Over the past few months, the COVID-19 crisis has hit Detroit hard, resulting in more 12,000 cases and more than 1,500 deaths. It’s also produced an unemployment rate perhaps as high as 29 percent and a surging demand at area food banks. These problems have brought renewed focus to the importance of food sovereignty in Detroit and elsewhere, and on a changing climate,...
In Dorchester, where the clatter of a passing train gives way to the scrape of a rake, the Greenwood Street Community Garden is thriving. It’s one of roughly 175 community gardens scattered like jewels through the city of Boston. And at this time of pandemic and social upheaval, these gardens are being treasured. On a recent sunny day, retired teacher Barry Lawton...
Photos: Gary Kessler Camp Washington is a little rough around the edges. That’s obvious from a casual drive-by perspective. But what if this disenfranchised, low-income neighborhood isn’t as “poor” as it seems? The neighborhood is gritty and quirky. And the running themes throughout Camp Washington are opportunity and productivity. Residents who are willing...
New study reveals the importance of cities for pollinators and highlights how to attract bees and other insects to urban areas It is well documented that access to parks, gardens and forests is good for our mental health. One study, by Denmark’s University of Aarhus, found that children who grew up without regular access to green spaces were up to 55 per cent...
Credit…Aundre Larrow for The New York Times Three years ago, Christina Clum left the corporate world to become an urban flower farmer. Her backyard in Kensington, Brooklyn, however, “is the size of a postage stamp,” she said. “And it doesn’t get good light.” So in February 2018, she put the word out to other Brooklyn residents about doing plantings...
Chico, Calif. — You might have a backyard garden where you grow some fruits and veggies, but some people grow enough to live off the produce. Orlan Luna has a very impressive backyard garden. He and his siblings grew up on a quarter acre of land where his parents started a garden, it was then up to the kids to handle the growing and cultivating. “When we...
Urban gardening advocates are supporting this policy which would make access to water for their community gardens more affordable. “Community gardens and urban farms might have an easier time getting the water they need after the city changed its fire hydrant policy. The mid-summer changes reduce some of the barriers that have prevented many urban growers from...
Samuel S. T. Pressman had wanted to build a food garden on the rooftop of his Clinton Hill apartment for years. The artist and sculptor had lived on a farm when he was younger and had studied Sustainable Environmental Systems at Pratt. But in a city with a “time is money” mentality, he never found the right moment to start his passion project. That changed when...
Growing food at home is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself and your family right now. Maybe you feel like the current growing season has passed you by, and you will need to wait until next spring to start? or maybe you want to try something new this coming fall or winter? Regardless of why you found yourself reading this article, we’re going...
Urban farming is one way to help replenish food deserts in Milwaukee’s impoverished neighborhoods, and it’s not just about growing food. “It’s not just about the fresh, healthy foods, but also the education behind it,” said Venice Williams, executive director of Alice’s Garden, an urban garden and farm that dates to 1972. “We do a lot of...
BOISE, ID (CBS2) — “Now more than ever it is especially important to know where your food comes from, the importance of environmental education is huge,” explains Executive Director of Boise Urban Garden, Lisa Duplessie. “Getting outside of that traditional classroom where they get to put their hands in the dirt.” Boise’s Urban Garden...
OLEAN — A group of Olean residents are enjoying the “fruits of their labor” this summer as they work in two community gardens sponsored by Healthy Families Allegany-Cattaraugus and Rural Revitalization Corporation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the self-reliance of communities to provide for their own food needs. In collaboration,...
As urban areas strive to enhance their residents’ quality of life, research from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs shows that access to gardening could have a profound effect on a person’s emotional wellbeing and help address sustainable development goals. “It’s important to remember that more than 50% of the world’s population...
“Just because we live in a big city doesn’t mean we cannot become small-scale farmers,” said Erik Caldwell, the city’s deputy chief operating officer for Smart & Sustainable Communities. “The urban farming website is a one-stop shop with a lot of great information to help San Diegans produce their own food.” According to a city statement, urban farming...
Left: Urban farmer Victor Edalia (in white shirt) with three beneficiaries of his free veggies (left to right): Sheila Musimbi, a single mom; Celine Oinga, who comes from a family of 9 siblings; and Jackline Oyamo, jobless due to the pandemic. Right: Edalia uses modern urban farming methods, including this spiral planter that holds up to 100 seedlings. Photo: THOMAS...
The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is a nonprofit organization in Detroit that works toward social justice and is dedicated to urban agriculture. Mitch Albom reports on the initiative and shows how they’re growing food to feed the community. WATCH THE VIDEO for the FULL STORY: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/06/25/what-is-the-michigan-urban-farming-initiative/ ...
Imagine a full, working farm only two miles from Downtown Orlando. The owner of 4 Rivers Smokehouse is building it, but it’s not for his restaurants; it’s to teach the public about food. “We want people to come and be inspired and be excited about it,” said John Rivers, CEO, 4 Rivers Smokehouse. Rivers hopes the 18-acre farm can be used as a laboratory for...
12019/Pixabay The City of San Diego has debuted a new website that provides information and assistance to become a successful urban farmer. As more people are spending time at home due to COVID-19 public health orders, urban farming has seen an uptick in popularity and the City is making resources available to support San Diegans in this effort. Urban farming can...
TouChou/Pixabay On top of a striking new exhibition hall in the southern 15th arrondissement of Paris, the world’s largest urban rooftop farm has started to bear fruit. Strawberries, to be precise: small, intensely flavored, and resplendently red. They sprout abundantly from cream-colored plastic columns. Pluck one out to peer inside and you see the columns are...
Depending on your hardiness zone, July might be a good time to give plants another blast of fertilizer before they can harden off and survive the next winter. Or, it might be time to stake some of those tall floppy flowers. Be sure to double check that your plants are getting enough water. You may need to consider a soaker hose to prevent evaporation in the hot...
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