Urban Farms Open Doors

Image Gallery Visitors check out the green of Lew Edmister’s Herb’n Gardener plot.

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Photographs by Diane Guthrie

Sherri Harvel holds court in her garden, a once abandoned block near downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Visitors tiptoe down rows of squash, lettuce and ripening tomatoes, seeking tips on urban farming.

“Start small,” Sherri says. Take soil samples, visit with neighbors, learn the history of your lot, and make sure you have a reliable water source.

Spots like her Root Deep Urban Farm are sprouting up on rooftops, in vacant lots, backyards and church lots worldwide– and, with an estimated 35 urban farms, Kansas City ranks among the leaders in this growing trend. On this hot summer day, some 600 people have ventured out for the second biennial Kansas City Urban Farms Tour to discover what the movement’s all about.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30 percent of farm production in this country originates in metropolitan areas, up to 15 percent globally. In a recent report, the agency notes that urban agriculture promotes food security and improves health and quality of life while creating “dynamic, aesthetically pleasing cityscapes.”

Sherri’s venture in farming began with a knock on her door, an invitation to join a community garden. A few years later, she struck out on her own, sinking roots deep into the heart of one of the city’s toughest neighborhoods. As she works this garden, people stop to chat, even offer a bit of advice. “The neighbors watch out for my place,” Sherri says. “They like that it’s here.”

For farmers on this tour, urban agriculture is about the joy of growing nutritious, delicious food – and earning a little money to boot. It’s about beautifying neighborhoods, improving the environment, nurturing children and giving others a helping hand.

A growing movement

Katherine Kelly, co-founder and executive director of the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, says feedback from the self-directed tour has been tremendous. “People enjoyed the education and the charismatic farmers,” she says. “Two church groups are even thinking of starting gardening projects of their own.”

Folks loved the live music, the cooking demonstrations, tasting opportunities and children’s activities. The only negative comments Katherine heard concerned weeds. “That comes with the organic territory,” she says. “We aren’t the herbicidal people you see on TV.”

This year, 11 farmers opened their plots to public inspection, up from six in 2005 – a reflection of a growing interest in urban farming both here and elsewhere. Katherine calculates 35 farms are within a 20-minute drive of the heart of downtown Kansas City. The definition isn’t set in stone, she adds. “If you can look out and see lots of neighbors, you’ve got an urban farm.”

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