Urban farming in Cleveland: not far-fetched

Cleveland should change its motto to "when handed lemons, make lemonade." This town's municipal flag currently reads "Progress & Prosperity" - an alliterative phrase added to the flag around 1966, but I think the former phrase is much more illustrative of a town plagued with social and economic challenges while populated with a unique crowd of Cleveland diehards. The challenge at hand is the burden of a slew of vacant lots, foreclosures, a lack of pocket money, and a lack of will to purchase land. Fortunately, Cleveland-based innovators and investors have taken a strong interest in these empty lots, and have begun cultivating the land into urban farms. Like I said, lemons to lemonade.Urban farming may sound like an oxymoron, since farming is usually done in rural, verdant, open areas. However, moving the supplier closer to the demand-population has its perks. For one thing, the majority of the people actually purchasing the food have the opportunity to learn how produce is cultivated and raised. For another, the middleman-transportation costs are cut out of the equation. And let's not forget the access to fresh-off-the-vine produce. Cleveland's messy economy prompts innovation and exciting city projects.

This spring, 58 Cleveland residents will start the process of redesigning vacant lots to be utilized as urban agriculture, natural landscapes and communal green spaces. Cleveland's Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI) gave the Re-imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland program life by raising more than $600,000 in funds and $100,000 worth of technical services from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The largest funding source, $500,000, came from the City of Cleveland Community Development Department - an impressive and courageous donation from the city, especially considering how the city loses tax revenue by giving up the lots for community purposes. The donation certainly reflects the personal hope and investment that the city has in this project, since the city clearly does not have millions pouring out of its pockets.

But back to the lemonade. Certain savvy entrepreneurs are making a profit while helping their local community. The young farmers running the website urbangrowthfarm.com are tapping into Ohio's agricultural industry as well as teaching sustainable, wholesome farming practices. Their blog features an array of pictures capturing their farming techniques, equipment, and variety of vegetables.

LocalClevelandFood.org contains a how-to guide with step-by-step advice on starting a local farm. Though helpful for the highly motivated, the guide has an intimidating tone reminiscent of a Michael Pollan lecture: "So you want to be a farmer? Well good, because we need 30 million more of them. And soon."

Ignoring the Pollan-esque preface, the local farm initiatives are no doubt sources of employment, nourishment, and hope for this city of outsourced jobs and deadpan steel mills.

One of the first farms located in Cleveland proper, Blue Pike Farm, collects and composts organic matter from coffee shops, roasteries, and local food markets. Located on East 72nd, the mini farms focuses on heirloom and unusual varieties of produce, diversifying palates and challenging routine supermarket produce. Who knows, over time, they may become purveyors of fine produce for Cleveland's thriving restaurant trade.

Urban farming programs confront the reality of Cleveland's dwindling population. Clearly no one is interested in replacing abandoned, weed-infested lots in Cleveland Heights. However, this makes palpable just how much passion and dedication the pioneers of these projects have. They are some of the city's biggest supports. These pioneers, consisting of mostly youthful, first-generation farmers, are also the bunch that has refused to give up on the city. Any one of these farmers could have packed up and moved to a Northern California town of marijuana growers and have made fat paychecks by now. But instead they've chosen to man up to the tough times and grow some lemons, to make their sweet, sweet lemonade.