what is a Pocket Farm?

Also called Micro Farming, City farming, and suburban homesteading, they thrive on city lots to multi acre sustainable farms. The Slow Food Movement , Slow food USA, the growing compassion for our environment, and the new trends for buying and eating local has been the steam behind the growth of small and micro farms in the big cities and suburbs. Over the last 50 years or so, the rise of factory farms all but wiped out the small farmer.
A friend who used to spray crops in the 70’s told me once that he only sprayed chemicals when the farmer had a problem, now the farmer has to put down chemical after chemical just to get things to grow. Our small creeks are rarely flowing with water anymore (only after a storm) they are usually just mud pits because of the chemicals that wash into them from the farmers fields.
The proliferation of farmers markets has renewed an interest in locally grown, better tasting, and more diverse selection of locally produced food. Farmers Markets are not just a place to buy food, but it’s also a social event. It supports small farms and farming families.
Every Pocket Farm is different. Just as each sculpture is different for the sculptor. The diversity is what makes discovering these pocket farms an experience. Whether it’s a farm where you pick your own Blueberries or a micro dairy with mini goats providing milk for artisan cheeses, Micro Farming is a fast growing alternative to traditional monocrop soulless factory farming.
My heroes are many but the ones that come to mind regarding micro farming is the Dervaes family in Pasadena, California. They grow over 350 varieties of herbs and vegetables on 1/10 of an acre. That’s six thousand pounds of food annually. They use and produce solar power and biodiesel. They like to think of their project as “the little homestead that could - doing more with less”. Here is their website:

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2008/04/24/urban-micro-farming/