What's this I hear about Urban Food Systems?

Rooftop farms, urban beehives, empty lot farming, vertical farms, farmer's markets, what are all of these and who are the people making them happen? Are the majority of these just talk or are they real projects bringing sustainable food to those of us far removed from the average farm? Are these endeavors really making a difference and having an impact on the way food is viewed by the urban multitudes?

I hope not. I sincerely hope that the successful ones, if there are any, are not just an offshoot of the current food trends sweeping through. That would be sad and truly defeat the purpose of realigning the urban mentality with ecological intelligence. And I don't just mean the we've switched to CFLs and recycle type of ecological intelligence. I mean the we understand the systemic impact we are having on our surroundings and how that impact effects our lives type of intelligence.

Cities are not the cleanest places to live. But imagine if there were areas where nutritious food could be produced close to neighborhoods that are essentially food deserts. Neighborhoods, where the closest thing to a grocery store with fresh produce, not laced with the latest pesticides, is, well non-existent. If these urban farms exist, beyond the third person stories passed around, we must support them. Neighborhoods must know if a farm is nearby and what it is producing. Farm's must set incentives to engage their neighborhoods and grow interest. Are they really producing the clean nutritious foods I imagine, in these urban environments? I want to know and I want to share what I learn with those who care and those merely curious. Why isn't knowledge of these farms more widespread? Maybe now is the time for these farms to jump on the pop culture foodie trend bandwagon and market themselves beyond the diehard foodie devotees.

I wonder what an urban farming campaign would look like?