"We were looking for a better way to maintain these parcels that was more environmentally sound," said Nancy Weissman, Economic Development Manager, Philadelphia Water Department. "We had started to do research and actually planted meadow grasses throughout many of our settings.

"But we also have an interest in economic development," she said, "So we said to ourselves, is there something we can do with our land that would be able to demonstrate some sustainable businesses in the city?"

The next step became a giant leap. The Water Department asked whether there might be any commercial farms that would be interested in using a small parcel of land in the city.

"The facility is where we have two large water tanks that serve a section of the city," Weissman says. The department explained the project could be a demonstration for possible utilization of vacant and abandoned lands throughout the city of Philadelphia.

Along came the Institute for Innovations in Local Farming (IILF), recently formed as a non-profit. A partnership resulted, and The Somerton Tanks Farm Demonstration Project was born. The grassy lawn was transformed to an urban farm and demonstration project.

The primary goal is to demonstrate sustainable business in the form of agriculture: vegetable farming that is done with all-natural products. The farm recycles wastewater and uses chemical-free compost, so it is largely a self-sustaining business. Second, the farm wanted to demonstrate the economic viability of commercial farming on small parcels of land.

"In Philadelphia, there's a considerable amount of greening going on, including community gardens, but no one has really tested whether there's economic viability to farming in this city," Weissman said. "We thought it would be important if we could demonstrate that you can actually make a living on a very small parcel of land. Then perhaps people who have a desire to nurture the land and to do it in a sustainable way would start to come into the city and take up some of this vacant and abandoned land."

In its first year of operation, Sommerton Tank Farms set an economic goal to earn $25,000 from half an acre of land -- not an easy task. But the project exceeded that goal, bringing in $26,000 from the sale of vegetables. The second year the goal was raised to $32,000, and the plan is to increas earnings by 20 percent per year until the $50,000 mark is reached.

"We think we're going to meet that goal," Weissman said. "By that time we expect to have shown people that you can grow sustainably on a small parcel of land.

And after that?

"Then we will be training people in this methodology so that they can begin to take up land in the city and become urban farmers."