Farming the City: Role of Urban Agriculture in Local Food Systems

Farming the City-
Role of Urban Agriculture
in Local Food Systems

Summit Urban Farming Initiative (SUFI)
Market Gardener Training

Presented by Brad Masi,

February 18, 2011

Friday, February 18, 2011

Summit Urban Farming
Initiative (SUFI)
• Why local food systems?
• What part does urban farming play in
cultivating local food systems?
• Examples of urban farming initiatives in
Northeast Ohio
• Networks and collaboration

Schedule
6:15-6:25: Write name and one sentence vision statement on what you
hope to do with this class

6:30-7:15- overview of local food systems and urban agriculture

7:15-7:30- map your vision and take a break

7:30-8:30- video case studies of urban farms

8:30-8:45- break

8:45-9:00- What assets are in the room?


Reason #1:
Resilient Economy


Why Local Food
Systems?


Distribution of Food Dollar
1900-2005

Farmer: 40 cents
to 7 cents

Distribution:
42 cents to 73
cents


1900-2005

Distribution:
•Refrigeration
•Processing
•Packaging
•Transport
•Advertising


1900-2005

These are all activities that take
place outside of our regional or
local economies.


1900-2005
Opportunity Space:
There’s a huge opportunity
for us to take over more
of the dollars spent
on long-distance food
shipment and processing
by reducing distribution
costs of local and
showing higher return
for farmer


Reason #2:
Public Health and Social Equity


Health is more than
just health care
• Where we live matters
• Cuyahoga County exploring the connection
between health and land-use
• Access to food, gardens, green space,
exercise are all driven by land-use
• Leadership from ﬁrst Lady Obama


City of Cleveland

• Passes New Years Resolution legislation to
address health and nutrition issues
• Cleveland Clinic, UH, Metro, and Vincent-
Chairty hospitals collaborate to connect
healthy food and local food


Reason #3:
Energy and Climate


Queensland, Australia

The disruption of exports including coal and cotton caused the Australian dollar to fall to $98.32 in
early trade...

As some economists’ predictions on the damage and clean-up doubled to $13 billion, PM
Julia Gillard has so far ruled out increasing the budget deﬁcit to help Queensland re-build...


Carbon Emissions of
Northeast Ohio 4th in Nation


A 5% increase in soil organic
matter (carbon) in the top
12 inches of topsoil would
off-set carbon emissions in
the United States released
since the 1950’s


A 5% increase in soil organic Water storage
matter (carbon) in the top Water inﬁltration
12 inches of topsoil would + Fertility
Soil microbial life
off-set carbon emissions in Productivity
Soil structure
the United States released
since the 1950’s


Where to get leverage?

• Economic recession, job loss?
• Public health challenges?
• Climate change and energy?


Environment

Carbon sequestration
Carbon reduction Healthy
Soil building Local Food
Clean water Systems
Restored biodiversity

Job creation Healthy individuals
Enterprise development Reduced health care cost
Community wealth Social mixing
Economic linkages Equitable access to food

Economy Community
Health

Role of Urban Farming
in Local Food Systems


Why Urban Farming?
“By
beautifying
vacant
lots
and
yards
in
nearly
every

section
of
the
city,
it
has
greatly
increased
realty
values

beside
adding
to
the
beauty
of
the
city.
But
what
is
more

important,
it
has
made
the
health
of
the
city
better.
It
has

got
the
people
out
of
doors
to
cultivate
<lower
and

vegetable
gardens
who
before
never
ventured
into
a

garden.
They
feel
and
live
better.”


