Urban farming is alive and well in La Jolla

“Regulations allow two miniature goats, two beehives and up to 25 hens (not roosters, because those are the chickens that crow at sunrise) on every residential property in the City of San Diego — with restrictions depending on the distance they’re kept from property lines.

Considering how crowded La Jolla is, these regulations do not affect very many of its residents. But a maverick few dozen — those with larger houses and, usually, income streams — pour dozens of hours of hard and dirty work and hundreds of dollars a month into food they’re proud to grow themselves.

Todd Lesser, owner of a telecommunications company, grew up on an old apricot and prune orchard in the Bay Area and has done his best to reproduce it on the half acre he and his wife, Nanette, own on Mt. Soledad.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: “JaJollaLight.com“

Women farmers earn about $58,000 a year—but they still outearn their male counterparts

“Kriss Marion wasn’t planning to become a farmer when she moved to Blanchardville, Wisconsin. The goal was to get out into green space with her family and be around farms, she tells CNBC Make It.

But after working on farms in the area and growing her own garden, Marion took the plunge and opened a community supported agriculture operation (CSA) in 2007. Today, her farm, CircleM Market Farm, continues to grow for CSA, offers a bed and breakfast for guests and raises sheep and cows. “It’s been really delightful to grow and change on this farm, and I feel like a rural place like this offers a lot of opportunities,” says Marion.

Marion is one of a growing number of women making a living running her own farm. In fact, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,women farmers, ranchers and agricultural managers outearned their male counterparts in 2017, one of just 10 occupations in which that’s the case. The weekly median salary for women in this field was $1,114. Men took home $963.”

READ THE FULL STORY: “CNBC.COM“

Can Maggots Fix Singapore’s Food Waste Problem?

“SINGAPORE — IT’S HARD not to miss the giant black flies that flit within the white net enclosures at Insectta, Singapore‘s first licensed insect farm. The swarm of flies looks like something from the start of the apocalypse, but these flying insects are not here to mark humanity’s downfall – in fact, they may be here to save it.

Singapore is experiencing a trash crisis. Some predict the world’s second most-densely populated city will run out of room in its landfill by 2035. According to figures from the country’s National Environment Agency, while recycling rates for food waste are going up in Singapore, residents still threw away 676,800 metric tons of food in 2017. Only 16 percent of this was recycled – the rest went to the landfill.

Yet there may be a solution, according to a group of urban farmers and scientists in this Southeast Asian city-state, and it’s one that has been buzzing under everyone’s noses all along.

Living within the jungles of Singapore is the black soldier fly – nature’s own waste disposal unit. When its larvae are born, they voraciously eat almost any food waste left in their way. The sleek tropical insect is now being intentionally brought into the city by two entrepreneurial farmers, Darren Ho and Ng Jia Quan, who have created Insectta – an insect farm in the residential area of Queenstown. The goal of Ho, a natural resources management graduate, and Ng, a former chef, is to adopt sustainable farming practices that reduce urban waste and embrace the natural, eco-friendly food cycle long a feature of the island.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “USNews.com“

Reinventing Food One Shipping Container at a Time

“The low-slung building on Evans Avenue with the greenhouse roof blends into the surroundings in an uninspiring stretch of Denver, all nondescript retail and pockets of ranch homes. It’s a hydroponic farm, run by partners Jake Olson and Lauren Brettschneider. The produce is all on tables at waist height, and the plumbing is subtle and minimalist. There is no soil anywhere. From the street it’s easy to miss Rebel Farm; inside, it looks like an Apple Store hosting a farmer’s market.

