The Urban Farmer is a channel dedicated to sharing the experiences and learnings from Curtis Stone and his urban farm Green City Acres in downtown Kelowna, BC, Canada. Last year Green City Acres grew over 50,000 lbs of food on less than an acre of land, using 100% natural, organic methods and only 80 litres of gasoline. Every year we strive to revolutionize how we farm in order to reshape our local food system to be more environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. Follow our journey, as we try to change the world one seed at a time.
Who We Are:
We’re a team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about alternative and sustainable growing practices.
What We Do:
We provide delicious produce grown using organic methods on various rented urban plots and will teach you how to do the same.
How We Do It:
We use highly effective intensive farming techniques to maximize the production of the land, while regenerating the health of the soil.
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Are there some kind of rigorous or expensive permits, laws, or regulations in New Zealand that make organic certification so expensive as to justify the super high retail prices or is it just the scarcity of organic there, supply/demand, that causes the high prices?
I'm tempted to drive that Lambo. Airfare is expensive though. Still, going from poverty in a frozen midwest hell, to a lush tropical money machine.. Well, that's the thing to do! Tramping is good, eh?
Yes, food prices are insane here! Spend all of my money on rent and food (one downside to moving here is extremely high food & land prices, though if you can grow down in Invercargill they are the cheapest). Can''t wait until I can get some land and grow my own food.
I am looking into doing this as food is ridiculously expensive here. I grow my own and so far so good so looking at expanding by using my friends and families yards and trying to get it up and going. so fingers crossed folks.
I always feel so educated when you guys get together for a video. Loved your topic, we only have 5 months of growing season and only 4 months without frost!
There isn't really the demand, how many people live in Thames etc. Also the population is spread out, its not like a main urban city setting. The food quality is already high in NZ and it sits midway between the highly processed food and the organic. People who want organic can easily grow it in their back gardens. Maybe there is a sufficient business opportunity in microgreens etc etc, but you find loads of competition appearing really quickly, there are no barriers to them competiting, everyone there is out to make a buck.
You guys aren't moving are you?
Thoroughly enjoyed the course yesterday at Whangateau. Great content, great food too. I was completely exhausted on getting home. Looking forward to acquiring your book shortly and adopting many of your ideas and processes in the seasons ahead. Thank you…
Great to see you guys ! I bet someone is just writing a business plan for organic farming in NZ after watching this 😉
Kia ora Curtis,
I'm returning to Gisborne, on the East Coast of New Zealand after working 7 years in the hot and dry Australian desert to become an Urban Farmer. I watched the video with you and John from GrowingYourGreens, you guys are awesome and provide such valuable information thanks.
All the best for the rest of 2016, and maybe I'll get to meet you one day back in New Zealand, ocean fresh crayfish & organic salad sandwiches on me.
Cheers bro
Love the opening JM! You've talked about the market for the produce…is the land cost high? Keep it up and be safe in your travels!
Yeah come on down!
You mention that you're considering returning to NZnext year. Have you thought of adding a Wellington location? By chance I saw you speak CHCH, but am a Canadian who lived in the Wairarapa & immediately thought your workshops could reach a receptive audience there.
This is actually on my to-do list, before I saw your video.
tell him to pay for my plane ticket and I'm on my way to be his partner.
I missed your work shops unfortunately.. But after reading your book, I'm sold. We're living near Auckland in New Zealand and we're going for it. Just about to order a bunch of hand equipment from the US and get started. Come back soon.
I bet the price of land is so high that nobody wants to give you land for free and renting would be high too , thus no urban farming. Am I wrong?
Here in Sicily land is very high the closer you get to the city, there is no competition, because there are no backyards nor frontyards, but I managed to find per urban lots that are like 10kms (16miles) from downtown. Everybody is saying chefs have super cheap deals with conventional farms (often owned by mafia). All year round growing, but very hot and dry summers so microgreens ands salad mix need refrigeration (maybe even during transport?) and nobody knows microgreens.
So guys…maybe here you have your Ferrari if you wanna franchising 🙂 I'm ready!
Thanks for the videos, really interesting. Here in New Zealand the demand for organic produce is fairly low and the steps to call yourself organic are formidable. Land to buy or rent in the three cities with a decent population is very expensive. You are right about the lifestyle!
trying to start in the beautiful Hawkesbay. potted out 30 strawberries today for my 7 year old who is starting too.
Hi Curtis!
As for someone who is about to start his first season, how would you estimate your competition?
About to start a small patch in Dunedin, NZ.
Looking to combine this with a Food Truck
Just subscribed! Loving your videos. I grew up in Thames. Live in Auckland now. Thanks for your kind words about NZ. Love it here.
hey i am sitting on a lead for a peice of NZ land which has been religously run as organic land for many years, certified since 1984. 27acres to be exact river boundry. needs investment??
Just found you – I am in the South Island of NZ and am loving your videos! Hope I can one day build up to what you have done.
land price is expensive here , but the worst thing is probably the laws and regulations around the sale of food products, even to the point that school bake sales could have issues with legality
I so happy you guys are putting my little home town on the map! Haha Thaymes…
believe it if you like 🙂 , where I live, lets say a leek costs 1 buck for an average sized leek but two organic leeks cost lets say 28 bucks.
I think ghe cicadas are in agreement.
This is opposite to what I heard. What I heard was NZ doesnt allow chemical fertilizer