Betting the Farm
Is There an Urban Agriculture Bubble?
It’s no secret that urban agriculture is in vogue. Just witness the beehive colonies on Brooklyn rooftops and chicken coops advertised in Austin, Texas real estate listings. But as major urban farms such as the Milwaukee-based Growing Power gain new facilities, employees and glowing media attention, most have not yet figured out how to yield enough profit to become self-sustaining businesses — or, looking even further afield, to feed significant portions of their hometowns. Exploring large farming operations in three different cities, Chicago journalist David Lepeska asks the question: With all this demand and no sure way to scale, is urban agriculture facing an imminent bubble?
- Find out what is — and isn't — on the horizon for much-lauded urban farms around the country.
- Learn how Montreal's Lufa Farms has bucked the trend to become profitable and self-sustaining.
- Discover how farms and cities are not as historically divergent as one might think.
