 The founder of BK Farmyards advocates using urban land to grow crops closer to home, hoping to inspire the future planning of cities to include urban agriculture. Most Americans live in urban areas, and just as the population densities have shifted around the country, backyards should be re-examined.
There are more than 10,000 acres of unused land in New York City, according to the Department of Planning, and 1,500 of those acres are in Brooklyn. Plus, there are countless privately owned sunny backyards. Farming 36 backyards in Crown Heights or Bay Ridge is the equivalent to farming an acre.
BK Farmyards pairs yard-owners with urban farmers, using their website to crowd source available land. BK Farmyards found 700 square feet in backyards in Ditmas Park. Sharing backyards is a combination of online dating and Google maps, which allows you to meet your land match as a farmer. Hyperlocavore meets a similar need: sharing local resources through a social network interface. |
