December 15, 2016 | seedstock

Father-Son Team Launches First Urban Farm in South Carolina to Meet Growing Demand for Local Food

BY VANESSA CACERES

After 30 years working in the field of architecture, Robbie McClam yearned to return to his farming roots. His first ever job was working in the tobacco fields of the farm on which his father was raised. In 2008, Robbie learned of the work being done by renowned urban farmer Will Allen and his Growing Power organization in Milwaukee and upon retiring from his career in architecture, decided to enroll in its 5 month Commercial Urban Agriculture Program. Keep Reading –>

Young People Find Their Voices Through Urban Agriculture [University of California]
Detroit Urban Farm Plots Locally-Grown Convenience Store [Eater Detroit]
Survey Says Land Costs and Acquisition Issues Make Urban Ag Difficulty in St. Louis [KRCU]
Transforming Vacant Buildings to Urban Farms; One D.C. Startup Leads the Way [FoodTank]
Urban Ag: A Focus of UC Global Food Initiative [UC Food Observer]

---

---

Utilizing Hydroponics, Three Families Unite to Provide Meaningful Work for Their Children with Special Needs

BY BETHANY KNIPP

“The idea of starting the greenhouse came from the fact that all three of our families have kind of a connection because all three of us have boys with special needs — two with autism, one with down syndrome, and they were nearing the time of high school graduation, and it was like, what do we do next?” says co-founder Kris Myers of Topeka, Kansas-Based CalCAN Enterprises. Keep Reading –>

From On Campus Hydroponic Farm to Dining Center Table [Colorado State University]
A Hydroponic Farm for Teens Grows in Bed-Stuy [BK Reader]
South Jersey Greenhouses Keep Agriculture Business Going through Winter [Press of Atlantic City]
Asia Digs Deep to Upgrade its Agriculture [Financial Times]
Purdue Students Turn to Hydroponics to Supply Indiana Food Bank with Produce [Seedstock]

---

Homeless Garden Project Offers Hope, Stability, and Jobs

BY TRISH POPOVITCH

“We find people that express much greater degrees of well being after they are with us for a year, whether it’s in their diet, in their sense of self, in their ability to set goals and achieve them, in how connected they feel to the community,” says Darrie Ganzhorn Executive Director of the Homeless Garden Project. The Project uses sustainable agriculture as the springboard to a safer, productive and more hopeful life for many. Keep Reading –>

Tiny College Town is Epicenter of a Food Revolution Taking Place in Coal Country [Co.Exist]
USDA Boosts Healthy Food Access, Sets New Standards for SNAP Retailers [USDA]
Access or Gentrification — Can a Food Hall Transform a Food Desert? [Civil Eats]
For These Entrepreneurs, Cutting Food Waste Starts In A Maggot Bucket [NPR]
How Agriculture Subsidies are Hurting Farmers, Taxpayers [The Hill]