One afternoon this summer, Kimbal Musk, a tall, lanky man in a cowboy hat, ducked in through the front door. He was here to see about the produce for his Denver-area restaurants. Unlike, perhaps, the average restaurateur, he’d brought a couple of assistants, who used smartphones to photograph his entrance, and his greeting with Olson and Brettschneider, and the huge smile he put on when he surveyed the farm. He’d never been to Rebel Farm before, but the operation was already providing him gem lettuce, a trendy green, and now he wanted to see what else it might offer. Olson and Brettschneider start walking him up and down the aisles. The building’s southern exposure is a heat-exchanging wall, and they start there, in the cool-climate crops.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: “PopularMechanics.com“

Urban farm bounties benefit cancer patients

“MURRAY — Brent Ottley drives a truck that gathers produce from the Green Urban Lunch Box farm and a bunch of unused backyard gardens across the Salt Lake valley, then delivers it to seniors and others in need of freshly picked food.

On Thursday, the recipients were cancer patients, and proper nutrition — particularly from fruits and vegetables — is key to treatment.

“There are definitely phases of treatment where nutrition plays different roles — there are moments you just want them to eat anything,” said Elisa Soulier, oncology LiVe Well program manager at Intermountain Medical Center. “Then there are moments where they are merely surviving, where we emphasize a plant-based diet, one that contains all the antioxidants and healing properties they need to prevent complications of treatment and recurrence of the disease or other types of cancer.””

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “DeseretNews.com“

Rooftop Gardens Are Turning the Urban Shopping Scene Green

“PARIS — It’s a swift ride by elevator from Galeries Lafayette’sperfume section to the grand department store’s 10th-floor luxury farm with its signature scent of sage, rosemary and compost.

The rooftop garden, lush with climbing plants, tomatoes, marigolds and strawberries, is part of a plan to transform city farming into a deluxe shopping attraction for customers yearning for an exclusive green refuge — and perhaps a taste of beer brewed from the store’s homegrown hops.

For now, only select customers can experience this haute farm on the Right Bank with weekly reserved tours. Eventually, Galeries Lafayette intends to expand to other roof sections to host larger events and fashion shows among leafy, vertical walls of plants with a panoramic view of the Eiffel Tower and the city’s opera house.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “NYTimes.com“

‘Urban farm’ shuts down as proponents call for more understanding

“Activists are calling for greater understanding of urban farming after a small farm run by two veterans near Hephzibah is shutting its doors.

Urban Grange Farm, owned since 2015 by Alesha and Thomas Gonzales, is moving out of Augusta after being cited for animal cruelty, allowing livestock to run at large, operating in a residential zone and not obtaining a local business license. The four-acre farm, located in a rural neighborhood of large-acreage lots, had become a regular vendor at Augusta’s Saturday market and the Veggie Park Farmers Market and sold its produce and meat to local caterers and restaurants.

An Augusta animal services officer told the court she responded to a report of ducks in the road in September and found some in a ditch in front of the Gonzales’ Seago Road home. Behind the house, the birds had access to water from a small swimming pool, she said.

Returning with department of health and codes enforcement officers a few days later, she photographed chickens and turkeys she said were crowded in a coop with little or no access to water. Augusta Code Enforcement Officer James Robinson said he saw four piglets scamper into the yard next door, then run back.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: “AugustaChronicle.com“

[VIDEO] Community Resists CPS Plans To Destroy Urban Garden

“CHICAGO (CBS)–Plans to expand a Chicago Public School in the Lincoln Square neighborhood have hit a roadblock after some neighbors are fighting to keep a piece of the community threatened by the project at Waters School.

The school houses one of the oldest urban gardens in the city, and neighbors are at odds with CPS’s plans to build an addition to the school right in the middle of the garden.

Restored and cultivated by staff, students and nearby residents for decades, the garden is home to four 300-year-old trees towering above the sprawling city space.”

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: “ChicagoCBSLocal.com“

Urban farm success story is something to celebrate

“Tour any number of farms in the “inner city,” check out the rows of planted tomatoes, kale, peppers, asparagus and berries and it becomes crystal clear: Here, it’s a city in name only.

Urban farms stand as proof that the once-scarred earth can be restored across swaths of land once deemed fit only for the purpose of populating cities and towns. It’s a lesson for urban governments to look beyond traditional ideas of development.

