Issue date: 9/23/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Pete Lodato/DP Senior Photographer [Click to enlarge]

Mill Creek Farm is not much different from any other farm.

Patches of okra, cherry tomatoes, eggplant and more than 50 other crops rotate with the season. The smell of basil permeates the air, chirping crickets are the closest thing to noise and the greenness of the crops can blind your eyes on a sunny day.

But there's one big difference. Mill Creek is located on just a half-acre of land - in the heart of West Philadelphia.

The phrase "urban farming" seems at first to be somewhat of a contradiction - but it is this idea of a sustainable, green oasis in the middle of a bustling city that lends the practice such popularity among its followers, including those who founded Mill Creek at 49th and Brown streets.

"Urban farming is a great way to supplement city living," said Lisa Merrill, a graduate student in Penn's School of Education who recently discovered Mill Creek.

"You can have a connection with the community and with where your food comes from while still enjoying the advantages of living in an urban environment," she added.

There are four well-known urban farms in Philly: Mill Creek, Greensgrow, Weaver's Way and Flat Rock, in addition to 300 community gardens, down from 500 a decade ago.

Plowing forward

Urban agriculture has a long history from the days of World War II, when "victory gardens" mitigated the pressure of food shortages. The practice is still a niche market in the United States compared to cities like Havana, Cuba, where 90 percent of fresh produce comes from urban farms and gardens according to the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture.

City farmers cite several benefits to urban over industrial agriculture, including the offset of carbon footprints through reuse of resources, the creation of local jobs and the promotion of community interactions.

Indeed, that community connection is evident in the eclectic mix of people who help out at Mill Creek on market days. Most of the farm's labor is provided by local volunteers and co-op workers.

And to those like Urban Studies professor Michael Nairn, the food also tastes better.

Continued...

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