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Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution
A global movement to take back our food is growing. The future of farming is in our hands-and in our cities.This book examines alternative food systems in cities around the globe that are shortening their food chains, growing food within their city limits, and taking their "food security" into their own hands. The author, an award-winning food journalist, sought out leaders in the urban-agriculture movement and visited cities successfully dealing with "food deserts." What she found was not just a niche concern of activists but a global movement that cuts across the private and public spheres, economic classes, and cultures. She describes a global movement happening from London and Paris to Vancouver and New York to establish alternatives to the monolithic globally integrated supermarket model. A cadre of forward-looking, innovative people has created growing spaces in on rooftops, backyards, vacant lots, along roadways, and even in "vertical farms." Whether it's a community public orchard supplying the needs of local residents or an urban farm that has reclaimed a derelict inner city lot to grow and sell premium market veggies to restaurant chefs, the urban food revolution is clearly underway and working.This book is an exciting, fascinating chronicle of a game-changing movement, a rebellion against the industrial food behemoth, and a reclaiming of communities to grow, distribute, and eat locally.
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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August 25, 2012
I stumbled upon Food and the City in my local library in the new book section. After reading it, I actually felt inspired and hopeful, instead of my usually "we're all going to hell in a handbasket". This book illustrates the way forward for towns and cities and their inhabitants: creating a 'post-industrial urban edible landscape' where people grow their own food in backyards, rooftops, community gardens, city-owned lands, CSA farms, and empty factories left to rot because it cost too much to tear them down.
The author takes you all over the world with descriptive language that makes you feel like you are standing right along side her: places like London, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, Vancouver, Cuba, to name a few.
She even goes a step further in reminding the reader how growing local food creates a sense of community, let alone how much healthier it is to eat home-grown.
The book begins with a history lesson on how our food became "industrialized" and the toll it is taking on our planet, and our bodies. (I may never shop in a super market again!)
I can't thank the author enough for writing such an informative, inspiring, and empowering book. My life (and my family) will never be the same again... And I mean that in the BEST WAY possible!
The author takes you all over the world with descriptive language that makes you feel like you are standing right along side her: places like London, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, Vancouver, Cuba, to name a few.
She even goes a step further in reminding the reader how growing local food creates a sense of community, let alone how much healthier it is to eat home-grown.
The book begins with a history lesson on how our food became "industrialized" and the toll it is taking on our planet, and our bodies. (I may never shop in a super market again!)
I can't thank the author enough for writing such an informative, inspiring, and empowering book. My life (and my family) will never be the same again... And I mean that in the BEST WAY possible!
July 16, 2021
A comprehensive overview of urban agriculture in the global north (+ Cuba) that provided numerous solutions to North American consumerism and the climate impact. lf industrial agriculture. Covers urban chickens and urban bees too!! I’d particularly recommend this book to those living in a major Canadian city, like Toronto and Vancouver because the author writes from a Canadian perspective and includes specific chapters for these hubs. Though it was published nearly 10 years ago, much of the content remains relevant.
June 13, 2012
This is a well-written, journalistic style memoir of a woman's quest to find out what is currently happening in the world of urban agriculture. Ms. Cockrall-King writes of her travels to several cities in North America, Europe, and Cuba to meet with key people currently involved in urban agriculture. She writes of backyard, private gardens; public community gardens; French intensive agriculture; rooftop gardens on supermarkets; aquaponics; multi-level, indoor gardening; among other varieties of urban agriculture. She discusses not only the virtues, but also the vices of urban agriculture and the movement of people towards locally grown foods, which lends the book well to a neutral viewpoint that is more a statement of fact than of political opinion. She does get into a lot of controversial areas, such as "peak oil", but she deals with them in a way that allows the reader to focus on the impressive work of urban agriculturists rather than on whether they agree with her stance on "peak" anything.
Included in her book, is a wonderful glossary of terms she uses throughout the book and that are commonly used by those concerned with agriculture, urban agriculture, and the food industry generally. She also includes a section of resources for the reader who decides to take action on some of the ideas Ms. Cockrall-King poses in her book. I was impressed by her foresight to include these sections because, while all books I give any worth to include a bibliography or notes section, many that set forth ideas about a given topic and otherwise incite the reader to action, do not include practical resources and guides for acting on the ideas. Kudos.