Consider the story of Janice and Mark Stevens. Ten years ago, they had the improbable dream of purchasing a field, composed at the time of 27 vacant, connected lots. They wanted to buy the land from the city and start an urban farm in the middle of Buffalo’s East Side.

City officials hesitated, eventually agreeing on a lease.

The Stevenses started the Wilson Street Urban Farm, and, on a 2-acre field, spent a decade dedicating themselves to the effort of not only feeding their own family but providing for the neighborhood and the city. Anyone who happened upon the urban farm through word of mouth, or just by riding around the once desolate area might have stopped at the sight of fresh vegetables.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “BuffaloNews.com“

Farming the Cities: An Excerpt from Nourished Planet

“By 2050, 70 percent of the world’s people are expected to live in urban areas, and if we’re going to feed all those people, we’ll need to continue to make cities and towns into centers of food production as well as consumption. Worldwide, there are nearly a billion urban farmers, and many are having the greatest impact in communities where hunger and poverty are most acute. For example, the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya, is believed to be the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa, with somewhere between 700,000 and a million people. In Kibera, urban farmers have developed what they call vertical gardens, growing vegetables, such as kale or spinach, in tall empty rice and maize sacks, growing different crops on different levels of the bags. At harvest time they sell part of their produce to their neighbors and keep the rest for themselves.

The value of these sacks shouldn’t be underestimated. During the riots that occurred in Nairobi in 2007 and 2008, when the normal flow of food into Kibera was interrupted, these urban “sack” farmers were credited with helping to keep thousands of women, men, and children from starving.

The role urban farmers played in saving lives in Kibera is probably only a precursor of things to come. In large parts of the less developed world, as much as 80 percent of a family’s income can be spent on food. In countries where wars and instability can disrupt the food system and where the cost of food can skyrocket overnight, urban agriculture can play a fundamental role in helping prevent food riots and large-scale hunger. In that respect, promoting urban agriculture isn’t only morally right or environmentally smart, it’s necessary for regional stability.”

READ THE WHOLE STORY AT: “FoodTank.com“

URBAN FARM BRINGS FARM LIFE TO INNER CITY KIDS

“Founded under the initial name Embracing Horses in 1993, The Urban Farm at Stapleton was established to provide equine education and interaction for 15 inner-city youth. In the 25 years since its establishment, The Urban Farm has expanded its programming. They now offer educational opportunities in animal husbandry and agriculture.

The original goal of the organization was to “work with inner-city kids get them experience riding horses, develop them, make them more responsible, build respect for the animals.” Executive director, Mike Nicks explained that the present mission stays true to the farm’s origins. “We use practical work experience in the farm setting to inspire excitement for learning while fostering respect, responsibility, curiosity, caring and grit.””

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “303Magazine.com“

D.C. looks for groups to transform vacant land into urban farms at two locations

“The District is searching for organizations to create and run urban farms at two locations in Kingman Park and Brightwood Park. Totaling more than 20,000 square feet, the parcels are currently vacant. Once redeveloped, they would be managed through D.C.’s Urban Farming Land Lease Program, which was established to foster a sustainable system for locally grown food. The D.C. Department of General Services (DGS) recently put out a solicitation for bids.

“The Department reserves the right to make multiple awards to different applicants for sub-areas within each Site, however no such subarea will be less than 2,500 square feet,” notes DGS in its request for proposals. The Brightwood Park site is situated on an (unnamed) alley between 9th and 8th streets NW, near Longfellow Street NW, while the Kingman Park site is located in the 600 block of Kramer Street NE between 16th and 17th streets NE. Applicants must have “experience in agricultural production,” per DGS, and responses are due Nov. 21.

