Mr. Smith breaks into urban agribusiness (and he may have to go to Washington).
November 12, 2012 at 11:58 am
(This post was last modified: November 13, 2012 at 4:53 pm by Tiberius.)
Perhaps, in the not so distant past, a young and energetic Mr. Smith was driving through an abandoned industrial area in Urban Anywhere, USA. Being of a certain mind he couldn't help but consider how much of a waste of land and resources he was surveying. Invariably his mind wandered to the effect of this abandonment on the local community, and he couldn't dodge the notion that -somebody- ought to do -something- about it. Well why not him? But what could he do?
-Fast forward a decade. What was once an abandoned lot is now a veritable city treasure. Mr Smith has turned this sad little parcel of the Rust Belt into an urban jungle, but not the concrete type. Vibrant flowers explode in a wickerwork of velvety climbing vines forming the backdrop of a small but bustling market tent, where locals - and increasingly, the residents of gated communities clear across town wait in line to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables (and any other number of products that Mr. Smith cares to stock) for prices that range from competitive with the local superstore all the way to luxurious and exorbitant premium. Property values have risen and the folks moving in are of a decidedly different stripe than those that are moving out.
How did this come to pass? What was Mr. Smiths background, what is his business model? Just how profitable a venture is he operating and who are his customers? What legal hoops might he have launched himself through and how much capital did it take to go from his afternoon drive ten years ago to the bustling inner city farm of today? Is his model really good for the community, or for the larger national community? How might his success (or failures) translate to future start-ups....and what might be done differently? Importantly, could he have placed his wager on a *better horse* (told you there was 20% more green in this post)?
Summer and I wanted to explore how urban agriculture is established, what sorts of decisions are involved, and how it compares to other types of agribusiness. Just to keep it interesting we'll try to compare a projected urban farm with a more conventional small producer.....and also...so you bastards might clicky the thread.....certain quasi-legal gardening efforts (where we can - reliable info is limited). I'd like to think that there's a little something for everyone in a subject so broad (and I hope that we might be able to surprise some with the breadth and scope of what seems to some, at least intuitively, to be little more than sticking seeds in the ground and waiting for rain). Just how complicated a mess can this become, and how quickly? It's going to take me some time to put together quality posts for each of the steps (as I'll be outlining them) and in the interim it would tickle Summer and I pink, or green, depending, to see y'all weigh in. In truth there are no real "experts" on urban agriculture, and everyone's input is both worthy and valuable (because you, John Q, are the customer we're a'courtin). So speak up! Give us a piece of your mind.
To start with, Mr. Smith decided (for whatever reason) to start an urban farm on this abandoned lot . If you were Mr. Smith, would you have done so? If so, why? If not, why not? What is your opinion of urban farming, what are your concerns? Do you think you could establish a successful urban farm in your community? Summer, you wanna kick this off?
-Fast forward a decade. What was once an abandoned lot is now a veritable city treasure. Mr Smith has turned this sad little parcel of the Rust Belt into an urban jungle, but not the concrete type. Vibrant flowers explode in a wickerwork of velvety climbing vines forming the backdrop of a small but bustling market tent, where locals - and increasingly, the residents of gated communities clear across town wait in line to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables (and any other number of products that Mr. Smith cares to stock) for prices that range from competitive with the local superstore all the way to luxurious and exorbitant premium. Property values have risen and the folks moving in are of a decidedly different stripe than those that are moving out.
How did this come to pass? What was Mr. Smiths background, what is his business model? Just how profitable a venture is he operating and who are his customers? What legal hoops might he have launched himself through and how much capital did it take to go from his afternoon drive ten years ago to the bustling inner city farm of today? Is his model really good for the community, or for the larger national community? How might his success (or failures) translate to future start-ups....and what might be done differently? Importantly, could he have placed his wager on a *better horse* (told you there was 20% more green in this post)?
Summer and I wanted to explore how urban agriculture is established, what sorts of decisions are involved, and how it compares to other types of agribusiness. Just to keep it interesting we'll try to compare a projected urban farm with a more conventional small producer.....and also...so you bastards might clicky the thread.....certain quasi-legal gardening efforts (where we can - reliable info is limited). I'd like to think that there's a little something for everyone in a subject so broad (and I hope that we might be able to surprise some with the breadth and scope of what seems to some, at least intuitively, to be little more than sticking seeds in the ground and waiting for rain). Just how complicated a mess can this become, and how quickly? It's going to take me some time to put together quality posts for each of the steps (as I'll be outlining them) and in the interim it would tickle Summer and I pink, or green, depending, to see y'all weigh in. In truth there are no real "experts" on urban agriculture, and everyone's input is both worthy and valuable (because you, John Q, are the customer we're a'courtin). So speak up! Give us a piece of your mind.
To start with, Mr. Smith decided (for whatever reason) to start an urban farm on this abandoned lot . If you were Mr. Smith, would you have done so? If so, why? If not, why not? What is your opinion of urban farming, what are your concerns? Do you think you could establish a successful urban farm in your community? Summer, you wanna kick this off?
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