City Farming: A How-to Guide to Growing Crops and Raising Livestock in Urban Spaces

Turn the challenges of farming in cities and small spaces into creative, productive solutions.

City Farming is a practical how-to guide for growing crops and raising livestock in urban spaces. Written from the perspective of a holistic gardener, this 336-page book helps new growers understand how to create a productive urban farm while also helping established farmers troubleshoot challenges and bring their space into greater harmony and production.

Author Kari Spencer explores integrated approaches that bring the whole small-space farming system together to produce high yields with minimal energy and effort. Organized around key themes for urban farmers, the book covers sun and heat, water usage, seasonal production, spatial planning, soil quality and usage, propagation and breeding, pests and diseases, farming under time constraints, sustainability, and community initiatives.

• Practical urban farming guidance for growing crops and raising livestock in cities and small spaces
• Creative solutions for common challenges including lack of space, high population density, poor soil quality, and planning restrictions
• Small-space growing strategies including microclimates, roof gardening, vertical gardening, aquaponics, composting, and permaculture
• Natural and organic farming approaches with attention to water harvesting, toxic land, soil quality, pests, diseases, and seasonal production
• Community-focused ideas including Community Supported Agriculture schemes, community gardens, trade and barter schemes, and edible garden conversion
• Case studies from around the world showing different methods used in urban farming

Each chapter unfolds part of the story of The Micro Farm Project, using a theme-based structure to examine crop and livestock considerations, practical problems, and workable solutions. Beautifully illustrated and useful for both beginners and more experienced urban farmers, City Farming is a valuable resource for anyone interested in food production, sustainability, and farming in limited space.

Kari Spencer is a Master Gardener volunteer and a popular international gardening & homesteading speaker. She teaches a sustainability and permaculture course in the Urban Farming department at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and has written curricula related to growing crops and agribusiness.  Her family operates The Micro Farm Project in Phoenix, Arizona.