I read this in conjunction with watching Food, Inc., a documentary about the industrial food system, so my opinion of this book is probably even higher because it addresses many of the same issues with our food system and, as mentioned, provides hands-on activity to work towards solutions to those problems. Overall, I really enjoyed the positive nature of the book.
Included in her book, is a wonderful glossary of terms she uses throughout the book and that are commonly used by those concerned with agriculture, urban agriculture, and the food industry generally. She also includes a section of resources for the reader who decides to take action on some of the ideas Ms. Cockrall-King poses in her book. I was impressed by her foresight to include these sections because, while all books I give any worth to include a bibliography or notes section, many that set forth ideas about a given topic and otherwise incite the reader to action, do not include practical resources and guides for acting on the ideas. Kudos.
I read this in conjunction with watching Food, Inc., a documentary about the industrial food system, so my opinion of this book is probably even higher because it addresses many of the same issues with our food system and, as mentioned, provides hands-on activity to work towards solutions to those problems. Overall, I really enjoyed the positive nature of the book.
October 15, 2014
I saw Jennifer CK at the Kingston WritersFest 2014 where she delivered a talk on the subject of urban agriculture, featuring this book. This is a introductory examination of the potential and early adopters of modern methods of urban agriculture. It is a breezy read, journalistic in tone and unfortunately would benefit from another edit for duplicate sentences and thoughts.
Despite the stylistic errors, this is a fine introduction to urban agriculture particularly for those unaware of the topic. At the event I attended the audience was filled with secondary students, very much the intended audience. But I feel that CK didn't connect the dots sufficiently or press the point home of the need or potential of urban agriculture and the huge barriers to its success. If the desire is to produce enough food locally to feed modern cities, the need for a dramatic scaling up of urban ag is obvious and daunting. And while interesting in isolation, many of the examples are not thematically linked in a way that the reader might draw lessons. Often the example is focused on a driven individual who may indeed be making a decent living and employing others, but how is this scalable? And this can lead to the idea that the current interest is only feel-goodism or a hipster trend and will fade. I don't actually believe this to be true, but CK doesn't press it home.
To give one example, the town she visits in Cuba is roughly the same size as my own. CK cites the figure of 31 urban farm collectives to feed the population. However, Cuba has a dramatically different climate than mine and can grow year round. How would this work in more northern and limited growing seasons?
Overall, the book is interesting with good references and resources to move those intrigued onward. We will wait and see how this garden grows.
Despite the stylistic errors, this is a fine introduction to urban agriculture particularly for those unaware of the topic. At the event I attended the audience was filled with secondary students, very much the intended audience. But I feel that CK didn't connect the dots sufficiently or press the point home of the need or potential of urban agriculture and the huge barriers to its success. If the desire is to produce enough food locally to feed modern cities, the need for a dramatic scaling up of urban ag is obvious and daunting. And while interesting in isolation, many of the examples are not thematically linked in a way that the reader might draw lessons. Often the example is focused on a driven individual who may indeed be making a decent living and employing others, but how is this scalable? And this can lead to the idea that the current interest is only feel-goodism or a hipster trend and will fade. I don't actually believe this to be true, but CK doesn't press it home.
To give one example, the town she visits in Cuba is roughly the same size as my own. CK cites the figure of 31 urban farm collectives to feed the population. However, Cuba has a dramatically different climate than mine and can grow year round. How would this work in more northern and limited growing seasons?
Overall, the book is interesting with good references and resources to move those intrigued onward. We will wait and see how this garden grows.
April 1, 2014
From the smattering of urban gardens and farms visited by the author, mainly in North America, I would hesitate to call this a revolution, so much as a movement. Undoubtedly our industrial food system is extremely vulnerable to supply disruptions due to it's efficiency, yet this locavore grow-your-own-food initiative by a minority of enlightened city dwellers will in all likelihood be too slow to mean any effective change in the overarching global food system. Don't get me wrong, while the ideas are sound and really inspiring, the prospect of transforming in sufficient scale the fossil fuel driven food system that enables the planet to support 7 billion people is daunting to say the least, if not plain impossible, and so we are back to the idea of an inevitable collapse of industrial society and decline in population. The example of Cuba is most insightful (and what had drawn me to this book) in this respect, as a microcosm of what we could face as a planet in the coming decades - sobering but at the same time hopeful that such a state of living and way of life is possible, albeit only for the lucky prospective survivors of peak oil.
