Urban Farm
Urban Farm
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A community urban farm will be created. The urban farm will create spaces for the local community to grow fruit and vegetables. Plots will be rented to individuals in the local community. This will help to generate additional income for the development. However those on low incomes or who are retired will get a concession rate.
This will also be used as an intervention for tackling obesity locally and will be the start of an intervention to promote healthy eating through making fresh fruit and vegetables accessible.
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Urban Farming has grown in prominence globally and it is seen as an area that should be promoted in cities. It enables those that do not have access to their own private outdoor space to have somewhere to go and make the most of the fresh air. Post Pandemic this is very important and will help to create a resilient development.
The Urban Farm
Urban Farm
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Visitors from the destination garden will be able to purchase an additional ticket for a tour of the urban farm by one of the plot holders. A proportion of the income from these tickets will go to the plot holder running the tour. At the end of the tour the guide will take the visitors to the Urban Farm Plant and Garden Shop.
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Urban Farm Plant and Garden Shop
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Plot holders will be able to buy seeds, onion and potato sets and other materials in a dedicated cabin in the temporary event space. The items will be purchased at trade prices making the seeds and sets more affordable. Visitors from the destination garden will also be able to purchase these items but at full price which will provide further income.
Urban Farm Events -
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The Urban Farm will have a Summer and an Autumn show where those growing produce can present and compete against each other.
The events will be free for those competing but will charge a nominal entry fee for locally to attend. These shows would offer mini events during the afternoon when the points are being calculated and will have a mini community run tea and cake stand to sell refreshments during the afternoon.
These are pictures from the Letchworth Garden City District Gardeners Association Autumn Show. It is a good example of a successful show where there is a strong sense of community.
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CASE STUDY: Urban Farm - Port de Versailles, Paris
An urban farm led by the company Agripolis located near at Expo Port de Versailles is being built. It will generate a tonne of food daily and will become the largest urban rooftop farm next year. It will have 30 types of plant. Local people will be able to rent space to grow their own food. Urban farming is becoming more popular and the company that runs the farm already has other farms like this across France.
The aim of the company is to use abandoned spaces to directly feed urban residents with the majority of them making up the world’s population. The Mayor of Paris , Anne Hidalgo wants to make Paris greener and will dedicate 1/3 of available rooftop/wall and urban spaces to urban agriculture.
Urban apiary
There will also be a dedicated space for beekeeping which will be run by the community. This will provide another form of access for those who are not interested in garden but enjoy spending time outdoors and helping with nature conservation. The income generated from the honey sales will be reinvested in the urban farm for seeds and equipment.
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The urban apiary will be located in the urban farm on the edge of the destination garden. There will be a hedge planted with the hives facing this which will encourage bees to fly head height and avoid them from being a nuisance. There will be forage for the bees from spring, summer and autumn. There will also be a water source for the bees. The area that will be planted for the bees will cover the destination garden as well as the urban farm.