Community Structure
"The organic gardens of today are experimental sites for the agriculture of tomorrow. Actually, the typical farm of tomorrow could just be a very big garden."
-Robert Rodale in conversation with Gene Logsdon, 1984
The mini-farm: a very big garden
The Garden Ring City is a concept for a unique type of farm which essentially consists of many small-scale farms.
Using both imaginary and actual, the following subsections illustrate a few examples (both imaginary and real) of how the foundation of such new towns might look.
One hundred acres, one hundred families
Suitable farmland is found. Nicely located near a lake, river, forest or a mountain, the plot is within a couple hours’ drive to a major city. A cooperative with 150 members sets up 100 one-acre small-scale farms on the site.
Town Renovation
A rural community is on the verge of drying up and literally falling off the map. After many meetings and project presentations, the city council finally gives in: they allow a group of 100 people to move in to build a Garden Ring Community.
Land-Grabbing
A few decades ago, investors of a ‘Green Fund’ acquired a huge land area in Mecklenburg-Vorpomeria and Lower Saxony in Germany: land grabbing.
