Urban Farming in New York City: A Follow-up Discussion

For several times, we discussed the urban farming concept and the possibility of turning the urban farming idea into an enterprise. According to the Wall Street Journal, urban farming seems to work well in New York City, and some urban-farming entrepreneurs have already made profits last year.

The setup cost for urban farms is not cheap, about $2-$2.5 million for an acre of rooftop greenhouse in New York City. It usually costs less for non-greenhouse “agriculture-able” rooftops or lands --- the trade-off is the ability of providing all-season harvest. Regardless of whether a greenhouse is used or not, the benefits include fresh, better-taste and more nutritious food, closer to consumers, restaurants and markets, savings in transportations, little emissions of greenhouse gas, less water usage, and better utilization of urban lands.

Interested in watching the successful stories of the urban-farming entrepreneurs in New York City? Please check out the embedded Wall Street Journal video. I believe the urban farming concept will work even better in places like Canton, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Singapore, where the weather allows 11 months (if not all seasons) of harvest without any greenhouses. What do you think of the urban farming idea?

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Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

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