My neighbour and I have set up a little community garden in the Foodworks store across the street. We have planted a few herbs and vegetables and a few native plants and hope to add a lemon tree soon. We would also like to build some crate garden beds on our footpath between the trees. We would love the support of council to do this.

In a high density and industrial environment like Yarra, use can be made of rooftops to grow food - eg see Brooklyn Grange farm, in Brooklyn, New York - 1 acre of market gardens on an industrial rooftop - brooklyngrangefarm.com/. Also Eagle St Rooftop farm in Brooklyn, New York rooftopfarms.org and, at a small scale, Mesa Verde at 252 Swanston St, Melbourne . I would like to see rooftop farms on the top of carparks and on the top of large industrial and office buildings, warehouses and retail big boxes that have flat roofs. The rooftop farm has the added benefit of helping insulate the building from heat and cold, and needs to be a few stories off the ground to be above traffic pollution. New residential developments such as that proposed for the corner of Peel and Oxford Street, Collingwood include rooftop gardens. These are also an important part of urban agriculture.

To me urban agriculture includes everything from bartering figs for lemons with a neighbour to planting and feeing your household from a larger veggie patch and herb garden. I love the community gardens and larger organised areas along the Merri Creek and Yarra River, and also seeing the wooden fruit crates being turned into lettuce beds wherever people can fit them. The more the healthier!

Urban Agriculture to me is frightening. How are we going to grow enough food in the cities? Knowledge about growing food has been lost and marginised. All the farm lands is being built on or fracked. Vertical gardens, Aquaponics and community gardens need to get all the help that can be brought to bear. Biochar must be used to increase the fertility of the marginalised or treat contaminated soils so that land can be reclaimed. The possibilities for social connection that are fostered by community gardens & food swaps builds community. The use of window gardens and street food trees can become a normal part of urban life.