Green Paper: 11 June 2003

City farms are part of the solution for sustainable living

• Everything is connected with everything else
• Everything must go somewhere
• Nature knows best
• There's no such thing as a 'free lunch'
• I do and I understand

The people involved in the City Farm are your most important resource
Without significant community support, involvement and local 'ownership', a viable and sustainable city farm is less likely to happen.

City farms come in all shapes and sizes, the services they provide vary according to location and community needs. It is not appropriate in this guidance paper to produce a detailed design blueprint for a City Farm in your community in your country. This has to develop in an organic way, as the growing group of people drawn into the project acquire skills and experience, and respond to the needs of their community, or community of interest. It is essential that this phase develops at a pace which allows people drawn into the project from the community and/or communities of interest to develop the City Farm in an organic way.

'seeing is believing'
In thinking about starting a City Farm we strongly recommend 'seeing is believing' tours. The key purpose of 'seeing is believing' tours to other City Farms is to talk to, and be inspired by, people just like yourselves, who know what it takes to set up and run a City Farm.

To experience what works and why and importantly understand the mistakes other City Farms have made and the resulting problems they face. You will gain ideas and advice, but the final design of your city farm will be yours.

The City Farm group needs to avoid being dictated to by someone or some organisation 'parachuting' into your community or any existing organisation merely pursuing its own narrow agenda.

Working with 'professionals'
In developing your City Farm you are likely to work with a wide variety of professionals, for example, architects, engineers, planners, accountants, ecologists agronomists, teachers ... Some may be volunteers others you will pay fees for their services. Whether they are volunteering their time or paid professionals supporting and advising the City Farm; they need to be on 'tap' not on 'top'. Working with the City Farm group and providing expertise rather than dictating to the group.

Developing a new city farm - what we have learnt
The planning, development and operation of a city farm needs to be determined by a sustainable inclusive development process combining the social, environmental and economic lessons of the last thirty years.

The City Farm ambience
The City Farm needs to encourage a welcoming and socially inclusive environment which people recognised and feel when they visit. It should be as 'hands on' as possible - where we all enjoy the Farm by doing, where people take away ideas to do at home, and in their communities because they want to, not because they are made to feel guilty.

The City Farm needs to be a source of lifelong learning where people feel comfortable and secure.

The City Farm needs to strive to be recognised as a beacon of good practice on user care, including its implementation of equalities, child protection, vulnerable adults, health and safety and animal welfare policies.

'Walking lightly on the planet'
The City Farm needs to be designed as an integrated whole, to save the most energy and impact positively rather than negatively on its environment.

The construction and landscaping materials used need to be as carbon neutral as possible without sacrificing fun, comfort and security for people and the farm's livestock.

The five R's, (Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle and Review), will be central to the City Farm's daily operation.

City Farms - 'A community resource'
City Farms, being open to all, have proved a focus and stimulus for a variety of activities, reflecting the needs of their local communities, members, users and visitors.

Many City Farms have been particularly successful in bridging the gap between generations, and providing a welcoming and supportive environment for people with special needs enabling them to manage their own personal development.

City Farms are often major agents for sustainable development combining the social, environmental and economic aspirations of urban communities. A simple social enterprise example would be a community café that uses fresh farm produce, creates jobs and training opportunities, and provides an example of healthy eating, and a welcoming social meeting place. City Farms can be 'green oases' in otherwise often hostile urban environments.

What do City Farms do?
The potential activities and programmes of a City Farm are endless, but need to reflect the needs and cultures of their host communities. They may include:

• Food growing and production: community gardens and garden plots, instruction on herbs and their uses, and horticultural projects, advice on gardening, tree nursery programmes in conjunction with local schools, sale of produce, processing of produce.
• Animal husbandry and welfare activities.
• Conservation and nature activities.
• Composting and recycling schemes.
• Early years children's activities from: parent and toddler groups to day kindergartens.
• Children's activities, such as Young City Farmers' Clubs, play schemes and excursions.
• Senior citizens clubs and activities: and grandparents with young children are frequent visitors to City Farms.
• Visits and programmes by special needs groups.
• Venue for arts and crafts providing classes, activities and demonstrations.
• School visits and activities designed to support children and young peoples education and social development.
• A social meeting place: enhanced on many farms which have their own community café.
• A venue for seasonal festivals, events and celebrations.
• Evening recreation, conservation and training activities for all ages.
• Support and venue for local self-help groups.
• Opportunities for children's play.
• A base for excursions and visits.
• Opportunities for volunteering and learning new skills.

Principles of City Farm design

Sustainable and Ecological City Farm development
The concept of sustainability - achieving a balance, which avoids exhaustion of finite resources and permanent environmental damage - lies at the very heart of the City Farm movement.

Going beyond existing European building standards
All new buildings for City Farms should be designed to be rated 'very good' or 'excellent' against the standards applied in your country. 'Green' principles can, and should, be applied to the buildings for City Farms, which can provide examples of best practice in advance of the gradual moves to incorporate these principles into building regulations in your country.

Around the world there are numerous examples of buildings designed to conserve finite natural resources and to have minimal impact on the environment. Few of them rely on complicated technology; most are attractive and affordable. 'Green' building and development is not the preserve of the affluent.

