Hi, I would love to access a full copy of the London Report on Visit to U.S. Urban Agriculture Projects you mentioned. Is it possible to attach it in Word or Pdf version to the mailing list? Thanks kindly, Liesel
2008/3/1, [EMAIL PROTECTED] < [EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > Send Community_garden mailing list submissions to > community_garden@list.communitygarden.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > > http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Community_garden digest..." > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Chickens in the Garden (Owen Taylor) > 2. Fwd: [food_justice] London Report on Visit to U.S. Urban > Agriculture Projects ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > > > ---------- Vidarebefordrat meddelande ---------- > From: "Owen Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: community_garden@list.communitygarden.org > Date: Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:21:31 -0500 > Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Chickens in the Garden > *Hello All,* *Thank you, Lenny, for forwarding this thread regarding > keeping > chickens in public spaces. Just Food's City Chicken > Project<http://www.justfood.org/cityfarms/chickens/>currently works > with chicken keepers throughout NYC who keep chickens in > community gardens and city farms. As Lenny mentioned, with help from > Heifer > International and Assemblyman Jose Rivera (Bronx), we offer technical > support, trainings, chickens and coop materials to groups who are > interested > in providing healthy food (eggs, vegetables, fruit) for their communities. > * *In order for the projects to be truly community-run, we choose to work > with community groups of 8 or more people who have spoken to their > immediate > neighbors about keeping chickens. We work with groups that have at least > two primary caretakers and one alternative caretaker for the chickens. > Chickens need fresh food and water everyday, especially in this climate > where water freezes in the winter, but also because chickens will soil > their > food and water, posing health risks for the flock. Therefore, it is > important to have a group that can send at least one person to care for > the > chickens everyday. * *This year, we worked with two community gardens in > the Bronx to design and build new model coops for their chickens. It was > a > community design process, with the gardeners sharing ideas about their > dream > coop and their needs for the space/chickens/community etc. An upstate > chicken farmer (who is also a veterinarian), a carpenter and the Chicken > Committee (the advisory group for the City Chicken Project) gave input as > well. The gardeners built the coop with the carpenter.* *In terms of > working as a group to care for the chickens in a public space, we will be > using a "Daily Chicken Maintenance Log" borrowed from Gericke Farm in > Staten > Island. This stays attached to the coop, with instructions for feeding > and > watering, and a blank spreadsheet including: Date, Time, Initials, Feed (# > of scoops), Water (volume), Vegetables, and Eggs (how many collected). * > *I > hope this is helpful! Feel free to see our website and our City Chicken > Guide, or call me for other questions. * *How great that city chicken > projects have been taking flight in so many urban places!* *Farmly, > Owen* > > Owen Taylor > > Training and Livestock Coordinator > > *Just Food* > > 208 E.51st Street, 4th Floor > > New York, NY 10022 > > tel (212) 645-9880 x229 > > fax (212)645-9881 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > http://list.communitygarden.org/pipermail/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org/attachments/20080229/ac585e02/attachment.html > > > > ---------- Vidarebefordrat meddelande ---------- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:49:23 -0500 > Subject: [Community_garden] Fwd: [food_justice] London Report on Visit to > U.S. Urban Agriculture Projects > > > -----Original Message----- > From: James Godsil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: GFJI <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:29 am > Subject: [food_justice] London Report on Visit to U.S. Urban > Agriculture Projects > > Dear All, > > Please let me know if you wish to read the entire report. > Growing food > in cities: > A report > of a visit to urban agriculture projects in the U.S.A. > by > Colin Buttery, > Royal Parks > Tony Leach, > London Parks and Green Spaces Forum > Catherine Miller, > Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens > Ben Reynolds, > London Food Link (Sustain) > Supported by > The U.S. Embassy > (a summary of previous reports: the multiple benefits of urban > agriculture including: > > > > > the educational > value of growing food, for adults as well as children; > appreciation of > how food is produced as part of encouraging a healthy diet; > improvements in > physical and mental health, as a result of regular outdoor activity, > contact with nature, and the sense