The book shows what is possible in terms of growing food in cities, but much larger questions and issues loom around the practicality of making it feasible for the majority or even a significant segment of the world population, issues which are hinted at but not really discussed.
The book shows what is possible in terms of growing food in cities, but much larger questions and issues loom around the practicality of making it feasible for the majority or even a significant segment of the world population, issues which are hinted at but not really discussed.
December 29, 2020
I read this for a virtual book club with a gardening group. It gave us a lot to discuss!
March 15, 2012
Super interesting book. Great regional history, never preachy...yet informative enough in depth and scope to teach about the unsustainable food situation we are all part of with gems on how we can get with this cool trend.
August 27, 2014
Where is my hoe? I need it now! I want to rush out into the streets and start planting beans, tomatoes, apple trees. Literally, right on the street!
That is the conversation I had going on in my head after finishing this book.
Cockrall-King lays out her new food revolution theory. It's not an instruction manual, or a slogan filled rant, but a well researched look at examples of urban agriculture throughout the world and why it may be essential in the future. It was an eye opening look at all of the different ways we can grow food, not just on a farm outside of the city limits. For a backyard gardener like myself this was inspiring.
Jennifer's argument throughout the book was easy to follow and pretty common sense - that right now, our food system is fueled by oil (fertilizers, tractors, distribution, etc), but, if we are at 'peak' oil what will we have to do in the future? When oil becomes more expensive the cost of food will rise, until at some point it will not be affordable to continue with the current system. She points out that we will need a different way of growing food, a more sustainable way that does not rely on oil. Then she gives us a few examples from around the world and close to home here in the frosty north.
All of her examples stressed local food. Bringing food closer to the consumer seems to be a necessity, since shipping food thousands of kilometers is not sustainable. Different ways of growing food in cold weather was another repetitive topic. Also, integrating the growing of food, not just the eating of it, into our cities and everyday life crept up in most of the examples too.
It was interesting hearing about how other countries have unique ways of dealing with urban farming. I really liked the trip to Paris.
Paris. Ah, those foodie French! Not only are they the experts on cooking, but, apparently the experts on urban farming. Right in the heart of the densely packed city there are stone walled gardens that have been spitting out salad greens, tomatoes, fruits of all kinds (even in the winter), for hundreds of years. These stone walled enclaves are mini microclimates that hold in enough heat to keep producing all year round. Fruit trees are grown and pruned to hug the wall, grabbing all that stored heat, and producing fruit for a much longer time than if in an open orchard out in the countryside. In the winter these plots are the only ones supplying fresh produce, which means they can charge a premium price. This is what has made the system sustainable for so long and will keep it going for years to come.
Another example, that I was vaguely familiar with, was the situation in Cuba.
Cuba. This is the example held up to the world to show that urban agriculture (organic to boot) can work. Cuba was farming the same way as everyone else - using oil for pesticides, fertilizers, to run tractors, and distribute from the countryside to the city. Then the Soviet union collapsed. The US imposed an ultra tough trade embargo. And, well, Cuba is rather poor. So, they lost their oil and had to find another way to feed their people. They had to overhaul their entire way food was produced and distributed. Intensive urban farming was the solution. Tracts of land, right in cities, are set aside and intensively farmed. Produce is sold right from a stall at the end of the 'field' direct to the consumers. There are almost no grocery stores now, and much of the food the people eat is grown right down the street.
Along with the positives, there were a few negative stories. LA was one of them.
LA, USA. Gang ridden, run down South Central LA is full of abandoned industrial sites that leave a nasty blight on the city. The area is a food desert - no grocery stores with fresh produce for miles and miles. A new 'union' of farmers, mostly immigrants from Central American countries, living in the area take over these sites and build community gardens to grow fresh vegetables for themselves. They take back these asphalt covered garbage dumps and make them productive and lively. However, after these places are built up and attractive again, the old owners come and take them back...with the help of the law. It's one of those infuriating stories you hate to hear about.
In the frozen land of the north here, Jennifer shows us how far behind we are. She shows us many great ideas, but, sadly they all seemed to be isolated one-off situations.