Your City Farm could be the first 'carbon neutral ' facility in your community, that is the first not to add to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Features may include:

• building materials selected from natural, renewable or recycled sources and, wherever possible, located from within a 50 kilometre radius of the site.
• combined heat and power - all the development's heat, light and power produced from wastes and/or geothermal and/or solar and/or wind and/or water sources
• energy efficient design
• water conservation and water cleaning reducing mains consumption
• green transport plans aimed at reducing reliance on the car
• practising the 5 R's, and providing recycling units

The design of a city farm
The design of the city farm to be accessible, open and welcoming in order to attract the broadest range of people. At the same time it should incorporate distinctive areas to meet the needs between different groups of visitors.

Sustainable landscape
Landscape design should create versatile and "readable" landscape patterns to support the "adventurous" character of the city farm and enhance ecology.

Animal welfare
The design needs to provide conditions for livestock, which comply with best animal welfare standards.

Sustainable agriculture
The design should promote agricultural themes and activities in a sustainable and contemporary manner, that is to say avoid romantic clichés and reconstruction of old agricultural practices in a museum-like manner.

Adaptable for future developments
Design to ensure that the site layout achieves flexibility in use and where possible can be adapted to meet changes in future requirements; this is necessary to enable the buildings and land to serve a long and useful life and to ensure against early obsolescence.

Energy conservation and comfort
The design of the buildings and land to take advantage of aspect to achieve passive solar gain in the winter months and is provided with shading to avoid to much solar gain in the summer months.

A system of natural ventilation to be designed into people and livestock buildings.

The design to maximise daylight penetration into the buildings to reduce the need for artificial lighting.

The design to take into account the costs and ease of the maintenance of buildings and infrastructure.

The detail design needs to maintain high standards, especially in the following areas:

• Appropriate level of thermal mass
• High levels of insulation (U values) to reduce heat loss
• Energy efficient heating system and controls
• Energy efficient lighting and controls
• Careful choice of materials to minimise environmental impact and maximise reuse of materials
• All timber to be obtained from sustainable sources
• Robust detailing to minimise unnecessary air leakage
• To be as carbon neutral as possible
• Finishes to be sustainable and children and livestock friendly

Renewable energy generation
Renewable Energy encourages the development and use of energy from renewable sources - energy from the sun, wind, oceans and fall of water; combustible or digestible industrial, agricultural and domestic waste materials are also regarded as renewable sources or energy. A main advantage of using renewable energy is its contribution to limiting emissions of greenhouse gases (the gases which cause global warming).

Helping others learn the lessons
A city farm could provide an opportunity for an easily understood demonstration for the development of renewable energy in the borough by incorporating renewable energy sources to further address the Sustainable Energy Climate Strategy like solar water heating, photovoltaic roofs and ground source heat pumps, (geothermal energy).

Where possible keep it local
In the development and construction of a new city farm, attention needs to be given to ensure that the maximum level of local labour and training opportunities are provided, to support the local economy and enhance skills of some of the local people.

Growing a City Farm - 'working with nature'
A new city farm needs to be designed as an integrated whole including the transition zones to neighbouring areas, where possible with appropriate vegetation providing the following medium and long term benefits:

• Creating a welcoming, comfortable and beautiful facility
• Security for users, visitors and livestock and natural 'burglar barriers' against unauthorised entry
• External pollution absorbers and barriers through planting
• Contributing to the insulation of buildings
• Creating areas of solar gain and shade taking advantage of the buildings and lands aspects
• Creation of micro-climates by providing shade, shelter and wind breaks, thermal walls with external planting.
• Rainwater absorption, conservation, storage and control minimising the use of public water and water land damage
• Cleaning grey water for reuse on the land or for stock through ponds, natural filters and reed beds.
• Making use of any natural features and where possible existing appropriate vegetation
• To maximise the wildlife habitat and 'nature corridor' opportunities.
• Livestock fodder, bedding and supplements
• An edible landscape for users and visitors
• Planting defining routes and zones where possible through colour, shape, size, touch and scent
• Creating opportunities for children's play eg 'edible wigwams' and 'edible mazes'
• Companion planting to increase natural biological controls
• Cropping for fun and education for example osier beds for withies for crafts, play and structures
• Plant residues to provide good quality compost and/or mulch

Creating synergy
Synergy describes the behaviour of systems, which cannot be defined by the individual quality of separate parts of the system. That goes for complex chemical connections as well as for ecological or social systems. Creating synergetic effects means to improve your performance by clever connections instead of increasing input. One tool to use in this direction is to address everything with a variety of uses or functions. Planting should be planned to have many functions that complement one another. This increases their value and makes the best use of resources. For example, the purpose of growing carefully chosen climbing plants up a garden store could be to:

• make the building, and thus the City Farm, more attractive
• habitat - provide shelter and a food source for bees and other wildlife
• help insulate the building
• produce food
• create a natural 'burglar barrier' against unauthorised entry.

There is no such thing as a disadvantage!
Every disadvantage can be turned to an advantage-the process of sustainable development! Turn any problem into an opportunity. One person's waste can often become another's resources. What at first glance may seem an impossible situation will, with some imaginative thinking be solved. A rubble-strewn piece of land can provide building material for a dry stone rubble wall providing a habitat for plants and 'mini-beasts'. A wet area thought of as unproductive can be used to produce reeds and rushes for water cleaning, making compost, establishing wildlife habitat, and/or use for animal bedding. City farms contribute to a holistic view of urban oasis development and provide useful insights to the challenges of design, development, management and organisation.