50 Photos of Urban Farming That Will Make You Want to Get Back to Nature

50 Photos of Urban Farming That Will Make You Want to Get Back to Nature

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Mike Strayer

Spring is in the air and here at Just Energy we’re loving the higher temps and sunny skies. In our excitement, we scoured Instagram for #UrbanFarming so that we could share the joy of green sprouts and downy chicks, among other springtime delights. Scroll down to learn a little bit more about urban agriculture and peep some adorably sharable photos from urban farms on Instagram.

Urban Farming Isn’t Just for the Hipsters

Urban farming is an activity that has become increasingly popular over the last decade. The practice of farming in urban areas, however, has been around for quite some time (thousands of years, really)—perhaps most notably during WWII when American citizens were encouraged to plant victory gardens. Nowadays, even in a lot of post-industrial American cities like Baltimore and Cleveland, community gardens and urban farms are sprouting up to serve residents.

Likewise, urban gardening has also become an Internet sensation. Globally, the keyword phrase “urban farming,” for example, is searched around 25,000 a month—with 8,500 of those searches originating in the United States. In fact, countries and private businesses all over the world are investing more and more in urban agriculture. Looks like urban farming isn’t just a trendy pastime for hipsters living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

How Does Urban Farming Help Communities?

While it may seem a surface-level trend to some folks, urban farming is a valuable social practice. But why exactly?

• It benefits urban areas without grocery stores or farmers markets
• It encourages efficient water use and discourages waste by growing food locally and cutting back on water-intensive landscaping
• It promotes a healthy diet of naturally-grown food that you cultivate and harvest yourself
• It empowers communities, bringing neighbors together for a common purpose

And these are just a few of the community benefits associated with urban farming. Still on the fence about homesteading your urban home? Maybe these striking photos from Instagram will convince you to get out this spring and get your hands dirty.