Recent Blog Posts
A new University of Michigan-led international study finds that fruits and vegetables grown in urban farms and gardens have a carbon footprint that is, on average, six times greater than conventionally grown produce.
However, a few city-grown crops equaled or outperformed conventional agriculture under certain conditions. Tomatoes grown in the soil of open-air urban plots had a lower carbon intensity than tomatoes grown in conventional greenhouses, while the emissions difference between conventional and urban agriculture vanished for air-freighted crops like asparagus. Read more.
Sourced from Morning Ag Clips
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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.
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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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The Congress for the New Urbanism’s 2024 Charter Awards are open for submissions through December 31, 2023. CNU's Charter Awards recognize outstanding achievements in architecture, landscape and urban design, and planning worldwide.
Applicants can submit a project on the CNU website at cnu.org/charter-awards. Project submissions are encouraged to reflect the Congress Focus for CNU 32, which will be Restorative Urbanism. This year's Focus aligns with the approach to city-building that our host city, Cincinnati, OH has embraced: restoring its existing neighborhoods and nodes and energy centers with more walkable mixed-use urban investment. However, any project that meets the general criteria established by the Charter will be considered.
The Charter Awards recognize projects at three scales:
- The Region: Metropolis, City, and Town
- Neighborhood, District, and Corridor
- Block, Street, and Building
Projects that encourage walkable mixed-use urbanism, embody a wide range of the Charter of the New Urbanism principles, and are currently built or being implemented are strongly encouraged to apply. Student projects are also encouraged to apply.
CNU has a limited number of need-based application scholarships available for the 2024 Charter Awards. If you are interested in submitting a project with scholarship support, please contact Lauren Mayer at lmayer@cnu.org.
Submissions for the 2024 Charter Awards will be open until December 31, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Mayer at lmayer@cnu.org.
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