Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution by Jennifer Cockrall-King Page A
Authors: Jennifer Cockrall-King
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place. An urban farm's productivity can be measured economically, on the other hand.) Christensen had heard about Satzewich's sub-acre urban SPIN-farming model and felt that he could provide both the business model and the practical knowledge. Satzewich agreed to consult on the farm's plan, and the Somerton Tanks Farm broke ground on a half-acre (two thousand square meters) of city land in the spring of 2003.
Christensen had to establish a nonprofit organization to comply with city regulations, which prohibited leasing municipal land to private individuals and private companies. Her sales goal for the farm's first year was modest—$25,000 in gross revenue.
“The agricultural experts told us that was impossible,” recounted Christensen by phone in the winter of 2010. 14 Universally, she found the whole “ag status quo” was skeptical. They trotted out the sales figures for conventional multi-acre farms—the pinnacle of agricultural efficiency—as a yardstick. The gross for a half-acre on a rural farm was $3,000 for a half-acre, at best.
But following the suggestions of Satzewich on which crops to plant, Somerton Tanks Farm grossed $26,000 the first year. Furthermore, the revenue climbed steadily over the next three years. By 2007, the farm generated $68,000. “And we hadn't even experimented with stretching the season,” Christensen emphasized.
The timing was good. Farmers’ markets were gaining in popularity, local food awareness was growing, and “people were willing to put their money where their mouths were,” said Christensen. She's adamant that what ultimately makes urban farming a viable business is whether there is a clientele willing to pay for local food and markets at which to sell the produce. The point had been made, given a $68,000 seasonal income off the Somerton Tanks Farm location. SPIN farming, as a business model, had been proven.
The problem, as Christensen saw it, was that this system, though proven, was all “in Wally's head at the time.” Farming traditionally has been a trial-and-error or, slightly better, a long, hands-on apprenticeship scenario with an experienced farmer. If Satzewich had to consult personally with every urban farm that wanted to use his sub-acre model, or if they had to trail around with him for hands-on learning, the uptake would be slow. But Christensen and Satzewich realized that this model was already somewhat systematized; it just needed to be stated into words. “It was very franchise-ready.”
Christensen and Satzewich struck a business partnership agreement. He would be the farming expert who would continue to innovate and tweak. She would be the writer who could put the system into incremental instruction guides, accessible for novice urban farmers.
“We characterize it as a self-serve, self-directed, online learning series for self-starters,” Christensen said. The basics of SPIN farming are detailed in seven modules, each guide available for purchase online for $11.99. The bundle of seven is $83.93 and can be purchased as a print textbook. When I remarked that it was a small sliver of the cost of an agricultural degree, even in Canada, Christensen quickly pointed out, “And those are largely outdated techniques and methods” being taught to young farmers.
Clearly, Christensen and Satzewich's hard work has paid off. There are now over six hundred practicing SPIN farmers who share successes and failures, and who support one another on an e-mail discussion service. Interest in the SPIN model continues to grow, but Christensen was quick to remark that the interest was strong early on, even in 2003. Most entrepreneurs coming to SPIN have no farming background or any practical experience. They are drawn by the economic potential. And Christensen is quick to point out that this interest predates the economic crisis of 2008. People were, and are, attracted to SPIN farming because of the opportunity, not because of desperation. “Farming is no longer
Christensen had to establish a nonprofit organization to comply with city regulations, which prohibited leasing municipal land to private individuals and private companies. Her sales goal for the farm's first year was modest—$25,000 in gross revenue.
“The agricultural experts told us that was impossible,” recounted Christensen by phone in the winter of 2010. 14 Universally, she found the whole “ag status quo” was skeptical. They trotted out the sales figures for conventional multi-acre farms—the pinnacle of agricultural efficiency—as a yardstick. The gross for a half-acre on a rural farm was $3,000 for a half-acre, at best.
But following the suggestions of Satzewich on which crops to plant, Somerton Tanks Farm grossed $26,000 the first year. Furthermore, the revenue climbed steadily over the next three years. By 2007, the farm generated $68,000. “And we hadn't even experimented with stretching the season,” Christensen emphasized.
The timing was good. Farmers’ markets were gaining in popularity, local food awareness was growing, and “people were willing to put their money where their mouths were,” said Christensen. She's adamant that what ultimately makes urban farming a viable business is whether there is a clientele willing to pay for local food and markets at which to sell the produce. The point had been made, given a $68,000 seasonal income off the Somerton Tanks Farm location. SPIN farming, as a business model, had been proven.
The problem, as Christensen saw it, was that this system, though proven, was all “in Wally's head at the time.” Farming traditionally has been a trial-and-error or, slightly better, a long, hands-on apprenticeship scenario with an experienced farmer. If Satzewich had to consult personally with every urban farm that wanted to use his sub-acre model, or if they had to trail around with him for hands-on learning, the uptake would be slow. But Christensen and Satzewich realized that this model was already somewhat systematized; it just needed to be stated into words. “It was very franchise-ready.”
Christensen and Satzewich struck a business partnership agreement. He would be the farming expert who would continue to innovate and tweak. She would be the writer who could put the system into incremental instruction guides, accessible for novice urban farmers.
“We characterize it as a self-serve, self-directed, online learning series for self-starters,” Christensen said. The basics of SPIN farming are detailed in seven modules, each guide available for purchase online for $11.99. The bundle of seven is $83.93 and can be purchased as a print textbook. When I remarked that it was a small sliver of the cost of an agricultural degree, even in Canada, Christensen quickly pointed out, “And those are largely outdated techniques and methods” being taught to young farmers.
Clearly, Christensen and Satzewich's hard work has paid off. There are now over six hundred practicing SPIN farmers who share successes and failures, and who support one another on an e-mail discussion service. Interest in the SPIN model continues to grow, but Christensen was quick to remark that the interest was strong early on, even in 2003. Most entrepreneurs coming to SPIN have no farming background or any practical experience. They are drawn by the economic potential. And Christensen is quick to point out that this interest predates the economic crisis of 2008. People were, and are, attracted to SPIN farming because of the opportunity, not because of desperation. “Farming is no longer
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