Think working farms only belong in the country? Think again! Sydney now has its own urban organic farm, with Pocket City Farms launching in Camperdown on a former bowling green.

Seeking to provide an alternative to fast-food supermarket fare, Pocket City Farms General Manager, Emma Bowen, says, “In cities, we are often disconnected to the origins of food and the effort that goes into growing food. So we wanted to put farming in a place where people can suddenly reconnect with how food is grown again and know where their food comes from.

“Our primary aim is to bring farming into the city and to create food as locally as possible… People can come past and see us growing the food and then come in on a Saturday to our market and buy the food. It’s a real instant connection.”

Incorporating 1200 square metres of market garden growing vegetables, greens, and herbs, the farm also includes a food forest, chicken coop, and a public footpath currently under construction featuring fruit trees and other edible plants.

Volunteers help out on the farm in exchange for practical lessons on urban farming. One such volunteer is Marrickville local, Kirsty Davies, who says, “Nowadays, food is just big business. We are so used to going to the supermarkets to get food, not knowing how it was grown. But this farm is visible to the public and it raises awareness about where food comes from.

“The nutritional value in food from the big supermarkets is [often] pretty low. To see the food being grown locally makes you think about where it comes from. It would be great if we could have so much food growing around us that we wouldn’t need to be so reliant on big supermarkets.”

To find out more, visit Pocket City Farms. Or, find out more about innovative urban forests here

Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/08/12/sydney-now-has-its-very-own-working-city-farm