December 18, 2014 | Nina Ignaczak

What The Change In U.S.-Cuba Relations Might Mean For Food

Excerpt: As you’ve probably heard — or seen, if you’ve traveled to Cuba — food (and, at times, the lack thereof) remains one of the most striking emblems of Cuba’s dysfunctional economic system. Let’s just say that the agreement between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro will probably eventually mean big changes for the food supply in Cuba.

Source: NPR

Gov. Rick Snyder eliminates Michigan Food Policy Council

Excerpt: LANSING, MI — The Michigan Food Policy Council recommends policies to Gov. Rick Snyder to support a healthy food system and agricultural diversity in the state — or it did, before he eliminated it Friday.

Snyder said in a statement that the council was being abolished and its duties were being absorbed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to increase overall effectiveness.

Source: MLive

2015 Food Trends: Grocery Delivery Explodes, Gadgets Enable Transparency + More

Excerpt: Food+Tech Connect looks at the trends that are revolutionizing the way food is produced, sold and consumed.

Source: Food +Tech Connect

Who Benefits When Walmart Funds the Food Movement?

Excerpt: an increasing number of food and farming nonprofits are relying on the Walmart Foundation to fund their programs. The Milwaukee–based urban agriculture leader Growing Power paved the way when it accepted a seven-figure grant from the Foundation in 2011. Since then, FoodCorps, a service corps program focused on educating kids about healthy food, and the food hub pioneer National Good Food Network (NGFN) have both followed suit.

Source: Civil Eats

Maine local food movement inspires credit union focused on small farms

Excerpt: Sam May and Scott Budde… are leading an effort to launch the first new credit union in Maine in 25 years, focused on helping small farms acquire land, equipment and lines of credit.

Source: Bangot Daily News

Ag education program to focus on local food production

Excerpt: The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, the Omaha Home for Boys and the University of Nebraska Extension kicked off an agricultural education program focused on local food production on Thursday.

The program is designed to help meet a growing demand for locally-produced food. The number of farmers markets nationwide has doubled to more than 8,100 in the past five years, said Ron Rosati, dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Source: Omaha.com

Keep urban farming ‘responsible’

Excerpt: GRAND RAPIDS, MI — After this year’s hubbub over Right-to-Farm Act relevance to urban farming, Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) members fine-tuned their Right-to-Farm policies during their 95th Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.

We’re seeking to clarify what it means to be a commercial farm so we can avoid future misunderstanding,” said Sarah Black, director of MFB’s public policy division.

“We continue to support protections for traditional farm operations while creating new opportunities for urban farms in a responsible manner.”

Source: Farmers Advice

Urban agriculture makes its way to Staten Island’s West Shore Green Zone

Excerpt:  STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — At the turn of the 20th century, Staten Island was known for its rich farmland. But like all other areas of New York City, the borough’s large-scale farming has become a thing of the past.

However, Laura Adrian Wilton, the project director of Living Restoration — a start-up focused on integrating nature, especially edible plants, into the “built” environment — has spearheaded the planting of a vertical farm, which is cultivating plant life on vertically inclined surfaces on Staten Island.

Source: SIlive.com

A new children’s book about urban farming features Will Allen

Excerpt: You knew it had to happen: a children’s book about urban farming featuring Will Allen. “There Grows the Neighborhood: Agriculture in the City” is the 12th “We Love to Learn” book from Sharp Literacy, an organization that encourages learning for urban youth through reading, writing and research based on hands-on projects and the visual arts.

Source: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinal