With growing numbers interested in urban agriculture, American Public Radio's Marketplace interviews one urban farmer in Pasadena, California.
"My name is Jules Dervaes. I'm 59 years old and my primary job is that of a gardener. I guess why I call myself a gardener versus calling myself a farmer is that I'm trying to separate myself from people that have the notion that we have fields and that we have equipment and that I'm out there, you know, working the acreage that doesn't exist in the city. We have a fifth of an acre lot, so I'm trying to make a distinction that we are basically microfarmers or maximum extreme gardener because we have maxed out this place with all the fruits and vegetables we've grown.
We sell first to the restaurants and caterers -- it's like they have sort of a standing order every week -- and then whatever is left over we offer to the general public. We have so much orders that we don't even need to go to the farmer's market. We have several restaurants that will take anything we have. Our problem is not having enough, but having the fields. I'm sure that they would want more if we could give it.
What I like about this job is the sense of fulfillment that it gives me and I feel empowered that I'm able to grow my own food and I feel independent. I'm not tied to somebody else providing me with what I needed for life."
FULL STORY: Day in the Work Life: Urban farmer
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research