Urban farming is in the air and California is setting an example by creating the first American housing project of its kind with an urban farm built intentionally in the center of the community. The farm will be 7.4 acres and will include a teaching center for sustainable farming. Some 547 new homes have been built around the farm.
This is no straw bale hippy paradise, but fulfilling the dreams of mainstream urbanites who want the pleasures of big, single dwelling homes with access to fresh, local, organic produce.
The project is called The Cannery, and this Saturday 14 model homes will go on sale. Owned by NEW HOME (NYSE: NWHM) this event marks California’s first farm-to-table new home community. It is located in Davis, Calif.
“We have worked extremely hard over the past several years to get to this moment,” said Kevin Carson, Northern California President for NEW HOME. “The Cannery is unlike any other community in the western United States and it has truly been a rewarding experience to contribute to such an innovative concept.
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Through a collaborative effort with the Center for Land-Based Learning of Winters, Calif., the Urban Farm will serve as a state-of-the-art example of sustainable urban farming and as an agri-classroom for students and beginning farmers.
“To see The Cannery today becoming a viable farm community is not only personally exciting for me, but also one of the most fulfilling accomplishments in my career,” said Craig McNamara, founder of the Center for Land-Based Learning. “The Cannery Urban Farm honors what I believe in most: Connecting eaters directly to food.”
Hear, hear. Let’s here of more projects like this multiplying across the US and the world.
Thank you for any other fantastic article. The place else may just anyone get that type of information in such a perfect method of writing?
I have a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.
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First…. Really
That’s fine, but the drought is on going because the ocean is so polluted not enough water can evaporate to form rain clouds. So there needs to be a big effort to clean up the ocean as soon as possible.
Ms. Kloosterman: If the houses were actually “straw bale hippy paradise”, housseholds will be more energy efficient, insulation rate will be higher than conventional building and the entire community will be more sustainable. Building a community around a farm is what our ancestors did, the new “green development” industry hasn’t discover anything new, it is just good marketing. Do we want more sustainable places to live in harmony with the environment? Along with the Urban Farm, go natural building then, promote water conservation, use the resources of your site, foster permaculture principles, etc…Those cookie cutters designed house pale in comparison with some straw bale homes built in the U.S. – in San Diego County only, there are 56 permitted straw bale homes in an assortment of styles that will make your jaw drop…Get informed before bashing on the future of construction.
To gain a wider perspective on the topic, please visit: California Straw Building Association http://www.strawbuilding.org, http://www.tourdebale.com, http://www.simpleconstruct.net,
If we are worried about a drought, stop eating meat as the amount of water is takes to raise 1 pound of meat far exceeds its value.
This farm to table community is a great model for what many of us would be interested in for the future. I would love to live in a community in a small home where we collectively supported our health from the land.
The only way to stop the drought is to clean up the ocean. .Then rainfall will return to normal.
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A small step in the right direction but unfortunately America’s obsession with single family residential lifestyle prevents this concept from being successful. Denser living leaves more open space. Build up, not out.
Urban farming needs seasonal weather, not years of drought, wildfires and flash flooding. But the ocean is so polluted not enough water can evaporate to form rain clouds. So we need to clean up the ocean as soon as possible.
This is higher conscious becoming reality in human life!! Applause!
7.4 acres won’ t go far towards feeding 547 households!
Agreed, Sue R. 7.4 acres absolutely will not feed 547 households – not even close – not even for a season. We’re developing a project here in Elgin Texas (near Austin) that includes up to 80 homes with 6 acres of farm and even that will be tight.
I’d be more interested in the Elgin project,
Not anything on Google,
Thanks
Joe, the developer is working on the site. It’s called the Elgin Agrarian Community.
It’s also being used as a teaching center – so imagine how many suburban homes there will be growing their even more local gardens. And if they use hydroponics a lot more mouths can be fed.
“straw bale hippy paradise”?
What’s wrong with strawbale hippy!!!! Didn’t that help launch basic ideas of sustainable? Not everyone (far from it) can afford a 400,000 home – we called this concept Yuppy-back at ya
Really! I thought that comment was totally uncalled for!
The two illustrations bear no relationship to each other so its difficult to understand the scheme, or make a judgement about it.
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The drought makes such a project unworkable.
The reclamation of greywater from the 500+ homes will make the farming absolutely easy. The biological filtration areas would also make wonderful habitat for local wildlife. Australia has been doing this for decades.