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Ohio SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) funds will provide complimentary registration for the 2024 Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) Conference for OSU Extension agriculture and natural resources faculty and staff. This year’s conference will be held February 15-17 in Newark. Information about the conference can be found at conference.oeffa.org.

To take advantage of a complimentary registration, go to the registration site and complete the form. You must enter the words “Complimentary OSU Extension” as your organization/company to receive the complimentary registration, which ends February 1. You must also select the pay by check option, and we will get your registration paid centrally. You do not need to send a check for payment, we will send it to OEFFA for you.

 If you have questions, contact Mike Hogan or Sarah Noggle, sustainable ag team coordinators. 

By facilitating connections and advancing research, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs supports the work of food advocates and policy interests to improve Ohio’s food system for its citizens.

“The Glenn College has partnered for over a decade with the Ohio Food Policy Network to put on the Ohio Food Policy Summit, the single annual event for food policy interests to join together across the state to advance collaboration among local food councils and multiple state, regional and local food system community leaders and partner organizations,” said Associate Professor Jill Clark, who conducts research in agrifood system policy and practice, centering on community and state governance of food systems. She is a steering committee member of the Ohio Food Policy Network, which she co-founded. Learn more.

Sourced from The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs

Urban agriculture has the potential to decentralize food supplies, provide environmental benefits like wildlife habitat, and mitigate environmental footprints, but researchers have identified knowledge gaps regarding both the benefits and risks of urban agriculture and the social processes of growing more food in urban areas. Read more.

Sourced from: Morning AgClips

After the hottest summer in recorded history, protecting our communities from extreme heat has rocketed to the top of the to-do list for policy makers and the public alike. Heat is the leading cause of death from extreme weather in the United States, with research led by Duke University projecting that climate change could increase this to nearly 100,000 heat-related deaths per year by 2100. Learn more.

Article sourced from: TIME

For decades, urban farms and community gardens have helped meet demand for fresh and local produce. Urban farming creatively utilizes limited space, conserves land and transforms vacant lots or buildings into productive greenspaces. Farming in cities can be a rewarding way for communities to grow healthy food while receiving a wide range of other interrelated environmental, economic and social benefits.

SARE Outreach’s newest bulletin, Best Practices for the Sustainable Urban Farm, outlines strategies that urban farmers use to tackle the unique opportunities and challenges associated with urban production, including:

  • Land access and security
  • Soil remediation, health and nutrient management
  • Water access and management
  • Season extension and controlled environments
  • Sustainable pest management
  • Aquaponics and hydroponics
  • Marketing in urban areas
  • Nonprofit versus for-profit organizational models

Profiles of SARE grant recipients illustrate how urban farmers, researchers, educators and consumers can work together to foster entrepreneurship, improve food security and contribute to local economies while increasing biodiversity and reducing the distance food travels from field to table.

Download or order your free print copy of Best Practices for the Sustainable Urban Farm at www.sare.org/urban-agriculture or by calling (301) 779–1007. Best Practices for the Sustainable Urban Farm is available in quantity for free to educators for use in educational workshops, classes or tours.

Order, download or read online now.

This Native American Heritage Month, we’re thinking beyond challenges toward actionable solutions that leaders, advocates, and other changemakers can use to gather and maintain momentum in championing Indigenous communities’ resiliency.One tool that could help generate actionable solutions is an innovative pilot by Urban’s Racial Equity Analytics Lab. The pilot combines local-level data on climate hazards, food insecurity, agricultural production, and racial disparities to build a more comprehensive understanding of the intersecting challenges and opportunities—and their differences from county to county—for communities of color nationwide.

This year, researchers have applied the latest data to investigate resource flows into Indigenous communities and how these resources can be best used to support robust economic development. They’ve been partnering with Indigenous communities to figure out how to enable culturally informed access to food and water, health care, and opportunity.

What would it take to support Indigenous communities’ resiliency as partners in action? Explore how progress can go beyond a month in a year to lift communities nationwide.

Explore Urban's research on Native populations

Sourced from the Urban Institute

The USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) has launched a USDA Innovative Production webpage. Learn how USDA is growing innovation across the food supply chain.  

Urban producers, innovative producers, and other stakeholders are invited to virtually attend a public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on November 29 from 1-3 pm ET. Share this meeting announcement with your community members. Learn more and register.

There is an increase in interest in keeping backyard poultry. Backyard flocks provide the opportunity for people in rural an urban areas alike to produce tasty eggs and meat for personal and family food security. You might want egg layers. You might want to raise meat birds for a harvest in your freezer. You might even have a youth interested in raising chickens for their 4-H or FFA project, as these lower maintenance livestock can be kept in a fraction of the space for a fraction of the cost when compared to other species. This course is designed to provide knowledge and resources needed to get a backyard flock off to a great start.

Self-paced. $25. More information and course sign up.

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, successfully restored $8.5 million in funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production in the Senate-passed Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill. The Office assists urban, small-scale, and innovative producers with technical and financial assistance that supports community farms and gardens, and rooftop, indoor, and vertical farms and other innovative production. Together, this increases greenspaces in communities, access to fresh, local foods, and new pathways to jobs in agriculture. Read more.

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