April 15, 2016 | seedstock

The Top 10 Cities for Urban Farming [Redfin]

Excerpt: Homes in these cities have more gardens, greenhouses and chicken coops than anywhere else in the country. These are the top 10 cities for urban farming.

Farming gets high tech in bid to offer locally grown produce [The Wall Street Journal]

Excerpt: A crop of startups have emerged in recent years to grow vegetables on city rooftops or turn old factories into indoor farms. But their quest for locally grown lettuce is running into challenging business realities.

These plant-filled skyscrapers could be the future of urban farming [.Mic]

Excerpt: Forget cramped rooftop gardens. The future of urban farming could take the form of incredible, plant-filled skyscrapers. Architects at London-based architecture firm Roger Stirk Harbour and Partners have mocked up a futuristic farming tower that could feed hungry urban dwellers who lack access to food.

How climate change is impacting American agriculture [WNYC]

Excerpt: This winter was the warmest in the lower 48 states since record keeping started 121 years ago, according to National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration.

How to prevent food waste: 27 tips for community leaders [Shareable]

Excerpt: Food waste has become an enormous global problem, with an estimated one third of the world’s current food supply for human consumption being lost or wasted every year. And the solutions aren’t simple, as food waste is as complex a problem as it is dire.

Northeast

Lack of urban farms threatens survival of farm-to-table restaurants in Long Beach [Dig Mag]

Excerpt: Eating hyper-local in Long Beach has become rather difficult as most restaurants find it challenging to only serve local harvests and consider sourcing from nearby farms in other cities.

Brandeis University offers heavenly produce through Rooftop Farm CSA [BrandeisNOW]

Excerpt: Think about this for a moment: deep red tomatoes that need nothing more than a pinch of salt; sweet, crunchy carrots that put their supermarket counterparts to shame; lettuce so crisp it makes you crave salad all day long, and rosemary so fragrant it begs to be paired with your favorite chicken recipe.

South

Radcliff, Kentucky council encouraged to take time with urban agriculture issue [TheNewsEnterprise.com]

Excerpt: Radcliff City Council took up the urban agricultural movement — chickens in the city, in particular — during Monday afternoon’s work session.

Virginia State University College of Agriculture receives $1.6 million in grant money [The Progress Index]

Excerpt: Virginia State University’s College of Agriculture received numerous grants totaling $1.6 million to assist Virginia farmers through research and extension.

Data desert: New stats could help address D.C.’s food access challenges [Dcist]

Excerpt: A point of sale app used at a mobile farm market in D.C. is providing critical information about purchasing choices.

COLUMN: Support the food system; you’re a part of it [Technician]

Excerpt: It can be easier to overlook the underemphasized concern of food sustainability in the community when being taught about those in impoverished areas. However, according to the North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks, 18 percent of North Carolinians do not know where their next meal will be coming from.

Neglected by traditional groceries, Central City gets a different approach to local foods with the new Dryades Public Market [The New Orleans Advocate]

Excerpt: A hot food bar with homemade smothered cabbage and catfish, a meat department with house-made duck rillettes, a seafood case, a raw bar, and a pasta bar featuring handmade spaghetti.

University Texas Rio Grande Valley forum explores solutions to food insecurity and hunger [TheMonitor]

Excerpt: The irony of having hungry residents living in rich agricultural areas was one of the main issues discussed at the second annual hunger forum at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Thursday.

Midwest

Minnesota among 10 worst states for access to fresh healthy food [Star Tribune]

Excerpt: A coalition of Minnesota economic and health leaders identifies areas in the state, where 1.6 million residents lack easy access to healthy food.

Farm-to-table concept alive, well in Northland, Missouri [Kearney Courier]

Excerpt: Northland families can learn where their food comes from and the work it takes to bring crops to harvest along with enjoying healthy food options and embodying the farm-to-table movement thanks to a pair of Kearney farmers at Fair Share Farm.

West

LA county board of supervisors adopts urban agriculture incentive zones [Los Angeles Sentinel]

Excerpt: LA County officially adopts AB551: Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones, promoting community revitalization, green space, and access to nutritious food through local, urban food growing.

Affordable apartments planned with DeLaney Farm as community resource [Denver Post]

Excerpt: Aurora is working with Gardner Capital, an affordable housing development company based in Missouri, to build 116 apartments by 2018.

New mapping tool helps strengthen King County, Seattle’s local food economy [Covington-Maple Valley Reporter]

Excerpt: In addition to being home to Starbucks and Microsoft, King County has a thriving local food economy, with 1,837 farms, more than 40 farmers markets, and an expanding community of chefs, institutions, and thousands of consumers seeking fresh, locally-grown food.