As almost 50% of the world’s residents will soon be living in cities, promoting sustainable urban farming makes great sense.  Whether or not you encourage the practice on your property today, it is likely that prospective tenants will soon be asking for this amenity.  Not only is this a growing movement, but it is a recognized part of our  economy.  In 2007 the  farm bill included a $30 million appropriation for community food projects.  The 2000 Census indicated that 80% of  Americans lived in urban areas, and the 2010 will undoutedly duplicate these statistics.  As wonderful as urban density is for delivering some services like electricity and preserving undeveloped sites, cities have problems with the supply and distribution of fresh produce. Part of the energy behind the urban farming movement is the lack of access to fresh, healthful fruits and vegetables, which are normally two weeks old by the time they reach the urban consumer’s dinner table.

There are many urban farmers (UF) in the United States with more and more groups organizing each year.  A good percentage of UFs have been interested in farming on public property, in municipally-owned community gardens or adjacent to parks and forest land.  Others are concerned with creating an emergency food supply in case of a disaster or break in the food supply chain.  Others, as an offshoot of the organic food movement, want to control what is in their food by growing it themselves.  It had been a hobbyist avocation - like the orchid growers of a few years past - but it has definitely gone mainstream.  Family economics have become less stable and people are looking for new ways to live simpler, healthier lives and survive with less.  Urban farming meets all these criteria.

Lower-income residents spend 40% to 50% of their income on food, so local and national non-profits who focus on this population are running urban farming programs to create self-sufficiency. Growing Gardens, a Portland, Oregon non-profit, uses hundreds of volunteers to build raised beds throughout the urban landscape.  They provide free supplies, tools and seeds and then their volunteers mentor residents over three years, teaching them urban agricultural techniques.  Last fall I attended a banquet with about 120 of these dedicated volunteers and their urban farmer fellows who jointly provided all the vegetables  for the  event.  It was truly inspiring to see some of these inter-generational family members and their prized produce.  Several of these families had been relocated after Hurricane Katrina and were still adjusting from rural to urban living.  Two other attendees were a brother and sister, their lives complicated by blindness and other disabilities.  They had raised some of the most magnificent red peppers I have ever seen, and, frankly, they were beaming.  Obviously, along with self-sufficiency and higher self-esteem come many benefits of community building.  If you had seen the hugs going around that banquet room, it would have brought a tear to your eye too.

As strong neighbor connections are one of the greatest retention features for tenants, property managers might want to pay serious attention.  The urban farming movement has cut across all class boundaries and is further evidenced by the popularity of gardening among techies.  Social scientists might say this illustrates the human drive  to create balance within our lives.

Incorporating urban agriculture into apartment living – so practical for tenants - can also be an income earner for management.  Adding raised beds or a greenhouse can increase the tenant’s attachment to the property and better tenant retention can increase the building’s net operating income.  Whether you build beds, create ground lots or build a greenhouse,  these items can also be leased separately – just as you would a detached garage or parking space.   Some managers may consider converting the grounds to a xeriscape (using only drought tolerant plants) along with the implementation of raised beds for tenant use and appeal.  Even if the beds do not generate income from tenants, their use can eliminate some landscaping expense.   Along with resident retention, gardening can result in  pride of tenancy and better tenant grounds care.  A tenant’s unsupervised child might think nothing of stomping through the building’s flowerbed, but destroy Momma’s prize dahlia or tomato plant? Not a chance.

Studies have also documented that urban farming helps residents:

• Become more self-reliant
• Improve health
• Save money on food
• Avoid disease from contaminated food
• Avoid pesticide and chemical exposure

To achieve the benefits, however, residents have to be successful with their ‘farming’ attempts.  If you intend to implement urban farming in your complex, make sure you involve either volunteer or paid professionals for your set up.  Resident education is available for free from many urban agriculture organizations and also through dvds, cds, webinars, books and other primers on the subject.  Part II of our series, Window Farms, Aquaponics & Apartments will outline some of the more exotic and successful technologies and methods being used today.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Urban Farming: The Nobility of Beekeeping
• How Compatible are Window Farms, Aquaponics & Apartments?
• The Urban Chicken Coop Movement