Canada. Jennifer did some travelling across Canada and wrote about a few novel ideas she came across. Public orchards was one I found interesting, and left wondering why all cities don't plant a few apple trees here and there? Same as an idea for the food bank to go around and pick fruit from trees on private property (with permission of course). The most interesting idea was one 'farmer' who swapped the use of people's lawns for vegetables. The ideas is this guy would use your lawn as a garden and give you a half or a third of what he produced. He then went on and sold the rest at a farmer's market or to local restaurants. The example in the book told of one guy making an actual living wage doing this...it was a lot of work and bike riding to his three or four different lawns/gardens, but, it was possible.
http://bookwormsfeastofbooks.blogspot...
That is the conversation I had going on in my head after finishing this book.
Cockrall-King lays out her new food revolution theory. It's not an instruction manual, or a slogan filled rant, but a well researched look at examples of urban agriculture throughout the world and why it may be essential in the future. It was an eye opening look at all of the different ways we can grow food, not just on a farm outside of the city limits. For a backyard gardener like myself this was inspiring.
Jennifer's argument throughout the book was easy to follow and pretty common sense - that right now, our food system is fueled by oil (fertilizers, tractors, distribution, etc), but, if we are at 'peak' oil what will we have to do in the future? When oil becomes more expensive the cost of food will rise, until at some point it will not be affordable to continue with the current system. She points out that we will need a different way of growing food, a more sustainable way that does not rely on oil. Then she gives us a few examples from around the world and close to home here in the frosty north.
All of her examples stressed local food. Bringing food closer to the consumer seems to be a necessity, since shipping food thousands of kilometers is not sustainable. Different ways of growing food in cold weather was another repetitive topic. Also, integrating the growing of food, not just the eating of it, into our cities and everyday life crept up in most of the examples too.
It was interesting hearing about how other countries have unique ways of dealing with urban farming. I really liked the trip to Paris.
Paris. Ah, those foodie French! Not only are they the experts on cooking, but, apparently the experts on urban farming. Right in the heart of the densely packed city there are stone walled gardens that have been spitting out salad greens, tomatoes, fruits of all kinds (even in the winter), for hundreds of years. These stone walled enclaves are mini microclimates that hold in enough heat to keep producing all year round. Fruit trees are grown and pruned to hug the wall, grabbing all that stored heat, and producing fruit for a much longer time than if in an open orchard out in the countryside. In the winter these plots are the only ones supplying fresh produce, which means they can charge a premium price. This is what has made the system sustainable for so long and will keep it going for years to come.
Another example, that I was vaguely familiar with, was the situation in Cuba.
Cuba. This is the example held up to the world to show that urban agriculture (organic to boot) can work. Cuba was farming the same way as everyone else - using oil for pesticides, fertilizers, to run tractors, and distribute from the countryside to the city. Then the Soviet union collapsed. The US imposed an ultra tough trade embargo. And, well, Cuba is rather poor. So, they lost their oil and had to find another way to feed their people. They had to overhaul their entire way food was produced and distributed. Intensive urban farming was the solution. Tracts of land, right in cities, are set aside and intensively farmed. Produce is sold right from a stall at the end of the 'field' direct to the consumers. There are almost no grocery stores now, and much of the food the people eat is grown right down the street.
Along with the positives, there were a few negative stories. LA was one of them.
LA, USA. Gang ridden, run down South Central LA is full of abandoned industrial sites that leave a nasty blight on the city. The area is a food desert - no grocery stores with fresh produce for miles and miles. A new 'union' of farmers, mostly immigrants from Central American countries, living in the area take over these sites and build community gardens to grow fresh vegetables for themselves. They take back these asphalt covered garbage dumps and make them productive and lively. However, after these places are built up and attractive again, the old owners come and take them back...with the help of the law. It's one of those infuriating stories you hate to hear about.
In the frozen land of the north here, Jennifer shows us how far behind we are. She shows us many great ideas, but, sadly they all seemed to be isolated one-off situations.