The opportunity arises as urban farms are becoming more popular across D.C., particularly in underserved areas where traditional grocery stores are lacking—areas commonly known as “food deserts.” Other major cities like New York are also seeing an uptick in urban farms.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “DCCurbed.com“

The Artist Creating Urban Farms to Feed Philadelphia

“Not many churches can boast their own Garden of Eden, but South Philadelphia’s historic Union Baptist Church (UBC) can. When Loretta Lewis and other veteran congregants of UBC opened a soup kitchen 20 years ago, they made a solemn pledge: “We just vowed that we’re not going feed people anything that we wouldn’t eat or feed our families,” she says. “The people who come are used to eating substandard food, but here they have never had substandard food.”

The soup kitchen volunteers have always prepared for the weekly Friday luncheon by shopping for and cooking food in an industrial kitchen in the church’s basement, adjacent to a dining room with cloth-covered tables, where people from nearby shelters are welcome to enjoy a free, nutritious meal.

And for the past year, sourcing fresh vegetables—often a big challenge for the church—has been easy. The soup kitchen’s pantry is now supplemented by hyper-local produce, harvested the same day from a new garden in a previously underused plot next door to the church.

Meei Ling Ng, an artist and urban grower who lives nearby, began a collaboration with the church a year and a half ago to develop what they’ve jointly called the UBC Garden of Eden. “I want to promote ‘grow food where you live,’” Ng says. “That’s always my project title, everywhere. And ‘provide fresh, healthy food to the needy, to the homeless.’ It benefits the rest of the community, too, through educating how to grow.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “CivilEats.com“

Vintage photos: World War II “victory gardens”

“Urban gardening may be catching on now, but today’s urban gardeners have nothing on their grandparents. During the World Wars, the U.S. government urged citizens to plant their own small vegetable gardens. It was a super positive spin on “We don’t have enough war rations.”

I don’t know what people would do today if the government asked them to grow cabbage in their front yards, but people back them were ready. Around 20 million families planted victory gardens. They grew 40 percent of the country’s vegetables by 1944.

Naturally, the government wanted to remember this successful project, so it kept a collection of photos. I happened upon them the other day, and I couldn’t stop looking. Some were sweet, some were inspiring, and some made me a little sad … even uncomfortable. I thought you might like to check them out too. (The 1940s captions are way too good to get stuck in tiny text.)”

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE: “TreeHugger.com“

Urban Farming Organization Visualizes a Franchise Model to Produce Fresh Fish and Vegetables

“On a cool September morning, Dre Taylor dodged raindrops while talking with several people tending beans, peppers, tomatillos, collards and more outside of a 4,500-square-foot building. This is Nile Valley Aquaponics, a vibrant fixture in Kansas City, Missouri’s urban core. The name came from Egypt where people cultivated plants and fish thousands of years ago. Goats and picnic tables share outdoor space and offices occupy a nearby house.

Last summer (2018), Nile Valley Aquaponics grew dozens of fruits, vegetables and herbs, from tomatoes and squash to basil and sage, kale and Swiss chard. Its 100,000 Pound Food Project seeks to produce 100,000 pounds of local fresh fish, vegetables and herbs, creating greater access to healthy food choices, while providing volunteer opportunities and economic stability in the area. Health education is also important. Several October classes will address growing mushrooms, building a greenhouse for less than US$500, and building a personal aquaponics system.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “EcoWatch.com“

Hurricane Michael Destroys Crop of a Lifetime

“In Southeast Alabama’s Wiregrass region, known for its fertile soil and productive farms, the 2018 cotton crop was shaping up as perhaps a “once in a lifetime” crop. Then along came Hurricane Michael, ripping through the lower, eastern corner of Alabama on its way from the Florida Panhandle into Georgia on Wednesday.

Across Georgia, agriculture crops, including cotton, suffered similar extensive damage, with some farmers suffering total losses as assessments continued. In Alabama, most counties across the state escaped damage from Michael, but a handful of agricultural counties in the Wiregrass region that rely heavily on cotton, which is more susceptible to the elements than other crops, were not so lucky.

As this fall’s cotton harvest neared, with white fluffs abundantly emerging at record or near-record yields, Michael tore across the Southeast as a storm of a lifetime, one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the United States in the history of record keeping.”