of achievement; > the empowerment > of disadvantaged communities with useful skills, > and the importance > of preserving green space in urban areas both for its social and > environmental > benefit > > > > > Contents > > > > Acknowledgements > > > > Summary > 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….5 > > Why grow food in cities? > > Background to the visit to the US cities > > > > 2. City visits…………………………………………………………………………………7 > > Milwaukee > > Growing > Power Community Food Center > > Maple Tree Community Garden > > Walnut Way > > Riverwest food co-op > > Chicago > > Growing Power > > Grant Park – Urban Agriculture Potager > > Chicago Avenue Community Garden Partnership > > Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance > > Chicago's Green City Market > > Homegrown Chicago > > Jackson Park > > Kendall College > > Chicago's Youth Program > Growing Home > Angelic Organics > Chicago > Food Policy Advisory Council > > New > York > Added Value – Red Hook Farm > > East New York Farms – United Community > Gardens > > NY Sunworks: The Science Barge > > > > 3. What we learned ………………………………………………………………………….18 > > Public > and private funding and access > > Laws > – animals and composting > > Fencing > > Growing > on concrete > > Aquaculture > > > > 4. Opportunities for growing > more food in more cities………………………………………21 > > Tree > planting > > Royal > Parks > > Allotments > > Under-utilised > spaces > > Parks > > Derelict council facilities > > Private gardens > > Social housing > > Alternative > growing spaces – roof gardens, beehives and > > mushrooms > > Commercial > growing > > Existing > expertise > > > Appendix 1 The UK Delegation……………………………………………………………..25 > > > > Appendix 2 Links…………………………………………………………………………....27 > > > Acknowledgements > This report, and the activities > it recounts, would not have been possible without a grant from the US > Embassy in London. We thank them not only for their financial > support but also their vision in seeing the value of this work. > London Food Link, which organised the trip, would also like to thank > the participants (and their organisations) for generously offering > their > time, not only to visit the projects but also to write reports on their > return. All the participants are also immensely grateful to all > the people and organisations in the USA, who not only provided > invaluable > insight into how their urban agriculture projects work, but also warm > humour and generous hospitality to the travellers. However, the > recommendations contained in this report reflect the views of the > individuals > travelling from London, and not the organisations they represent, or > the people they met. > > Summary > > > This is a report of a visit > to urban food growing projects in the United States by a group of four > people from different organisations based in London. It was organised > by Sustain's London Food Link officer, Ben Reynolds, and funded by > the US Embassy, who had previously brought Will Allen to London to talk > about his project, Growing Power, in the USA. > > > > The group visited an inspiring > range of projects in Milwaukee, Chicago and New York and noted a number > of similarities to and differences from urban agriculture initiatives > in London, including: > A commercial element > to many of the US projects, which is much less common in the UK; > A more liberal situation > in the US than in the UK to encourage composting, but less > willingness > than in the UK to include animals in some urban agriculture projects; > Different approaches > to fencing and public access to projects, which varied within the US, > depending on context; > Imaginative and > productive ways of growing without access to subsoil, either in > raised > beds on hard surfaces or, in one case, in hydroponics on a barge; > Inspiring use of > an holistic and sustainable approach to fish farming in an urban area > which produces marketable quantities of tilapia. > > > > > The trip stimulated a number > of ideas for how to promote more food growing in more cities. > These include: > Using the many possibilities > of urban tree planting to promote traditional varieties of fruit and > nuts; > Untapping the potential > of both Royal Parks and other parks to accommodate some food growing > in their grounds; > Exploring under-utilised > spaces such as derelict council property, private gardens and social > housing to grow food; > Making use of the > abundant buildings in urban areas to grow food on rooftops, up walls > and in window boxes; > Building on the > food growing expertise that already exists in a multicultural > community, > as well as providing education and training for new growers. > > > > > It is hoped that this visit > and report will mark the next stage in the development of urban > agriculture, > an issue we believe is set to rise up the policy agenda in an age of > climate change and increasing concern about the sustainability, > healthiness > and security of our food supply. > > > > > > 1. > Introduction > Why grow