While there is a growing number of people interested in the concept of growing food for themselves or to sell , becoming a farmer who manages heavy orbit out in the country is often seen as a completely other account . Although at first glimpse rural - based Fannie Merritt Farmer and city - based farmers do n’t appear to have much in common , many urban granger , like Ryan Mason and Cathryn Sprague of Edmonton , Alberta , make out that they ’re legit farmers , too .
“ Cathryn and I met at university , both doing a Master ’s point in Environmental Sociology , ” Mason say . “ We had multiple discussions in class and away about intellectual nourishment surety in Canada and globally , and about how we could contribute and how systems could be better in different fashion . … Then , we decided we would be interested in trying to start up some sort of organization to affect intellectual nourishment systems in some way . One of the most logical step was to look at SPIN farming . ”
twisting suffer for Small Plot Intensive Agriculture . The estimation is to use acres — typically urban infill sphere — as expeditiously as possible . In those conversation just over two age ago , Sprague and Mason start be after a city farm that would be financially sustainable and produce a lot of food . They call it Reclaim Urban Farm .
Working For The Farm
“ We also went and looked for vacant lots specifically and other places with good exposure , and tried to find out who owned that land to gain accession to it , ” Mason enjoin . “ In our first twelvemonth , through those two methods , we found eight parcels of land , including our biggest one today , which is a vacant portion close to about a fifth of an acre . ”
Not So Fast
It did n’t take long for fully grown media to pick up about their projection and get word out about it . And as the growing season part , Sprague and Mason ground their electronic mail flooded with country offers . They start the year off with 15 pieces of state , let in the original eight parcels , but after their first class ’s experience , it was light that managing 15 localization may be too much to handle . Plus , some of the location did not have the secure sunlight or had modified water accessibility .
“ Then , we went and looked for larger piece of ground to seek to increase our economy of scale to try on to make it more effective , and we found two other large vacant lots , ” Mason allege . “ So we had fewer spaces but more land the 2nd year . Now , that ’s kind of our strategy . We go and look for vacant lots and focalize on those spaces for summer growing . ”
Reclaim Urban Farm has developed a winter receipts stream , as well , ferment out of the warehouse that a local organic foodstuff store uses , growing a vertical garden and tray of microgreens and herbaceous plant that they sell like a shot to eating place and client .
“ It ’s fundamentally shelving social unit that have fluorescent lights on them , ” Mason explains . “ We deal about half of them to consumer through Fannie Merritt Farmer markets . ”
Planning Equals Success
While provision is the samara to success in most endeavours , it ’s peculiarly true in the type of intensive farming .
“ Because we only have about an acre of state , we have to maximize the amount of infinite continually to be financially executable , ” Mason aver . “ develop mellow - value crops based on substantial footage , not on how much the craw sells for — things like baby special K — you’re getting more per square substructure .
“ This is on things we could get more money on one cut-rate sale , but is also based on the amount of time they are in the field , so we can get multiple sequence . Our child honey oil have become one of our most popular and unwashed product . We grow about 50 percent of our land in greens . They are in the ground as brusque as three hebdomad or as farsighted as five week , and that means we can get four to six succession plantings and maximize the space . ”Having a well - defined and wide-ranging selling strategy has been one of Reclaim Urban Farm ’s master success stories , create closely to zero waste . Instead of sell to only restaurants or only Fannie Merritt Farmer marketplace or only a CSA , they have diversify their merchandising plan to comprise all three simultaneously .
As for the property owner , they in the main crop - portion with them , give veggie for the purpose of the Din Land and piddle access .
Moving To The Country?
While Mason and Sprague have received demesne offers to farm alfresco of the metropolis , it is not something they are looking to research at the second . However , Mason feel their procedure has been a great step Oliver Stone to being successful on a big scale .
“ I think urban land can be a stepping stone for vernal husbandman require to first access cognition and experience about land , and then go into either purchasing , renting , or partake in land with somebody outside the metropolis middle , ” Mason says .
“ But , I think another important use for urban farming is that , through its handiness and visibility , it can make excitement in agriculture that can hopefully inspire and wise man young James Leonard Farmer want that experience without take off their own urban farm — permit them the knowledge , skill sets , experience and everything they call for before endue in a farm to learn to do these things . It ’s almost like an brooder for farm hopeful to give them pic before they break down out into their own farm , whether that ’s rural or urban . ”
To get a line more about Mason and Sprague ’s body of work atReclaim Urban Farm , see their website .
