Will Allen loves worms! And showing visitors his Tilapia tanks at the Growing Power Farm in Milwaukee. Photo: grifray (Flickr)

In the past year, there's been a substantial rise in the number of Americans starting backyard gardens and growing their own food. But few are growing food for 10,000 people.

Earlier this month, the New York Times featured the work of Will Allen and his urban farm in Milwaukee, Wisc., called Growing Power. Allen's small but intensely efficient 14-greenhouse farm harnesses the slightly repulsive power of animal excrement and worm castings to enhance his soil without resorting to harmful pesticides and polluting fertilizers. He grows many varieties of fruits and vegetables, raises tilapia and gets fresh eggs from his hens.

But a big part of what makes Will Allen's farm unique is it's location, a formerly abandoned nursery located near Milwaukee's large housing projects. Many of the folks that consume the bounty of Growing Power are low-income residents from neighboring projects. These residents would otherwise have to travel a few miles to find produce of similar quality if it weren't for Allen's urban farm.

Allen sees great potential for urban farms like his own. He tells the New York Times that factors like high unemployment, food scares and rising food prices will prompt 10 million new urban farmers to enter the world of small-scale agriculture by his estimates. Of those, he thinks about 2 million will soon quit, but “the experience will introduce those folks to what a tomato really tastes like, so next time they’ll buy one at their greenmarket.” He contrasts his approach to that of industrial agriculture, which "is depleting soil, poisoning water, gobbling fossil fuels and stuffing us with bad calories."

Allen knows his project isn't for everyone; his success relies largely on volunteers, grant money, and his own extraordinary abilities.

“Not everyone can grow food,” Allen acknowledged. But he offers other ways of engaging with the soil: “You bring 30 people out here, bring the kids and give them good food,” he said, “and picking up those rocks is a community event.”