READ THE FULL STORY: “NewsWeek.com”

Inside Big Tex Urban Farms

“Among all the fried food at the State Fair of Texas you’ll find a greenhouse working to feed North Texas.

The Big Tex Urban Farms grows fruits and vegetables year round on the fair grounds. The project started in 2016 as a mission to help food-insecure communities in southern Dallas.

Farm manager Drew Demler said all the produce grown goes to charities working to fight hunger. The farm uses raised boxes and hydroponic systems to grow green beans, black eyes peas, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, herbs and more.

During the fair they invite people to step inside the greenhouse to see what they’re doing and ask questions.”

Read the FULL STORY: “NBCDFW.com“

Grant program offers money, and legitimacy, for urban agriculture

Michael Chaney, Project Sweetie Pie founder, talks to student workers Wednesday about trellising tomatoes at Karamu Garden in north Minneapolis.

“Urban farming in Minnesota reached a milestone this summer, when the state announced the first round of grants for agriculture education and development projects in cities.

It’s the first time the state has allocated money specifically for urban agriculture, and it took several tries to get the legislation passed. Michael Chaney, a long-time advocate from north Minneapolis who founded Project Sweetie Pie, a grant recipient, said he approached lawmakers with the idea about four years ago. At the time, he saw plenty of interest in urban agriculture — but not the kind of financial support that exists for rural farmers. “I was disenchanted and discouraged,” Chaney said.

Advocates said state investment is crucial because it lends credibility to what Chaney calls the “changing face of agriculture.” Such state funding, even a small amount, can usher in a shift toward seeing urban areas as potential farms and their residents as fellow food producers.

That shift can also bring education and economic opportunities that are often more associated with rural areas. “Agriculture has been deemed corporate ag with rural roots and conventional farming techniques,” Chaney said. “What we’re proposing with urban farming is a whole reconfiguring. … What’s the role of urban communities in growing food?””

READ THE FULL STORY: “MinnPost.com“

Healing in the garden ‘The Pesto Project’ at East Side Center aids mental wellness

“GLENS FALLS — It might not seem like soil and some seeds could make a difference in someone’s life but for the clients at the East Side Center, nurturing plants and flowers have helped them to blossom.

Jodi Gagnon, who said she deals with alcoholism and has post-traumatic stress disorder, was attending a dual recovery meeting last February when she learned about an ongoing gardening project behind the adult psychiatric rehabilitation building on Maple Street.

Gagnon was new to the area and the outside world was “terrifying” for her. She had never gardened before but soon she was planting seeds in little containers and gradually progressed to doing small tasks in the flower and vegetable beds.

When her PTSD symptoms worsened on weekends she found salvation in the garden, picking up debris and touching the flowers and crops.

“I would feel this sense of relief,” she said. ”It was a very big part of my recovery by getting out of my comfort zone.””

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “PostStar.com“

Urban farm offers women a place to live & work after getting out of prison

“INDIANAPOLIS — An urban farm opening in central Indiana will provide women coming out of the criminal justice system with a place to live and work so they can get their lives back on track.

While working at Bellfound Farm, the women will also receive mental health counseling, coaching and skill development training.

Alena Jones, co-founder and COO of Bellfound Farms, says they are getting started with a grant from the Women’s Fund of central Indiana.

“When we’re talking about how nine out of 10 women who have been incarcerated have experienced trauma, what we know about being in a green environment is that it calms your nervous system down and gives you a little bit more brain space to process what’s going on inside of you,” said Jones.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “TheIndyChannel.com”

9 QUICK GROWING Cool-Season Veggies

Curious as to what you should be planting before your first fall frost gets here? Take a look at these 9 cool-season veggies that you can start now, and enjoy in 60 days or less!

Carrots, Spinach, Green Onions, Radishes, Lettuce, Kale, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard & Mizuna!

