
It’s the right thing to do
No major system of our modern society is more vulnerable to energy descent than the long-distance industrial food system, which consumes extraordinary amounts of fossil energy in its production, processing, distribution and disposal. Yet at the same time, no other industry provides such an opportunity to turn waste into economic value, community health and environmental benefit. Whether it’s land filled food waste that could be composted, unappreciated and unengaged people waiting for meaning in work, or vacant properties that could become profitable urban gardens, developing a sustainable local food system has the ability to transform all of these liabilities into assets.
An opportunity for entrepreneurship
Supporting community and business development in urban agriculture will provide citizens with opportunities to develop small businesses that require little initial capital investment; improve the health of their communities by increasing local access to and awareness of fresh foods, and transform Cleveland’s urban landscape by establishing thriving urban gardens in previously blighted vacant lots.
Opportunities for entrepreneurship in urban agriculture are significant in part because these small businesses have a low barrier and cost of entry. Beginning farmers with some horticultural experience can establish a profitable market garden with a small business loan of a few thousand dollars, a training course in agricultural business planning and a small parcel of vacant land – all resources which are currently available in Cleveland but which must be taken to scale if we are to develop a local food system that will meet the needs of the future.
Because these businesses are labor rather than capital intensive, they have the opportunity to employ thousands of individuals in the City of Cleveland despite the current economic climate. It is these individuals who can reclaim a portion of the $10 billion that Northeast Ohio annually spends on food and transform those dollars into local community wealth.