Submitted by Roxanne Christensen, Jun 22, 2007 09:54

There is another angle that comes into play regarding the revival of the farming profession, and that is urbanization. The segregation of food production outside of cities and towns no longer makes sense in an increasingly urbanized world. Conventional agriculture practices need to change. One new farming system that is equipping food production for the 21st century is SPIN-Farming. Developed by Canadian farmer Wally Satzewich, SPIN requires minimal infrastructure and provides a specific process for generating significant income from land bases under an acre in size. It therefore integrates agriculture into the built environment in a commercially viable manner, and removes the two big barriers to entry for first generation farmers – they do not need much land or financial resources to do SPIN. Best of all, they can set up their farm operations right where they live. By re-casting farming as a small business in a city or town, SPIN is engaged, not escapist, farming. And it is making farming accessible and relevant again to a new generation by positioning it as integral part of urban economies, rather than something a part from them.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.