The term urban agriculture is used in reference to the growing of food for human consumption in urban areas such as cities. The setup of an urban agriculture farm is mainly for two reasons: commercial or home use. The type of food grown depends on the urban farmer’s skills, passion, and experience and the market demand for a particular crop. Food crops such as vegetables, root crops, mushrooms, and flowers can be grown in an urban farm. Nonetheless, urban agriculture is not limited to crops. A farm can also raise poultry and rabbits to produce eggs and white meat. The goals of farming in an urban setting include:

• To enhance the food security of a town or city
• To encourage the production of local foods and animal products, which will reduce the ecological footprint. For example, the level of carbon footprint will go down when the food is grown near its consumers rather than a distant farm.
• Encouraging social interaction and socially sustainable activities in high-density developments

I.            Characterizing urban farming in Vancouver

The City of Vancouver is a major urban center in Canada with a population of about 600,000 people.In 2012, it released the 2011-2012 implementation update of the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. The update (City of Vancouver 2012, p. 44) states that it approved three sites for lease by the SoleFood a not for profit organization. SoleFood provides training and employment opportunities for the City’s residents. The update further mentions that it recognizes fifteen other urban farms.

The urban farms are small-scale farms, labor intensive and utilize low technology. The urban farmers in Vancouver cultivate a variety of produce, which include livestock, mushrooms, hops, fruits, medicinal plants, and berries. However, vegetable varieties are the most common annual harvests. The harvest of the produce is non-mechanical usually by hand. Because of the proximity of the urban farms to the consumers, cars, vans, feet and bikes (VUFS, 2013) usually distribute the produce.

Each urban farmer can choose from a variety of distribution model. The models include farm gate sales, restaurant sales, farmer’s market sales, and community supported agriculture (CAS) (VUFS, 2013). CAS enables the farmer to choose which produce is distributed. Apart from the flexibility, a farmer who utilizes the CAS distribution model also receives payment early,when the costs are high (Schutzbank, 2012). A farm gate sale gives the farmers the option of selling their produce directly on the farm. The farmers are able to work and sell simultaneously. Although this is a common distribution model, it however faces legal barriers (zoning laws) in the City of Vancouver. Urban farmers also utilize the farmer’s markets. It gives them an opportunity of targeting a large number of consumers who visit the markets. However, at the farmers markets the urban farmers face stiff competition from the rural farmers: who produce in bulk and can afford to charge lower prices for their produce. By supplying restaurants with their produce, the urban farmer can have predictable sales and a steady income. The major risk of this distribution model is the legal challenges of urban farming in the City of Vancouver.

II.            Farming revenue

The urban farms in the City of Vancouver compared to the rural farms are able to produce less, but higher value produce. Schutzbank (2012, p.87) outlines the various sources of revenue that an urban farm can explore. Urban farms can earn revenue through food revenue (revenue from the sale of produce) and secondary revenue (revenue from farm visits, education, and consultation).

1. Organization of urban farming in Vancouver

Urban farms located in Vancouver are normally organized as for-profit or non-profit. The zoning laws and designations are the main factors affecting whether a farm will be for profit or non-profit. in order to escape the some of the legal challenges, urban farms in the City of Vancouver join and work together under the umbrella of not for profit organization. The Vancouver Urban Farming Society mobilizes support for urban farming in Vancouver. It was established in May 2012, after a year and a half of lobbying which Thoreau, Faculty of Land, and Food Systems at the University of British Colombia (UBC) started in 2010. (Thoreau, 2011a)

1. Conclusion

There has been an increase in individual rift as urban growth and development pushed farmingto the fringes of society. The result is the city dwellers are alienated from nature and labor. Therefore, urban farming is done at various land sites in Vancouver: brown fields, institutional land, commercial land and residential land are of great importance (Menders, 2006 p. 51-53). The urban farms in Vancouver reintroduce the concept of farming to the residents and provide them with a fresh of supply of both the seasonal and off-season food crops. The urban farms in the City of Vancouver further contribute to the City’s Green Action Plan 2020, which seeks to make the city the Greenest City by the year 2020

Works Cited

City of Vancouver. Greenest City 2020 Action Plan 2011-2012 Implementation Update,            http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/report-GC2020-implementation-20121016.pdf. Web. June     24, 2014

Mendes, W. Creating and Implementing Food Policy in Vancouver, Canada. Urban Agriculture   Magazine. 2006: 51- 53

Schutzbank, M. H. Growing Vegetables in Metro Vancouver: An urban farming census. (M.Sc.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2012.

Thoreau, C. Increasing the Sustainability of Urban Farming in Vancouver.(B.A.), University of    British Columbia, Vancouver, (2011a).

Vancouver Urban Farming Society. Understanding our practices from seed to scrap: the 2012                   Vancouver Urban Farming Forum, http://www.urbanfarmers.ca/publications/reports.    Web. June 24, 2014.