Canada. Jennifer did some travelling across Canada and wrote about a few novel ideas she came across. Public orchards was one I found interesting, and left wondering why all cities don't plant a few apple trees here and there? Same as an idea for the food bank to go around and pick fruit from trees on private property (with permission of course). The most interesting idea was one 'farmer' who swapped the use of people's lawns for vegetables. The ideas is this guy would use your lawn as a garden and give you a half or a third of what he produced. He then went on and sold the rest at a farmer's market or to local restaurants. The example in the book told of one guy making an actual living wage doing this...it was a lot of work and bike riding to his three or four different lawns/gardens, but, it was possible.
http://bookwormsfeastofbooks.blogspot...
April 8, 2019
Great reference on the needs of urban agriculture and ides on how many different ways didn’t styles of land and gardens can be utilized. I found this an inspiring read for people looking to make a difference in philanthropy related to food.
August 29, 2019
I enjoyed this book very much! I was inspired at every turn of the page. If you like sustainability, food, and a look into the lives of real people doing amazing things in their communities—I’d highly recommend. I dare you to not get gardening.
February 28, 2019
Enjoyed this ride through the urban agriculture movement happening in different parts of the world. Uplifting and motivational; makes me want to start my own farm.
November 16, 2020
Fantastic overview on a developing topic such as food production and consumption. Very interesting historical background.
Read
July 28, 2021Read for a class. I liked the beginning, which was more of an overview of urban ag. However, once she got into the case studies, the granola really started to show.
April 2, 2013
This was a really interesting book that looked at the increase in urban farming - from backyard and patio gardens to community gardens and even renovating abandoned buildings and creating vertical farms in the middle of a major city. The first section of the book looks at our industrialized food system and how it's failing then a few major cities that are trend-setters when it comes to urban farming are highlighted. If nothing else I think this book shows that you really can grow a lot of food almost anywhere. From my personal experience we grew a lot of food utilizing 3 small raised beds behind our townhouse and I know we could have done even more with containers in addition to the beds. This book is a must read for any city dweller who thinks growing a significant percentage of their own food is out of reach!
Some quotes I really liked:
"Within the grocery store, we have the illusion of choice. Forty thousand items sounds like a lot of choice, but it's nothing compared to nature's inventory. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that in the twentieth century, 75 percent of the biological diversity of our foods has been lost as a result of industrialized agriculture. Other sources claim that we've lost up to 90 percent of our global food diversity...Rather than having fewer food choices available than we do now, our grandparents actually had more." (p. 27)
"In 2000, farmers and transport truck drivers in the United Kingdom staged a protest over government fuel duties that they felt were crippling them, along with the rising cost of gasoline and diesel. Their strategic protests and blockades managed to severely disrupt the nation's fuel supplies, shutting down motorized transportation...The British government took notice of how quickly a city like London could run out of food...Major cities in the United Kingdom...were at any given time 'nine meals from anarchy'..." (p. 29-30)
"Genetically modified crops have been commercially planted only since 1996, but already, 70 percent of processed foods contain some genetically modified ingredients." (p. 43)
"So, what may look like medium-sized or family farms bucking the trend and hanging onto their livelihoods by their fingernails may already be tenant farmers. How can it be otherwise when the average American chicken farmer will have to invest over $500,000 in poultry farming start-up costs yet will make only $18,000 per year? Or when wheat routinely sells at a dollar less per bushel than the cost of production? If what we are after is cheaper and cheaper food, this means that we are purposely driving our family farmer to the poorhouse and eventually out of existence." (p. 67)
"This combination of efficient growing techniques, which later became known as French Intensive Agriculture, is still in use, though it is often called 'square-foot gardening' or potager gardening." (p. 82)
"This type of farming is called SPIN farming; SPIN being an acronym for 'Small Plot Intensive,' and it was pioneered by urban farmer Wally Satzewich in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the early 2000's...Satzewich and his business partner Roxanne Christensen calculate that a SPIN farmer can gross anywhere from $27,000 to $72,000 on just a half-acre of total land in the city, depending on the types of crops the farmer grows. The SPIN farming website says that it's a method that 'removes the two big barriers to entry - land and capital.'" (p. 185)
"What began as an emergency measure - urban agriculture - emerged as a critical cornerstone of Cuba's decentralized, deindustrialized food system, or what came to be called the Cuban Model in food-security cicles." (p. 287)
Some quotes I really liked:
"Within the grocery store, we have the illusion of choice. Forty thousand items sounds like a lot of choice, but it's nothing compared to nature's inventory. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that in the twentieth century, 75 percent of the biological diversity of our foods has been lost as a result of industrialized agriculture. Other sources claim that we've lost up to 90 percent of our global food diversity...Rather than having fewer food choices available than we do now, our grandparents actually had more." (p. 27)
"In 2000, farmers and transport truck drivers in the United Kingdom staged a protest over government fuel duties that they felt were crippling them, along with the rising cost of gasoline and diesel. Their strategic protests and blockades managed to severely disrupt the nation's fuel supplies, shutting down motorized transportation...The British government took notice of how quickly a city like London could run out of food...Major cities in the United Kingdom...were at any given time 'nine meals from anarchy'..." (p. 29-30)
"Genetically modified crops have been commercially planted only since 1996, but already, 70 percent of processed foods contain some genetically modified ingredients." (p. 43)
"So, what may look like medium-sized or family farms bucking the trend and hanging onto their livelihoods by their fingernails may already be tenant farmers. How can it be otherwise when the average American chicken farmer will have to invest over $500,000 in poultry farming start-up costs yet will make only $18,000 per year? Or when wheat routinely sells at a dollar less per bushel than the cost of production? If what we are after is cheaper and cheaper food, this means that we are purposely driving our family farmer to the poorhouse and eventually out of existence." (p. 67)
"This combination of efficient growing techniques, which later became known as French Intensive Agriculture, is still in use, though it is often called 'square-foot gardening' or potager gardening." (p. 82)
"This type of farming is called SPIN farming; SPIN being an acronym for 'Small Plot Intensive,' and it was pioneered by urban farmer Wally Satzewich in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the early 2000's...Satzewich and his business partner Roxanne Christensen calculate that a SPIN farmer can gross anywhere from $27,000 to $72,000 on just a half-acre of total land in the city, depending on the types of crops the farmer grows. The SPIN farming website says that it's a method that 'removes the two big barriers to entry - land and capital.'" (p. 185)
"What began as an emergency measure - urban agriculture - emerged as a critical cornerstone of Cuba's decentralized, deindustrialized food system, or what came to be called the Cuban Model in food-security cicles." (p. 287)
August 6, 2016
I really liked this book, a celebration of urban sustainable agriculture, relocalization, permaculture, community gardens, CSA's, and backyard gardening. The author did a wonderful job of sharing her meetings with various leaders in the movement such as Will Allen of Growing Power, as well as many lesser known innovators throughout North America and Europe. I loved the author's descriptions of the people she met, and the stories they told about how they came to their particular brand or niche of the urban food movement. Many of the locations she visited were in seedier deteriorating parts of cities, which I found very encouraging.
She ends the book with a chapter on Cuba, a country that she visited twice and which was forced into revamping their food supply by finding high yielding food growing systems. I found it amazing that grocery stores have become irrelevant there! She does not sugar coat Cuba's situation, conveying the message that food scarcity is still a reality for many there.
In her conclusion to the book, she reiterates many of the concepts highlighted throughout, and also mentions the barriers and obstacles to the movement, such as the time and physical effort it takes to grow one's own food, and various regulations, such as those against foraging on public land (one of my personal pet peeves). Ms. Cockrall-King states "We won't completely give up the benefits and flavors of the international food trade and industrial food production, but we won't be at it's complete mercy either."
Personally, I think we're heading towards a time when the global food trade and industrial food system will fall apart, and we will be relying on relocalized food systems.
I love several of her ending sentences: "If we learn to give space in our urban settings to food production and food producers, we'll be healthier, happier, and more connected to the physical realities of our short existence because of it."
"We need to put an end to our strange fascination with trying to outwit and dominate nature, and start appreciating it." Amen to that!
She ends the book with a chapter on Cuba, a country that she visited twice and which was forced into revamping their food supply by finding high yielding food growing systems. I found it amazing that grocery stores have become irrelevant there! She does not sugar coat Cuba's situation, conveying the message that food scarcity is still a reality for many there.
In her conclusion to the book, she reiterates many of the concepts highlighted throughout, and also mentions the barriers and obstacles to the movement, such as the time and physical effort it takes to grow one's own food, and various regulations, such as those against foraging on public land (one of my personal pet peeves). Ms. Cockrall-King states "We won't completely give up the benefits and flavors of the international food trade and industrial food production, but we won't be at it's complete mercy either."
Personally, I think we're heading towards a time when the global food trade and industrial food system will fall apart, and we will be relying on relocalized food systems.
I love several of her ending sentences: "If we learn to give space in our urban settings to food production and food producers, we'll be healthier, happier, and more connected to the physical realities of our short existence because of it."
"We need to put an end to our strange fascination with trying to outwit and dominate nature, and start appreciating it." Amen to that!
April 1, 2012
In Food and the City, author Jennifer Cockrall-King explores urban farming in various forms.She travels far back to urban ag examples in 19th century Paris to the theoretical vertical farms planned for office towers.
The book explores urban farms taking root in collapsed industrialized America, communist Cuba following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and counter-cultural Canada.
Various methods of urban agriculture from SPIN farms to guerrilla gardening are sought out in this examination of the movement.
Cockrall-King takes great care to source her materials.
The conclusion takes a peek at permaculture, not necessarily a solution geared exclusively towards urban settings.
Helpfully, the book includes a glossary of terms used, as well as a list of further resources.
My only criticism is the book could have taken a more skeptical look at SPIN farming. While I'm not well-versed on the matter, it seems as though the method is unsustainable. Still, it is a necessary inclusion in a book on urban agriculture.
Overall, Food and the City is an inspiring look at the history of a seemingly-new movement, as well as an informative mosaic of answers to industrial farming in the Western world.
The book explores urban farms taking root in collapsed industrialized America, communist Cuba following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and counter-cultural Canada.
Various methods of urban agriculture from SPIN farms to guerrilla gardening are sought out in this examination of the movement.
Cockrall-King takes great care to source her materials.
The conclusion takes a peek at permaculture, not necessarily a solution geared exclusively towards urban settings.
Helpfully, the book includes a glossary of terms used, as well as a list of further resources.
My only criticism is the book could have taken a more skeptical look at SPIN farming. While I'm not well-versed on the matter, it seems as though the method is unsustainable. Still, it is a necessary inclusion in a book on urban agriculture.
Overall, Food and the City is an inspiring look at the history of a seemingly-new movement, as well as an informative mosaic of answers to industrial farming in the Western world.
May 21, 2012
I really enjoyed the interesting facts scattered throughout the pages of this book. I felt a drive to share them with Twitter followers, co-workers, friends, just anyone I was around at the time I was reading. I actually enjoyed this more than your typical "food revolution" books (aka anything by Michael Pollan) because of the way each chapter was arranged to show real-life examples in a different city. I also really liked the inclusion of a chapter on Cuba, which seems to be me to be a country that is not as well-researched when it comes to food security and food movements. The first chapter is full of many surprising stats that draw the reader in. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in food security, going local, slow food, etc. However, I don't think someone not interested in those topics would enjoy the book simply because they wouldn't find as much interest in the subject matter (not because it's poorly written).
May 18, 2012
This book had been promoted at a conference I went to by the same name, so when it popped up in the new books section at my local library, I picked it up.
The first five chapters are a summary of the food system that doesn't offer anything new to current discussions, but all subsequent chapters chronicle the author's findings as she toured cities around the globe, interviewing urban farmers. The chapter on Detroit was by far my favorite and her experiences in Cuba were fascinating as well. I somehow had no idea that food and supply rationing is still in place for most families - e.g. one bar of soap every two months for a family of four!
I found Cockrall-King's writing style less compelling than other food writers, but she asks, and does a decent job of answering, a very interesting and worthwhile question: why the growing popularity of urban gardening and farming? She and others have proposed that urban ag can play a significant part in creating a new food system.
The first five chapters are a summary of the food system that doesn't offer anything new to current discussions, but all subsequent chapters chronicle the author's findings as she toured cities around the globe, interviewing urban farmers. The chapter on Detroit was by far my favorite and her experiences in Cuba were fascinating as well. I somehow had no idea that food and supply rationing is still in place for most families - e.g. one bar of soap every two months for a family of four!
I found Cockrall-King's writing style less compelling than other food writers, but she asks, and does a decent job of answering, a very interesting and worthwhile question: why the growing popularity of urban gardening and farming? She and others have proposed that urban ag can play a significant part in creating a new food system.
June 14, 2012
My friend Jennifer Cockrall-King wrote this book on urban agriculture and it's fantastic! She starts off by describing the problems with the industrial food system and why she got interested in the urban agriculture movement. She was writing about food, and loved gardening and got interested in the link between the two, and realized that urban agriculture is much more than gardening.
After the depressing chapters on the industrial food system (which includes the sad fact that most cities only have enough food to feed their populations for 3 days), Cockrall-King travels to urban agriculture projects around the world and meets key players and innovators in cities like Vancouver, Detroit, Toronto, Milwaukee, Paris, Los Angeles, London and Havana.
I study urban agriculture, but I would recommend this book to anyone. I learned some new things, even though I've been studying this stuff for a few years now.
After the depressing chapters on the industrial food system (which includes the sad fact that most cities only have enough food to feed their populations for 3 days), Cockrall-King travels to urban agriculture projects around the world and meets key players and innovators in cities like Vancouver, Detroit, Toronto, Milwaukee, Paris, Los Angeles, London and Havana.
I study urban agriculture, but I would recommend this book to anyone. I learned some new things, even though I've been studying this stuff for a few years now.
October 5, 2014
Cockerall-King toured a number of cities around the world to view their urban gardening practices. From bee-keeping in Paris to rooftop gardens in Seoul, she gives examples of flourishing communities.
Cockerall-King writes in a very accessible style so the pages fly by. Her discussion of how we got to this point where we are so urbanized and deeply disconnected sets the scene. "It would be funny if it weren't so tragic."
In the face of Big Food, corporate control of seeds and increasing disconnection from farming, it's unclear whether urban farming is significantly contributing to food security or whether it will in the future, but the examples C-K shares show, at least, that the drive to create their own food is alive in cities around the world. Viva la revolucion!
Cockerall-King writes in a very accessible style so the pages fly by. Her discussion of how we got to this point where we are so urbanized and deeply disconnected sets the scene. "It would be funny if it weren't so tragic."
In the face of Big Food, corporate control of seeds and increasing disconnection from farming, it's unclear whether urban farming is significantly contributing to food security or whether it will in the future, but the examples C-K shares show, at least, that the drive to create their own food is alive in cities around the world. Viva la revolucion!
June 20, 2012
I like this book because I like the subject. It would be great inspiration for someone just thinking about getting started or getting involved. I guess I would have liked to have gone a little deeper, a little more personal, a little more over the long haul so that I would remember more. I would like to get a little more into the kinds of gardening the various urban gardeners employ. The stories start to blur together.
May 23, 2013
The introduction poses some excellent questions, thought the majority of the book is a description of things seen around the world during the author's travels. Given that my local world does not closely relate to many of the places described, I found the concept execution lacking.
Great jumping off point to discuss with a group about what we can accomplish within our own cities and food-scapes.
Great jumping off point to discuss with a group about what we can accomplish within our own cities and food-scapes.
October 5, 2012
I loved this book! I had met Jennifer at an author event where she gave a presentation on some of the initiatives she had seen in various cities where she researched the book. It was very inspiring and she herself is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The book left me feeling more hopeful about the ability of cities to feed themselves. Everyone should read this book.
November 25, 2014
Cockrall-King gives an international tour of the innovative urban gardening habits gaining traction in the Western Hemisphere. She highlights SPIN, Permaculture, beehives, chickens and vertical farms which was useful for a novice like myself in this area. She also addresses food deserts, food security and the use community gardens to help heal social ills.
April 11, 2013
The first few chapters discuss what has happened over time to our food sources and is a good account if you have not been following what has happened to our food you should read it. Some interesting accounts of urban farming from Paris to Detroit.
September 5, 2013
Really interesting, inspiring book. Great overview on what is currently going on with urban agriculture (pointing out several key players, cities, and experiments going on you can research further, if desired). Makes you want to go outside and grow a garden :)
August 20, 2012
An excellent book showing examples of how easy it is to grow food in the city, even from your little balcony.
June 14, 2015
well written survey of the commercial agro system and different responses in various cities.
September 14, 2012
Enlightening and frightening. Looking into joining a CSA because of this book.
May 29, 2014
A must read for an international-minded urban gardener.
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