The need to conserve water is quite obvious for an urban farmer. Water costs money. At times it can be too scarce, and other times too plentiful. A rainwater harvesting system not only conserves water it also helps with storm water management. Rain gardens help conserve water. Rain gardens can be a colorful and practical way for urban farmers, as well as homeowners, businesses and municipalities to reduce the need for irrigation, while easing storm water problems.

The following resources provide content, fact sheets, and instructions on rain gardens, rainwater harvesting and catchment systems. They also provide additional links and references to these topics and closely related topics.

According to EPA estimates, more food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other type of everyday trash, but there are ways to reduce the amount. Gleaning is a favored means of preventing wasted food from occurring in the first place and is one of the best means for diverting it from landfills and incinerators. Another means of controlling food waste is composting. Composting is a means of storing food scraps and later using the composted mass to improve and maintain the soil’s quality and fertility. Among its many benefits, composting serves as a means to reduce the amount of organic waste in landfills, which generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.