Proposal no.50, submitted 5/26/2009, Patapsco Jones of Change Baltimore

Patapsco Jones of Change Baltimore: changebaltimore.blogspot.com

Vertical Farm/Arabber Stable: Change Baltimore's proposal for the Infill Survey utilizes vacant property in a Vertical Farm/Arabber Stable that addresses the dire need in Baltimore's low income neighborhoods for both healthy food and jobs while employing the traditional Baltimore profession of Arabbing (peddling fruits and vegetables off the back of horse-drawn carriages) out of horse stable facilities on the first level of the building. Fresh produce grown in the farm would be sold in the surrounding neighborhood by the Arabbers, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable, fully integrated production and distribution system.

The lack of access to nutritious produce in Baltimore's low income neighborhoods has resulted in incresed rates of diabetes and obesity for residents who often already have limited options for health care. Vertical Farms would inject desperately needed nutrition options into the marketplace.

Vertical Farm facilities, although they would require a greater capital investment, have a major advantage over traditional ground level urban agriculture for a number of reasons:

1. Vertical Farms can be designed to prevent or limit access to crops by vermin, such as rats, mice and insects which infest low income neighborhoods in Baltimore.

2. Vertical Farms can be utilized all year round given their Greenhouse design, making them much more productive than traditional farming.

3. Building Vertical Farms psychologically signals to residents both within and outside of low income communities that such neighborhoods are worth investing in. These sparkling, new structures with cutting edge designs popping up across the east and west sides of the city could begin to change attitudes toward development in those areas.