Synopses & Reviews
"Thereand#8217;s a conviction among many sustainable agriculture advocates that the best way to move agriculture forward is to look back. The hope is to return to an exalted era in agriculture, to the kind of rural scene fit for a Rockwell painting or a Shaker Villageand#151;to food grown the old fashioned way.
Breaking Through Concrete is not that, which is exactly the point. This ode to urban farming is not nostalgic (those are skyscrapers in the background, not silos), but instructive. It's a beautiful, gritty and very real portrait of the possibilities for the future of food." and#151; Dan Barber, Executive Chef and Co-owner of Blue Hill
"A road map to the future of America. A blueprint of possibilities. A book full of remarkable stories of neighborhood visionaries, stories of people who grow community in their gardens. Where others see trouble, they see food and hope." and#151;NPR's Kitchen Sisters
"Finally, a book on the full continuum of urban agriculture in America, replete with inspiring images of the people and places behind today's city-grown food. Hanson and Marty tell these stories with such admiration for their subjects you'll want to bestow hero status to city farmers." and#151;Darrin Nordahl, author of Public Produce: The New Urban Agriculture
and#147;Breaking Through Concrete will satisfy readers hungry for a broad perspective on urban agriculture. The beautiful stories and photographs of successful programs throughout North America, combined with practical and#145;how toand#8217; guides, provides a valued resource for practitioners, advocates, scholars, and gardeners.and#8221; and#151;Laura Lawson, author of City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America
Synopsis
People have always grown food in urban spacesand#151;on windowsills and sidewalks, and in backyards and neighborhood parksand#151;but today, urban farmers are leading an environmental and social movement that transforms our national food system. To explore this agricultural renaissance, brothers David and Michael Hanson and urban farmer Edwin Marty document twelve successful urban farm programs, from an alternative school for girls in Detroit, to a backyard food swap in New Orleans, to a restaurant supply garden on a rooftop in Brooklyn. Each beautifully illustrated essay offers practical advice for budding farmers, such as composting and keeping livestock in the city, decontaminating toxic soil, even changing zoning laws.
About the Author
David Hanson is a freelance writer and photographer. Edwin Marty is founder of Jones Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham, Alabama. Michael Hanson is an award-winning travel photographer. Mark Winne is the author of Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners and Smart-Cookinand#8217; Mamas: Fighting Back in an Age of Industrial Agriculture.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Mark Winne
Preface by David Hanson
Introduction by Edwin Marty
1. P-Patch Community Garden Program, Seattle, Washington and#149; The Neighborhood Garden
HOW TO: Change Your Cityand#8217;s Urban Agriculture Zoning Codes
2. Homeless Garden Project, Santa Cruz, California and#149; The Farm as Therapy
HOW TO: Grow Good, Safe Food
3. Fairview Gardens and the Center for Urban Agriculture, Santa Barbara, California and#149; The Historic Farm
HOW TO: Plant Perennial Fruit Trees in the City
4. Denver Urban Gardens, Denver, Colorado and#149; The Garden as Community
HOW TO: Turn Your Waste into Black Gold Compost
5. Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri and#149; The Farm for Profit
HOW TO: Access Start-Up Capital for Urban Food Projects
6. Versailles Community, New Orleans, Louisiana and#149; Backyards of Bounty
HOW TO: Develop a Congregational Urban Farm
7. Jones Valley Urban Farm, Birmingham, Alabama and#149; The Education and Production Farm
HOW TO: Engage the Community with Education Programs
8. Greensgrow, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and#149; The Nonprofit, For-Profit Farm
HOW TO: Rehabilitate Contaminated Soils
9. Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, Brooklyn, New York and#149; The Rooftop Farm
HOW TO: Convert Rooftops to Residential Gardens and Urban Farms
10. Catherine Ferguson Academy, Detroit, Michigan and#149; The Alternative Curriculum Farm
HOW TO: Raise Urban Livestock
11. Growing Homeand#8217;s Wood Street Urban Farm, Chicago, Illinois and#149; The Job Training Farm
HOW TO: Extend the Growing Season with Hoop Houses and Greenhouses
12. Sandhill Organics and Prairie Crossing, Grayslake, Illinois and#149; The Peri-urban Farm
HOW TO: Start an Urban Farm
Conclusion by Edwin Marty
Acknowledgments
Bibliography