Category: Frontpage

“With the loss of the Little City Gardens commercial farm last year and a fast-paced development boom, San Francisco’s commitment to urban agriculture is being put to the test.

But the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday recommitting The City to urban agriculture and calling on city departments to evaluate parcels of land that could be well-suited for growing fruits and vegetables.”

Read the ENTIRE ARTICLE at: “http://www.sfexaminer.com/sf-recommits-urban-agriculture-housing-crisis/“

“Urban gardening is a growing trend throughout Europe. In the Croatian capital Zagreb, Marijan Butkovic grows microgreens like cress, arugula and cilantro in a highrise. He even delivers his produce to 20 restaurants.”

Watch the Video HERE

“The trees had waited a whole year for this. First potted as seedlings last spring, hundreds of them on Saturday got shucked from their small homes and upgraded to roomier accommodations thanks to the efforts of some 25 volunteers celebrating Earth Day. The effort was only the next step, however, in preparing those trees to reforest an overused Delaware campground — they’ll wait out summer in those new pots before getting into the ground in September.”

“I love doing Earth Day activities, and I especially love getting my hands in the soil and working with plants,” said Kristy Northrup, an agriculture graduate student at the University of Delaware.

Read the whole story at: “DelawareOnline.com“

“One hundred miles, give or take, from farm to table, is the ideal maximum distance for produce to be considered local. But there are some companies that are greatly improving on that goal — instead of triple-digit mileage, they’re offering produce that’s grown within just a few miles. Even better, when there’s a short distance involved, delivery happens by bicycle or on foot, eliminating any reliance on fossil fuels.

Traditionally, this type of urban farming takes place in abandoned lots, backyards or parks. But two new East Bay companies are changing up that paradigm.”

Read the rest of the article at: “BerkeleySide.com“

“It started with a lemon tree. Kelly Carlisle didn’t grow up gardening. She didn’t have a windowsill herb garden. She knew about farming, of course, but in her mind there was a disconnect: food just sort of showed up at the grocery store. She worked a corporate job, wearing fancy clothes and heels to work. But she had gotten laid off during the recession, and one day a few years ago, she ended up at a Bay Area nursery with her daughter. They bought a lemon tree, and as it slowly started to flourish, so did Carlisle’s interest in gardening.”

Read the REST of the ARTICLE at: “WWW.KQED.org“

“Meet Brian Blum, a busy dad with a full time corporate job, who still makes time to create a sustainable paradise in San Diego. He has a small house on a small lot, but manages to do a lot with it. He grows healthy, organic food for his family and has planted close to 20 fruit trees, which are part of his permaculture food forest. In his aquaponics system, he raises fish and plants in a symbiotic relationship. Southern California suffers from drought, so he uses water wisely by harvesting rainwater, and reuses it by sending the water from his washing machine and sinks to his garden. His house is run 100% by the solar panels on his roof, and he composts everything he can to increase the fertility of his land and keep waste from the landfill. Almost everything he makes is out of reused materials. There’s even an off grid tiny house made from mostly recycled materials, and an outdoor compost toilet to turn his own waste into nutritious soil. He wants a world where his daughter can grow up and experience the same beauty he has, and he’s leading the way towards a happy, healthy earth through his simple daily actions.”

To learn more about Brian Blum go to:
https://www.facebook.com/OceanBeachPe…

“At first glance, the urban Atlanta neighborhood of Washington Park doesn’t seem a likely place for an organic farm. But at the corner of Lawton Street and Westview Drive in west Atlanta, the non-profit organization Truly Living Well’snew Collegetown Garden brims with organic cabbages, kale, turnips, beets, carrots and more, all thriving in tidy rows of planter boxes. Pear, plum and apple trees blossom radiantly in the early spring sun, and a busy hive of honeybees buzzes away nearby.”

“This can really be a lighthouse for nutrition for this neighborhood,” says Mario Cambardella, the City of Atlanta’s first director of urban agriculture. Some might zero in on the signs of urban neglect and decay just outside the garden gates, but Cambardella is quick to point out the historic homes, the nearby elementary school and, on a street-facing the end of Truly Living Well’s new garden, the site of a future farmers’ market for the food being grown there.

“This is really building the local food economy. Urban agriculture can really transform a community.”

Read the FULL STORY at: “MyAJC.com“

“Finley is nationally renowned for his efforts to cultivate sustainable food gardens in underserved neighborhoods. He’s traveled the country helping other communities replicate his successes, and this week he’s sharing his experiences with Pensacola-area students, service providers and citizens.”

“The same problems you guys have been having, with health problems and food insecurity, are all over the United States,” Finley told a group of service providers Tuesday at the United Way of Escambia County.

To read the FULL STORY, visit: “PNJ.com“

“Freight Farms started in 2010 with the goal of bringing viable, space-efficient farming techniques to all climates and skill levels year-round. It recently expanded to Arizona.

The cars are not cheap. Each container — the kind commonly seen on trains, trucks or ships — costs $85,000, not including shipping. Freight Farms calculates annual profit for each container to be an average of $39,000 annually.”

To read the entire story, visit: “USAToday.com“