http://inhabitat.com/food-demand-to-double-by-2050-urban-agriculture-to-become-increasingly-important/ Green design & eco innovation for a better world Sat, 25 May 2013 08:49:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://inhabitat.com/food-demand-to-double-by-2050-urban-agriculture-to-become-increasingly-important/comment-page-1/#comment-363575 Rox Sen Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:48:09 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=326737#comment-363575 The reason many in the US are missing the opportunity in urban agriculture is because most of it is currently not-profit based. The next important step is for cities to harness the economic opportunities of urban agriculture. This will require training a large number of residents in appropriately scaled commercial farming systems and microenterprise development and getting them up and operational quickly. The SPIN-Farming system, now being practiced throughout the US and Canada, is one way this can be accomplished. SPIN stands for S-mall P-lot IN-tensive, and it makes it possible to earn significant income from land bases under an acre in size by growing common vegetables. Minimal infrastructure, reliance on hand labor to accomplish most farming tasks, utilization of existing water sources to meet irrigation needs, and operating close to markets all keep investment and overhead costs low. SPIN-Farming can be implemented much like a franchise because it provides a business concept, a professional identity, marketing advice, financial benchmarks and a detailed day-to-day workflow. In standardizing the system and creating a reproducible process, it really isn’t any different from McDonald’s. This systematized approach to farming greatly reduces development and startup time, eliminates much initial trial and error and increases the chances of success. SPIN therefore removes the two big barriers to entry for first generation farmers – land and capital – and shows how to incorporate agriculture into the built environment in an economically viable manner. These entrepreneurial neighborhood-based farms will provide a cornerstone for food security as well as a broad and diversified urban agriculture industry that will have significant economic impact. The reason many in the US are missing the opportunity in urban agriculture is because most of it is currently not-profit based. The next important step is for cities to harness the economic opportunities of urban agriculture. This will require training a large number of residents in appropriately scaled commercial farming systems and microenterprise development and getting them up and operational quickly. The SPIN-Farming system, now being practiced throughout the US and Canada, is one way this can be accomplished. SPIN stands for S-mall P-lot IN-tensive, and it makes it possible to earn significant income from land bases under an acre in size by growing common vegetables. Minimal infrastructure, reliance on hand labor to accomplish most farming tasks, utilization of existing water sources to meet irrigation needs, and operating close to markets all keep investment and overhead costs low. SPIN-Farming can be implemented much like a franchise because it provides a business concept, a professional identity, marketing advice, financial benchmarks and a detailed day-to-day workflow. In standardizing the system and creating a reproducible process, it really isn’t any different from McDonald’s. This systematized approach to farming greatly reduces development and startup time, eliminates much initial trial and error and increases the chances of success. SPIN therefore removes the two big barriers to entry for first generation farmers – land and capital – and shows how to incorporate agriculture into the built environment in an economically viable manner. These entrepreneurial neighborhood-based farms will provide a cornerstone for food security as well as a broad and diversified urban agriculture industry that will have significant economic impact.

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