Little City Gardens

This is a very interesting article by local author, essayist Rebecca Solnit. It examines the shifting economic and sociological dynamics of San Francicsco. She intelligently observes and critiques the current resurgence of the  dot-com boom and its implications for residents of this city. She also explores the historical context and development of the bay area’s urban centers, linking the current trend to the booms and busts of past.

People often ask us what is unique about our urban farm and what are the specific challenges of making on urban farm financially viable. Of course there are universal challenges to making any small-scale farm viable, but certainly some of those challenges are amplified by the extraordinary cost of living, doing business and finding available land in San Francisco. We also face the emotional challenge of knowing that many of our friends and peers with creative, activist lifestyles are being squeezed out of the city through evictions or an inability to afford inflated rental prices. Farming in a boom time in one of the most expensive cities in the country does offer the benefits of more customers with extra money to spend on vegetables, but it also presents the significant challenges of earning enough to handle the high cost of living and a sense of increasing social isolation.