urban agriculture

Spring is just about the perfect time to be reading a book that might just inspire you to turn that little plot of unused ground into something productive. You certainly don't have to live in Oakland California, although as you find out in this excellent read, it might make it much more interesting. Of course if you are as bold a spirit as is author and urban farmer Novella Carpenter, you find your own way to make things happen, education included.

If you live in Minneapolis, and are a local food junkie, you might have heard some rumblings about the Urban Agriculture Zoning Text Amendments that are coming before the City Council's Zoning and Planning Comittee on March 1. This process, prompted by Homegrown Minneapolis way back in 2008, has been a long time coming in terms of making urban agriculture a legal use of land in the City of Minneapolis. After a two-year process in which stakeholders, urban farmers, city officials, and neighborhood residents have agonized over striking the right balance between the entrepreneurial urban farmers’ needs and neighbors’ peace of mind, these amendments to the Minneapolis zoning code are in danger of being severely weakened to the point of undoing all of the careful work by city planners, citizen advisory committees and urban farmers.

Youth Farm and Market Project, a Twin Cities community treasure since 1995, has lofty goals. These include:

The program focuses on kids ages 9 - 18, and uses a hands on approach to urban agriculture and gardening to teach life lessons. Started in 1995, the Youth Farm program now teaches more than 500 Twin Cities youth every single year.

Quick post, with thanks to Tracy from the Birchwood. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) is hosting an event about local food and farming in Minneapolis tonight. Here's the information from their website: Be part of an important conversation about urban agriculture, food policy, city planning and food access. Learn from national experts about how urban food systems can improve health, strengthen communities and grow local economies. Speakers: