Street Farm: Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier

by Michael Ableman

Street Farm  is the inspirational account of residents in the notorious Low Track in Vancouver, British Columbia―one of the worst urban slums in North America―who joined together to create an urban farm as a means of addressing the chronic problems in their neighborhood. It is a story of recovery, of land and food, of people, and of the power of farming and nourishing others as a way to heal our world and ourselves. During the past seven years, Sole Food Street Farms―now North America’s largest urban farm project―has transformed acres of vacant and contaminated urban land into street farms that grow artisan-quality fruits and vegetables. By providing jobs, agricultural training, and inclusion in a community of farmers and food lovers, the Sole Food project has empowered dozens of individuals with limited resources who are managing addiction and chronic mental health problems. Sole Food’s mission is to encourage small farms in every urban neighborhood so that good food can be accessible to all, and to do so in a manner that allows everyone to participate in the process. In Street Farm, author-photographer-farmer Michael Ableman chronicles the challenges, growth, and success of this groundbreaking project and presents compelling portraits of the neighborhood residents-turned-farmers whose lives have been touched by it. Throughout, he also weaves his philosophy and insights about food and farming, as well as the fundamentals that are the underpinnings of success for both rural farms and urban farms. Street Farm will inspire individuals and communities everywhere by providing a clear vision for combining innovative farming methods with concrete social goals, all of which aim to create healthier and more resilient communities.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Gardening, Environment, Nature

256 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2016

About the author

Michael Ableman is an American-Canadian author, organic farmer, educator, and advocate for sustainable agriculture. Michael has been farming organically since the early 1970s and is considered one of the pioneers of the organic farming and urban agriculture movements. He is a frequent lecturer to audiences all over the world and the winner of numerous awards for his work. Ableman is the author of four trade published books: From the Good Earth: A celebration of growing food around the world; On Good Land: The autobiography of an urban farm; Fields Of Plenty; A farmer's journey in search of real food and the people who grow it, and most recently Street Farm; Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier. Michael Ableman is the founder of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens in Goleta, California where he farmed for 20 years; co-founder and director of Sole Food Street Farms and the charity Cultivate Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia; and founder and director of the Center for Arts, Ecology and Agriculture based at his family home and farm on Salt Spring Island.

Reviews

[Susan Storer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book about urban gardening, growing your own lettuce in a community patch. This is about production farming in city streets and waste spaces, by a man who pioneered the techniques in Watts and who now runs Sole Food Street Farms in Vancouver.
It is also not a book that shows you easy steps about how to do what he did. Farming is a complex and subtle operation; city streets are no place for the unwary or the dewy-eyed idealist.
Ableman's book is part urgent manifesto: "Every municipality should establish publicly supported agricultural centers in central and accessible locations. . .working urban farms that model not only the social, cultural, and ecological benefits of farming in the city, but the economic benefits as well." It is partly a story about the people whose lives were given another chance through farming in the city. Some have succeeded spectacularly; others have been better for a while, only to falter. That part of the story is told clearly and with compassion. It's also part coffee-table book, because the pictures are gorgeous.
Worth the read--and certainly worth the thinking it inspires.

[Amber Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about my own city and the amazing work this local farm is doing to help people with work and also expand on local organic produce.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a beautiful book, beautifully written and including beautiful photos. What I liked about the book:
>practical, solid farming tips are included
>stories of the people who farm these farms
>that Ableman includes the emotional aspects of this project: happiness, satisfaction, love, frustration, anger, sadness, etc. sometimes all at once
>Ableman owns his bad decisions and the challenges and failures of the project
>he also owns his good decisions and the joys and successes of the project
>the inclusion of the social issues in the DTES (Downtown Eastside)
>the inclusion of the natural history aspects of the farms
>the farming manifesto
>the philosophical ideas and discussions about food and food production and consumption
>the whole idea of this project and that they have accomplished so much with it.

Overall, this is a wonderful book. I send best wishes to Michael Ableman and all of the Sole Food - Street Farm farmers. It was wonderful to learn more about the work that they do.

[Cyneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is all about having a legit business and bringing all members of a community together. It is inspiring how the author started an urban farm and gave the less fortunate of Vancouver (the addicts, people who are homeless, people on Social Assistance, etc.) a new lease on life by having them work on his farm! I love this book!

[Carol Blakeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it doesn’t exactly fit my needs as I am just a small gardener and not seeking to expand much, there was some good information about growing food In general.

It’s always good to read about what is going on with organic farming no matter where it takes place. We need that connection.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful for someone curious as to how some urban farmers operate in a city. Every farmer is different but Michael's methodology and philosophy are quite interesting.

[Jacky Schuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. Full of insight and empathy. Inspirational.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring mission. Honest account of hardships -and joys- in realizing those ideals.

[Tajkiewicz Michal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story on growing food in the urban environment and helping the community at the same time

[Nada Loughead · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review at https://canadiancookbooks.ca/street-f...

[Cory St. Esprit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good storyline about his quest to start a large urban farm with a huge social footprint in downtown Vancouver. I liked the stories of his history or large scale farming and to learn more about why he and his group did this (the huge social component) but he repeated some stories a lot (3.5 if I could do half stars)

[Sara Van Dyck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ableman’s account of his Sole Foods project is idealistic, romantic, and also tough-minded when needed. The photos of the farms and workers are beautiful and remarkable, clearly showing lush rows of greens planted by high-rises, highways, and overpasses. From the numbers Ableman provides, it’s clear that the farms are far from self-sufficient, relying on much outside support. Yet he has brought this vision to fruition, an extraordinary accomplishment.

This is probably not a model that many could replicate. So who might enjoy or profit from this book? Of course, people thinking about where their food comes from and how we can provide food food for all. My interest stemmed from observing and volunteering in various garden or farm projects in the city where I live, from community gardens, small farms supplying food banks, or CSA’s, and Ableman gave me a clearer view of the differences. He hopes to encourage and educate city folk, rich or poor, to value and appreciate fresh local produce. And the city where I live, like many others, struggles with problems of the destitute and unemployed, and I think Ableman has much to offer on what makes a difference to them.

[Mills College Library]

338.10971 A152 2016