Urban Farming Can Actually Be Pretty Productive
Photography by Alison Hancock, Shutterstock.
A new two-year study found the yield and quality of produce grown on urban farms is comparable to conventional farming.
By Dan Nosowitz
Modern Farmer
Jan 07, 2022
Excerpt:
On average, the farmers were able to harvest about one kilogram of fruits and vegetables per square meter of land, which is on the low side for small-scale farmers, according to one Rutgers University study. But it is still roughly comparable to small farmers, and the Sussex researchers do note that some spaces were far more productive, up to 10 kilograms per square meter—depending on the skill, experience and specific crop choices of the home gardener. It’s also worth noting that those 34 were the minority of those who actually reported their findings; 160 originally signed up to do this, and it seems sensible that only the most serious gardeners would file their reports.
Urban farming has been studied in the past, with similar findings. Small-scale urban gardeners tend to have surprisingly high yields, use much less pesticide and fertilizer than commercial farms, and are very efficient in their use of small spaces. But they’re also extremely inefficient in their use of materials (like inputs) and labor. A home gardener laboring over a few Swiss chard plants might get pretty good results, but the cost of those plants—which were maybe bought as seedlings and are more expensive than seeds—means that the overall efficiency is not especially high.
