How has NYC industrial history impacted growing food in urban soils today ?

Imagine a rooftop garden lush with salad greens and fresh vegetables. Picture a quaint patio garden growing bay-leaf, lemon-verbena and lime-basil herbs. Urban farming is a sustainability movement that is giving new purpose to rooftops, patios and unused space. The beauty of urban farming is that it not only produces an abundance of organic, locally grown food, but also has a social, economic and communal impact.

Urban farming has the potential to become a global green evolution, improving the economy, sustainability and health of our urban communities. From North Minneapolis and Milwaukee to Cairo and Montreal, urban farms and gardens are sprouting up as a solution to maximize the use of natural resources such as solar energy, advocating healthy lifestyles and even teaching job skills.

It doesn't matter how large or small your rooftop farm or patio garden is, urbanized agriculture positively affects metropolitan areas with stimulated economic growth and better food quality. Urban farming can reduce food-related carbon emissions, including transportation (low food mileage) and production costs (packaging and storage). It can bolster economic growth by keeping the exchange of food localized and gentrifying depressed urban areas, and improve green and energy-efficient initiatives by "reducing harmful runoff, increasing shading and countering the unpleasant heat-island effect," according to National Geographic.

In New York City, urban farming is changing the way communities approach food production, sustainability and socialization:

The Brooklyn Grange Apiary

1 digestive system

2 stomach

3 bladder

4 carbon deoxide

5 tiger