Farming

The idea of urban farming has gone from fringe to functional, with backyards plots and small infill operations teeming across North America. Lloyd Alter takes a look at the trend.

April 7, 2010 - Azure Magazine

Scholars from the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad discuss how to remake the country's urban areas into sources of economic prosperity.

March 30, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Aquaponics offer urbanites a new way to farm sustainably in space- and resource-poor areas.

February 22, 2010 - The New York Times

Cityscape Farms has developed a new technique for farming fish along with vegetables in combined urban food systems that allows them to farm in developed areas.

January 29, 2010 - Good

Agricultural investors are buying up abandoned and empty land in Detroit -- making a big wager on the future of the city as a farm town.

December 30, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Three years into a statewide drought, California officials have taken drastic steps to reduce water use in cities and farms. 60 Minutes looks at the drought and efforts to combat the water shortage.

December 29, 2009 - CBS

Legislators in California are forming a special session to try to tackle the state's crippling water woes. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is hoping they can hammer out a deal within the week.

October 15, 2009 - The New York Times

Eating local is in vogue, as the environmental impacts of industrialized agriculture surface. But is eating local really the right response? One author says maybe not.

September 6, 2009 - Forbes

Growing populations and diminishing land will make feeding people a challenge in the near future. This piece from Popular Science looks at eight strategies to keep the world fed.

August 17, 2009 - Popular Science

A small strip of land in Los Angeles is being used to grow vegetables for the cafe next door. But officials say the plot violates zoning rules.

July 31, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Water policies in Syria and Turkey are draining the Euphrates River dry, and neighboring Iraq is feeling all the hurt from it.

July 20, 2009 - The New York Times

Organic farms are increasingly being included in site plans for new subdivisions. And homebuyers seem to like them.

July 2, 2009 - The New York Times

This piece from Scientific American looks at the jurisdictional challenge of conserving water in the cross-state Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world's largest sources of freshwater and the backbone of the nation's farm economy.

May 20, 2009 - Scientific American

California's Central Valley is one of the top agricultural sites in the world, but with low rainfall and cut-off irrigation supplies, farming towns and their citizens may face at least one tough year ahead.

February 25, 2009 - The New York Times

Though the use of new portable greenhouse techniques, one farmer is looking to extend his local food growing season year-round -- in Northern Vermont.

February 7, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

As rural villagers abandon farms for the city, tropical lands are reverting to rainforests.

January 31, 2009 - The New York Times

Degradation of soils has brought down many human civilizations. Our current industrial agriculture practices threaten the future of human existence. A 50-year farm bill is needed to guide policy on a more sustainable path, according to this oped.

January 6, 2009 - The New York Times

The next president should take farming seriously and personally, according to Neal Pierce, who writes that rethinking the scale of food production is smart for regions, the environment and the economy.

October 27, 2008 - Citiwire

Preserving farmland has always been a major issue in the U.S. But as Bill Fulton discusses, the local economic results don't quite justify the efforts.

October 12, 2008 - Governing

Around Los Angeles' Skid Row, vertical farms have been installed on walls. Its project leaders note that it not only promotes locally grown foods, but it also beautifies areas that "would otherwise just be concrete and steel."

October 10, 2008 - Architectural Record