food in cities? > For some people, the idea of > urban agriculture may be new, or even rather odd – agriculture, surely, > is a rural activity? In fact urban agriculture has a long history, > a vibrant present and, many would argue, a vital future. In 1996 > Sustain produced Growing Food in Cities1, which > drew on some of the already considerable experience of urban > agriculture > in the UK and recommended that more should be done to support and > promote > it. This message was re-emphasised in 1999 with the report, > City Harvest2, > which examined food growing in London in more depth. > > > > Both reports drew attention > to the multiple benefits of urban agriculture including: > the educational > value of growing food, for adults as well as children; > appreciation of > how food is produced as part of encouraging a healthy diet; > improvements in > physical and mental health, as a result of regular outdoor activity, > contact with nature, and the sense of achievement; > the empowerment > of disadvantaged communities with useful skills, > and the importance > of preserving green space in urban areas both for its social and > environmental > benefits. > > > > > Since these reports were written, > the urgent problems of global warming have rapidly risen up the public > and political agenda. It is now widely agreed that our current > food and farming system is unsustainable, based, - as it is - on finite > supplies of oil, the use of which contributes to climate change. This > crisis is compounded not only by many other environmental problems > caused > by industrialised agriculture – loss of biodiversity, pollution, > over-use > of water and land, to name but a few – but also by escalating health > problems caused by industrialised food production – including obesity, > cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and diabetes – alongside > continuing > problems of hunger and malnutrition, worldwide. > > > Now, more than ever, we need > to grow more food, closer to where people live, that is tasty, > wholesome > and nutritious, that enhances rather than destroys the environment we > depend on, and that satisfies people's need for a secure and trusted > food supply. > Background to the visit > to the US citiesIn this context, Sustain was > delighted to be approached by the US Embassy in London in the summer > of 2007 to meet Will Allen, charismatic founder of the Growing Power > initiative in the USA. As well as being privileged to have a personal > presentation by Will of his work, (detailed in Chapter Two) Sustain's > London Food Link project3 also arranged for Will to visit > Culpeper community garden in Islington. > > > The Embassy considered that > this visit had been such a success that it would be worthwhile > supporting > a return visit to the USA of people involved in urban agriculture in > London. Ben Reynolds, London Food Link project officer, was encouraged > by the US Embassy to seek funding to organise such a visit, and this > was duly approved in September 2007. Ben then put together > the delegation to accompany him, as follows (detailed in Appendix 1): > Colin Buttery, from > the Royal Parks; > Tony Leach, from > the London Parks and Green Spaces Forum; and > Catherine Miller, > from Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens. > > > > > With advice from Will Allen's > colleagues and others, Ben arranged an itinerary to take the group of > four to a range of food growing projects in the cities of Milwaukee, > Chicago and New York, from 12th - 20th October > 2007. > > > The next section of this report > provides an account of the projects visited, city by city, and in the > order in which they were seen. Chapter three draws together some > of the major themes that emerged and observations that were made, > comparing > experiences in the US city projects with those of growing food in > London. > Finally, inspired by the trip, some thoughts are presented on a range > of opportunities for increasing the amount of food grown in London, > and other towns and cities. > > > Comments on these suggestions > are warmly welcomed, and the participants hope that, during 2008 and > beyond, much more will be done to ensure that urban agriculture takes > its place in the range of policies needed to create sustainable food > and farming systems. > > > > > > > 2. City > Visits > > Milwaukee > > > > > _______________________________________________ > The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of > ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to > find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org > > To post an e-mail to the list: community_garden@list.communitygarden.org > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: > http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.communitygarden.org/pipermail/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org/attachments/20080303/2b9e12bc/attachment.html _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. 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