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Happy Friday, guys :) I was in the park today, had a beauuuutiful, long walk. And while enjoying the trees and meadows, I couldn`t help but think about all those acres of land, just… I don`t know, sitting there, unused. Of course we need green meadows and so on, but does it all have to be like that, only grass and flowers? Why not take some of it and crop it with different cultures, it will be a great source of fresh, healthful produce? To me it seems like the very right thing to do. The benefits are more than obvious: people would be eating more local produce, thus decreasing harmful emissions from transportation; most of those urban farms would be, naturally, organic produce, whereas possible; adds greenery to cities and reduces the heat island effect; last but not the least citizens will appreciate the food better as they can participate in the growing process, most importantly the children will be raised with great appreciation for where the food comes from. So I dug for information on urban farming and it turns out there are tons of examples of city agriculture practices. Chicago City Farm

It is a nonprofit project that transformed an acre of cement into a farm producing tomatoes, carrots, beets, arugula and all kinds of herbs. The produce is sold to citizens and area restaurants; everyone can participate in taking care of the plants. The good guys are planning on opening two more farms in Chicago very soon.

Tokyo office farms

When Pasona Group, a Japanese recruitment company, went looking for an office, they decided not to build a brand new cement and glass giant, but instead took a 9-story old building and turned it into an urban farm. The produce is eaten oin the cafeteria and all employees are welcome to take care of the plants. On the outside the building has a living facade, with seasonal flowers and orange trees.

Caracas urban farms

Unable to grow enough food for the population, and not having the money for imported goods, the Venezuelan government turns any possible space into urban farms. So the people can grow their own food and no one has to starve anymore.

Public Farm One

This is one of the most interesting projects ever; designed by WORK Architecture Company for MoMA and P.S.1's Young Architects Program, Public Farm One is an installation celebrating the theme of urban farming.  Through the unique medium of contemporary architecture, the project educates all visitors on the importance of sustainable farming. It is built of 100% recycled materials, completely solar-powered and utilizes rain collection.

City Slicker Farms

In West Oakland 60% of the people live below the poverty line. There is not a single grocery store nearby. So City Slicker Farms, a nonprofit organization, builds small farms in backyards and all possible vacant spaces to provide fruits and vegetables for the residents.

Stay tuned for more great examples :)