Facilitating Food Alliances, Ag Innovations Network Aims to Boost Local Food Production and Health of Citizens

April 15, 2013 | Jan Fletcher

Is healthy, locally produced food on the endangered ‘agri-list?’ Some think so and are taking a round-table approach to ensure local fare stays on the menu and local farmers keep their hands in the soil. Cultivating those grassroots is what this movement is all about, as volunteers address systemic issues in food production with a focus on local, sustainable cultivation.

The Sonoma County Food System Alliance created a forum to bring public-health advocates, farmers and ranchers together in a round-table work group. The goal according to the group’s website is fostering an awareness that cultivation of healthy food in a community is an ecosystem, with each part essential to supporting the whole.

The Sonoma County Health Department partnered with Ag Innovations Network (AIN), the Redwood Empire Food Bank and the Ag Commissioner’s Office to convene the Alliance in 2007, according to the group’s website. Read More

Seattle-based Urban Farm along with Community Grows 4,000 pounds on 1/4 Acre, Serves Those in Need

January 24, 2013 | Andrea Watts

On a brisk Saturday morning at the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, located in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, 10 volunteers are laying cardboard and wood chips over an area recently choked with invasive plant species of reed canary grass and Himalayan blackberry. The creation of this urban farm, which according to the organization’s website has the potential to produce over 20,000 pounds of fresh food for families struggling with food security, is an example of what happens when city government, nonprofits, and the public come together. Read More

With 90% of its Crop Pre-sold and a Land Lease Rate of $1 Per Year, a Vertical Farm Rises in Wyoming

January 16, 2013 | Trish Popovitch

If you’ve ever ventured west into the beautiful rolling hills and breathtaking rock formations of windy Wyoming you may note an absence of green fields. Home of wandering elk herds, wild mustangs and ubiquitous antelope, Wyoming boasts the freshest air and streams in the nation. Fertile soil is another thing entirely. That’s why the ‘outside of the box’ thinking of the folks at Vertical Harvest, a three story vertical hydroponic greenhouse operation that will be located in the town of Jackson, means so much to the equality state. Read More

Delaware Valley College to Offer Veteran Organic Farming Program in Collaboration with the Rodale Institute

January 15, 2013 | delval.edu

News Release – DOYLESTOWN, Pa., – Beginning in the spring 2013 semester, Delaware Valley College, in collaboration with the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pa., will offer a 36-credit certificate program specifically designed for veterans interested in organic farming.

The one-year program will incorporate classroom courses on animal science, marketing, vegetable production, organic crop science, integrated pest management, weed science, entomology, and sustainable agriculture. Read More

Study of Urban Agriculture and Sustainability Grows at University of Washington Student-led Farm

January 11, 2013 | Andrea Watts

Though students are expected to learn about sustainable farming when volunteering at the University of Washington Farm, for some, their volunteer experience cultivates confidence, leadership skills, and friendships within a close-knit community of students who just enjoy gardening and sharing wholesome food.

The UW Farm owes its beginnings to a group of graduate students who wanted to garden, says Rachel Stubbs, farm coordinator for the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH). With that humble start in 2004, the farm has grown to become the campus center for the practice and study of urban agriculture and sustainability. Though it is only a third of an acre on the main campus and half an acre at CUH, “people think it’s this huge thing,” Rachel says. Read More