Public Produce

Description

Product DescriptionThis is an updated look at the advantages and possibilities of urban agriculture in public spaces. Why plant trees that only provide shade when they could yield fruit as well? Why not take advantage of sunny patches at the outskirts of car parks to grow carrots and strawberries, free for the harvesting? The idea that public land could be used creatively to grow fresh food for local people was beginning to gain traction when Public Produce was first published in 2009, but there were few concrete examples of action. Today, things are different: fruits and vegetables are thriving in parks, along our streets, and around our civic buildings. This revised edition profiles numerous communities and community officials that are rethinking the role of public space in cities, and how our most revered urban gathering spots might nourish both body and soul. Taking readers from inspiration to implementation, Public Produce is chock full of tantalising images and hearty lessons for bringing agriculture back into our cities.Review”As part of a small but growing group of local food advocates that includes Gary Paul Nabhan, Michael Pollan, and Alice Waters, Nordahl has produced a work that approaches the subject from the creative new angle of producing food in very public places.”– “Landscape Architecture Magazine””Nordahl is a visionary who shows how easily cities could promote urban agriculture to the great benefit of all concerned. This book is at the cutting edge of today’s food revolution. Read it and get your city council to sign up!”–Marion Nestle, Professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at NYU, author of What to Eat”This vital book shows how growing food on public land can transform our civic landscape, sprouting the seeds of biodiversity, sustainability, and community.”–Alice Walters, Chez Panisse”Public Produce is valuable for its detailed examples of urban agriculture that go beyond the familiar community garden, backyard garden, and urban farm, and provides numerous ideas for municipalities ready to take a more active approach to urban agriculture.”– “Nature of Cities””Backed up by research and statistics,Public Produce is a sobering look at our current situation and a rallying cry for getting involved and making a change. For me, Nordahl gives solid reasons for the why and how to get involved today.”– “San Francisco Book Review””Nordahl effectively illustrates the role of public produce in the improvement of food security and makes it difficult to disagree with his assessment that the impact can be positively significant….This book will be very useful to public officials, planners, community activists, and residents interested in food security and urban agriculture.” — “Journal of Planning Education and Research”About the AuthorDarrin Nordahl is an award-winning writer on issues of food and city design. He completed his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of California at Davis and his master’s degree in urban design at Cal-Berkeley. From 2006 to 2012, he was the City Designer at the Davenport Design Center, in Davenport, Iowa. He currently lives and writes in Berkeley, California and is the author of Making Transit Fun!, My Kind of Transit, and a forthcoming book on local food traditions in Appalachia.