In addition to online field work, which was mainly observational, I was also able to conduct interviews with some of the media managers to these London farms.
One of the talking points that stood out to me the most during these conversations was the way in which social media allowed farm programs to expand. For Vauxhall, registration in programs increased to being 80% sold out after a month of social media engagement. Since these farms are charities participation is essential as the programs help to generate income to keep everything running. The ease of sharing information through the internet has also been useful in explaining how the farm runs and what it has to offer. Michelle at Vauxhall explains that it has been much easier/successful to help people understand that the farm is a charity, what it needs support for, and what it does over social media rather than relying on signs at the farm alone.
In addition, because social media use has led to an engagement with a wider public more types of programs have been possible. For example, at Kentish Town there are programs that are run with a very targeted group in mind. Programs specifically for seniors, knitters, programs for the Orthodox Jewish community, cooking programs specifically with a Muslim group, 8-week-long intergenerational programs. The running of programs that specific like this are very important to make sure people in the wider community know they have a space for themselves. Being present online also made KTCF international. Through its online accounts, Kentish Town has gained followers from around the world. This included a group of Korean students interested in urban farming who even got to visit the farm in person one day. This event would have been impossible or a lot less likely in an era before social media and the internet made connecting and finding those with the same interests easier. The visibility that online presence brings can be an asset for its INCREASE in visitors, income, and the resources that come from having these.
During this time, social media presence still serves as a way to promote the farms. Now, it is a way to provide at least some of the same support, programs, and entertainment that these farms would regularly have. As mentioned in the Observations section, the online campaigns for funding during lockdown have been successful, functioning, in way, as donation boxes would in the city farms. However, these farms are no strangers to online campaigning, KTCF having succeeded in the Hands Off Our Farm (HOOF) campaign partly through gaining support on social media. While social media infrastructures already existed and were effectively used to get more visitors, these digital aspects now become an essential part for community engagement.