Urban Farms in Need of Farmers

Nate Berg explores how the excitement of establishing urban farms and gardens tends to evaporate when the hard work sets in. He profiles one entrepreneur who's trying to fill the gap in dedication and knowledge.

1 minute read

April 30, 2012, 11:00 AM PDT

By Alesia Hsiao


There has been a surge of urban gardens and farms cropping up in schools, residences and empty lots across the country. While there is great enthusiasm in creating these small-scale farms, the understanding and the willingness to maintain them has not been met with the same interest, notes Berg.

"For schools especially, I think the process of creating a garden is pretty exciting to people, so they build a coalition who get really excited and everyone shows up for the ribbon cutting at the garden, and then the hard work sets in," says Dan Allen, the owner of Farmscape, a company that helps maintain small-scale farms. "It's not just building the garden and doing that first planting, but also doing the diligent maintenance of the crops."

That's where Farmscape, a company based in the outsourced landscaping capital of the country – Los Angeles – comes in. "The company's website claims its services are comparable to those of 'mow-and-blow' landscapers, but with the added value of an expertise in organic farming techniques. His team – 'half a dozen college-educated 20-somethings' – are filling the void of farmers in a city with a disproportionate supply of urban farms and gardens."

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 in The Atlantic Cities

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

4 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

6 hours ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine