ABSTRACT
This book describes the multiple scales and diverse methods associated with urban agriculture, from ground-based to building-integrated approaches, ranging from site-specific to city-wide networks. These multiple scales and diverse methods are also reflected in the management approach for each farm, which may operate on a personal, community, or commercial level, or some combination thereof. An effective operational system is vital to the success of any urban agricultural initiative, and new approaches to the production and marketing of food that increase the transparency of food origin and inputs are establishing alternatives to the existing, unsustainable food system. This chapter examines urban farm operations on multiple levels, from farm management to production and processing methods. Essential to an operation’s success are considerations including start-up funding, financing, business models, and profitability, and we demonstrate a variety of effective approaches in a series of case studies. While nonprofit, community, educational, and personal urban agricultural practices are significant branches of the movement, this chapter focuses on commercial endeavors and identifies what designers need to know when planning a viable farm operation.
