City Farms: Bringing Health and Community to Urban Landscapes

City farms and green spaces aid our connection to the earth and our well-being. This is a piece exploring city farms and the food industry. 

In cities, it isn't always easy to prioritise our connection with nature, especially in the UK—one of the world's most ecologically depleted countries.

Many of us have lost touch with this essential and natural aspect of ourselves and the world, often forgetting the important role rural areas play in supporting all elements of our health- emotionally, physically, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually.

City farms are agricultural spaces that promote community engagement, sustainability, biodiversity, urban regeneration, and local food production within urban areas. 

Spitalfields City Farm in London aims 'to engage it's vibrant and multi-cultural community by providing educational opportunities for both children and adults, empowering people to develop new skills, build confidence, and combat social isolation.'

Ursula, who helps run Spitalfields City Farm, believes it is important to recognise the positive impact city farms have on stress reduction and mental health. "For many people including myself it has been very healing, and grounding. It makes you stop, look around and be in the moment."

Despite the scientifically proven benefits to our health, Ursula acknowledges that "London doesn't have many green spaces. City farms provide a really valuable community space for people who might not have access to the outdoors."

Spitalfields City Farm

Sunflowers from September at the farm

Preparations 

The farm focuses on the local community, nurturing close relationships with nearby schools, and encouraging workers and volunteers to create garden spaces within them.

Local schools also frequently visit the city farm, and Ursula emphasises the importance of these visits in helping children connect with green spaces, and learn about farming and food. City farms practice sustainable farming, something many industries lack. All the produce grown on the farm is free from pesticides, and the farm aims to keep it "as natural as possible."

Ursula, along with other workers and volunteers on the farm is deeply passionate about animals. Unlike some other farms, it is important to note that Spitalfields City Farm is a non-slaughter farm.

"Our animals are here to live their life happily, and we are passionate about animal welfare here". For example, the hens at the farm are ex-commercial layers that are rescued from farms where they are kept until their egg production starts to decline, typically around 72 weeks of age.

They arrived at Spitalfields City Farm after being saved from slaughter by the British Hen Welfare Trust. Ursula describes how traumatised the hens were upon arrival and emphasises the importance of creating a sense of safety for them on the farm.

Both children and adults need to learn about food—how vegetables are grown, and where animals come from, as many people don't know the true origins of their food.

 "Our animals help us to educate and increase awareness of the health and welfare issues for pets and food-producing animals", says Ursula. Other animals on the farm include donkeys, goats, sheep, ferrets, rabbits, and many more.

However, it is common for many people who consume animal meat, to instantly judge or gasp at the existence of slaughter farms, yet remain ignorant of the animal abuse that occurs throughout the entire food industry. This raises the question: why do the majority of people not know where their meat comes from or the processes involved in its production?

Ursula tells me, "Some of the other farms, are slaughter farms, and to have no judgement. It is how the farms survive, and the animals are looked after well and live long lives."

It is important to note that animals whose Welfare is prioritised, often have certifications like organic or certified humane. This supports local economies and prioritises environmental sustainability. When available, It is a much healthier and more ethical option.

Learning and seeing firsthand where our food comes from is vital in helping us decide what we eat and why. This allows us to make both informed and empowered decisions on questions like meat consumption. 

Some of the farm's goals are 'to provide information to explore farming practices —past, present, and future', and 'to demonstrate the best practice of animal welfare'. 

Spitafields City Farm is also a member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, one of the few city farms to be part of this conservation charity that monitors, saves and promotes native farm breeds. Despite many unethical farming practices within the UK, there is hope from charities like this, which maintain a watchlist of endangered breeds and aim "to have all on the Watchlist stable by 2028".

The charity was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to preserve native breeds, and since then, no UK-native breed has gone extinct.

Another significant achievement in the animal welfare movement in the UK was King Charles announcing a ban on the live export of animals for slaughter in the UK through new legislation.

One of the biggest drivers of nature loss in the UK is unethical farming practices and the intensification of agriculture. The 2013 State of Nature report revealed that UK wild species had declined by 60% since the 1960s. A later 2019 report stated that the UK’s biodiversity had been massively depleted by centuries of habitat loss, management changes, development and persecution.

Sustainable farming, however, helps address this through environmental conservation, soil regeneration, and climate change mitigation (via carbon sequestration, where c02 is removed and naturally stored in the soil). According to WWF, 'When agricultural operations are sustainably managed, they can preserve and restore critical habitats, help protect watersheds, and improve soil health and water quality.'

Spitalfields City Farm continues to grow in its multiple gardens, including a community garden, a wildlife garden, a plant nursery, vegetable plots, and a grass road. In the community garden, volunteers participate in all aspects of cultivating the vegetable garden, learning how to grow food through companion planting- a technique that sustains soil health, repels weeds and pests, and attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects.

You can purchase homegrown produce at the shop, which offers a selection of vegetables, wildflowers, and flowers. The vegetables available include tomatoes, squash, cucumber, marigolds, and a variety of herb plants.

Green spaces, such as city farms, offer opportunities to connect with nature and support mental and physical well-being. Despite these benefits, they are often underrecognized, despite their potential to make a meaningful contribution to city life.