Why Urban Farming?
“By
beautifying
vacant
lots
and
yards
in
nearly
every

section
of
the
city,
it
has
greatly
increased
realty
values

beside
adding
to
the
beauty
of
the
city.
But
what
is
more

important,
it
has
made
the
health
of
the
city
better.
It
has

got
the
people
out
of
doors
to
cultivate
<lower
and

vegetable
gardens
who
before
never
ventured
into
a

garden.
They
feel
and
live
better.”
-Cleveland Plain Dealer Article
on Home Gardening Association, 1907


Back to the Future!
• School garden program
developed as way to promote
home gardening and use of
vacant lots in Cleveland in
1904
• Involved both youth and adult
education
• Active until school deﬁcits led
to its closure in 1977
• Initiative replicated
throughout the world to
adapt school garden concepts
for their cities


Work Relief
Gardens

Gardens for
unemployed
workers in
Cleveland in
1930’s


Greenhouse Production

Northeast Ohio the “greenhouse capital” of America with more
per capita production under glass than any other region in the
United States. Much production concentrated along Schaff Road in
Old Brooklyn near Cleveland until late 1970’s


Historic Role of Urban
Farming
• Urban beautiﬁcation (Home Gardening
Association)
• Learning and community building (school
gardens)
• Unemployment and economic relief (Work
Relief Gardens)
• Economic production (greenhouses)

Urban Farming Today
• Vacant land re-utilization
• Food security/food access
• Employment
• Entrepreneurship
• Community building
• Learning and education
• Health
• Beautiﬁcation

Vacant Land Re-Use

Full Circle Fuels, Oberlin OH


Food Access

Huron Road Hospital, East Cleveland, OH


Employment

Stanard School, Cleveland, OH


Entrepreneurship

EcoVillage Produce, Cleveland, OH


Community Building

Berkeley Street Garden, Boston, MA


Learning & Education

Lots of Green,Youngstown, OH


Diet and Health

Vel’s Purple Oasis, Cleveland, OH


Beautiﬁcation

The “Yarden”, Columbus, OH


Mental Health

Hitchcock Center for Women, Cleveland, OH


Business Development

Tunnel Vision Hoops, Cleveland, OH


Stormwater Management

Alley Garden CoHousing,Vancouver, BC


Waste Re-Use

Lucky’s Cafe Gardens, Cleveland, BC


Art!

City Farm,Vancouver, BC


Fun!

George Jones Farm, Oberlin, OH


Urban Farming Today
• Many historic strands to connect us to
historical trends in the past century
• Many modern and future trends connecting
us to more long-term notions of “green and
sustainable” cities in the post-cheap energy
era
• 25% localization of food purchasing in NEO
means 27,000 new green jobs, including
many in cities


Types of Urban Farms

• Home garden-
• Community garden-
• Urban market garden
• Learning garden
• Social service garden-



• Home garden- personal consumption, sharing
• Community garden-
• Urban market garden
• Learning garden



• Community garden- personal consumption, donations

• Urban market garden-
• Learning garden




• Urban market garden- commercial sales

• Learning garden-





• Learning garden- education, research, learning






• Learning garden- education, research, learning

• Social service garden- mental health, job training


Trends in Urban
Farming in Cleveland
• 1970-2005: Community gardens and city
summer sprout program
• 2005-2009: Transition to market gardens
growing food for income generation
• 2009-2010: Urban agriculture commons
and more complex community partnerships


Where does your
vision ﬁt in?

• Place your vision on a sheet for one of the
types of gardens. Is your garden a home
garden, a community garden, a market garden,
learning garden, or social service garden?


Case Studies
• Intergeneration School Permaculture
Garden (Learning Garden)
• Strawbale Greenhouse at Vel’s Purple Oasis
(Community Learning Garden with some
marketing)
• Stanard School (Social service/employment)
• Ohio City Fresh Food Collaborative (mix of
community, market, social service, and
learning)


Local Food Value Chain
Informal Market
Infrastructure Consumption
Economy Economy
Aggregation
Urban Market Markets
Gardens
Community
Production
Distribution

Rural Eaters!
Farms

Processing


Collaborative Networks
• How can you as a class organize a
collaborative network to advance urban
agriculture and local food systems in Akron?
• What is the primary asset that you bring to
the table right know (land, knowledge, tools,
markets, construction)?
• To learn more and stay in touch check out:
www.NEOFoodWeb.org


Farming the City: Role of Urban Agriculture in Local Food Systems

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