| 1 | 1 | | One of the advantages of living in the country is being able to wander down to |
| 2 | | your local farm and come back with a pile of fresh vegetables and dairy products. But |
| 3 | | with more 'city farms' appearing, that could soon be possible for people in the cities too. |
| 2 | 4 | | In London alone there are 19 pieces of land that have been turned into working |
| 5 | | farms where local people get involved in looking after animals and growing vegetables. |
| 6 | | And in many of the 69 city farms around Britain the public can see traditional crafts, like |
| 7 | | spinning, being carried out. But the farms aren't just a hobby. They are open seven days |
| 8 | | a week and the public can come in and have a look and buy the goods. Any money made |
| 9 | | is put right back into the farm. |
| 3 | 10 | | Children are an important part of city farms. One of the ideas behind them is for |
| 11 | | farms to act as 'hands on' education centres. Local schools visit the farms during lessons, |
| 12 | | and pupils go to the farm in their own time too just because they enjoy it. By watching |
| 13 | | and working at the farm you can actually learn much better the processes farming |
| 14 | | involves. |
| 4 | 15 | | 'The farms vary considerably,' said Rose Noonan, the manager of one of the oldest |
| 16 | | city farms in London. 'Some concentrate on animals and others on gardening and |
| 17 | | growing vegetables. Some are particularly interested in education and they have their |
| 18 | | own classrooms.' |
| 5 | 19 | | All sorts of people work on the farms, from teenagers on youth training schemes to |
| 20 | | elderly people who like gardening. Children particularly can benefit and they often come |
| 21 | | to help on the farms at weekends. 'Youngsters can get used to animals. Often they're |
| 22 | | quite nervous because they've never been close to farm animals before,' said Rose. |
| 6 | 23 | | 'Children who don't really get on with people often like working with the anima Is. |
| 24 | | They learn how to care about the animals, putting them before themselves, and that can |
| 25 | | lead to those children relating to people better,' Rose added. |
| 7 | 26 | | City farms are not just ordinary farms on a small scale put in a city. They have |
| 27 | | their own idea about how farms should be run. They are concerned about the |
| 28 | | environment. And one of the first ways in which they help improve the environment is |
| 29 | | the method of farming: city farms use chemical-free gardening techniques. |
| 8 | 30 | | The benefits from city farms are wide. They are not just a means of getting healthy |
| 31 | | food in the city, but also community projects where local people can get together. They |
| 32 | | have even been referred to as 'open-air social clubs'. In that way they also help the local |
| 33 | | environment by cutting down vandalism in the neighbourhood. By being open to |
| 34 | | everyone in the community, the farms channel the energy of bored or fed-up people into |
| 35 | | something positive. |
| | | |
| | | from 'Early Times', October 26, 1989 |
