Urban farmer

Urban farming sometimes referred to as “vertical farming”, is a trend borne out of the world’s need to feed more city-dwellers using less land and water. It involves growing crops on rooftops and in small patches of arable land found within cities — and it requires skilled practitioners to make a success of it.

In the US, urban farming has grown by 30% in the last 30 years. It can help improve food security in areas of cities known as “food deserts”, according to research from  Miguel Altieri, professor of agroecology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Its advocates say this type of city-based agriculture comes with many green benefits, such as energy conservation, increased biodiversity in the urban area, nutrient cycling, and micro-climate control.