Carrots are an annual cool-season crop, half-hardy to frost and light freezes. They develop quite normally under a variety of temperature conditions, except very warm temperatures. It is often said that frost or cold weather will make them even sweeter. Shop all CARROT seeds! 

Spinach can grow anywhere there is at least a month and a half of cool growing weather. Spinach is a cool-season crop, hardy to frosts and light freezes. In rows 12 inches apart, space seedlings 3 inches apart. Shop all SPINACH seeds! 

Onions are easy to grow, have a fairly short growing period and take up little space in the garden. If you don’t have a vegetable garden, plant a few onions in your flower garden or in a pot or box and set them on your patio or in a sunny window. Plant onions 1/4 inch deep and 3 to 4 inches apart in double rows, leaving 6 to 10 inches between rows. If the onions are planted closer together, you can harvest every other plant as a green onion so that bulb development of the remaining plants is not impeded. Shop all GREEN ONION seeds!

Radishes are a fast-growing, cool-season crop that can be harvested in as little as twenty days.  Eaten raw they can be whole, sliced, diced, or grated. You can also cook and pickle them. Most of them are typically eaten fresh and make a good addition to a salad or a substitute to pepper on a sandwich. Shop all RADISH seeds!

Lettuce Seed should be sown thinly in rows 1 foot apart; for leaf types, thin plants to 2-3 inches apart, then thin again by pulling every other plant when half grown. This will encourage thickly developed plants. For head types, space rows 18 inches apart, plants 8-10 inches apart. Closer spacing results in smaller heads, which may be preferable for small families. Specialty growers are spacing lettuce very close for selling baby lettuces, a rapidly growing produce market. Shop all LETTUCE seeds!

Kale can be planted pretty much anywhere in the United States where there’s a cool fall growing season. It’s a cool-season crop, hardy to frosts and light freezes. Shop all KALE seeds!

Mustards are a quick and easy crop to grow in your home garden.  They are a spicy green, which will quickly become one of your favorite crops. When growing from seed, start them outdoors 3 weeks before the last frost. For a more steady harvest, plant seeds about every 3 weeks or every month to give you a successive harvest. Shop all MUSTARD seeds!

Swiss Chard is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. Fresh young chard can be used raw in salads. Mature chard leaves and stalks are typically cooked (like in pizzoccheri) or sauteed; their bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a refined flavor which is more delicate than that of cooked spinach. Shop all CHARD seeds!

Mizuna is a vigorous grower, which produces numerous stalks bearing dark green, deeply cut and fringed leaves. Shop MIZUNA seeds!

SHOP all of these varieties and more at: www.SeedsNow.com

Above the Waterline: Growing good food and community

“Atlanta’s urban agriculture movement is fortunate to have no shortage of charismatic and passionate people who can, and will, expound at length about their love of land and soil, fresh produce, food security and growing community.

When Carol Hunter is having a rough day at work, she thinks of the mothers and children who are nourished physically and mentally while learning how to grow food at an urban garden on Lawton Street in southwest Atlanta. That image and their smiles keep her going.

When Ras Kofi Kwayana touches the earth, as he teaches urban farming in the city, he feels the therapeutic effect of working in the soil and growing food – and he observes the transformation in his students. When Patience Allen-Glick has trouble going to sleep at night, she closes her eyes and mentally walks around the garden on land next to the Wheat Street Baptist Church in the Old Fourth Ward, where she worked years ago; she still remembers the smell of the flowers and herbs and the sense of community.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “AtlantaInTownPaper.com“

Urban garden near City Hall that feeds homeless facing final harvest

“CENTER CITY (WPVI) –A garden in the shadow of Philadelphia City Hall is providing food for the city’s hungry. But it could be facing its final harvest. The plot along the 1400 block of JFK Boulevard is running out of funding.

To date it has produced more than 1,300 pounds of fresh vegetables for the homeless served by Broad Street Ministries. That’s why it has so many supporters, including Councilman Al Taubenberger. He and others are looking to secure enough grant money to keep the garden open.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: “6ABC.com“