Sowing Seeds in the City: Ecosystem Services and Urban Agriculture.

Urban agriculture is flowering in cities across the US. As with conventional agriculture- soils are the foundation and key to success for urban growers. Working to improve soil quality in urban areas has the potential to foster success for growers as well as to provide a range of ecosystem services. Urban growers strive to produce large quantities of foodstuffs in small spaces. Use of urban residuals including food and yard waste composts and stormwater can increase productivity, improve soil quality and provide the additional benefit of waste recycling. Urban agriculture can also provide important habitat for a range of wildlife. We have recently published two volumes on urban agriculture and ecosystem services. The highlights from these books as they pertain to soils in urban environments will be discussed.