- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The GROW (Generating Research Opportunities Workshop) Urban Agriculture Conference strives to enhance urban agriculture and food systems through developing collaborative proposals that tackle critical issues.
The GROW Urban Agriculture virtual conference is designed to engage researchers, Cooperative Extension professionals, educators, industry representatives and community collaborators in the development of integrated urban agriculture funding proposals.
During this conference, interdisciplinary teams will collaborate to produce creative and effective proposals rather than spend resources competing against one another.
This conference will occur in three phases:
Phase I: Nov. 1-3, will focus on developing teams.
Phase II: Nov. 4 to Jan. 16, 2024, will be a time for teams to work together on proposals at their own pace.
Phase III: Jan. 17-19, 2024, will include an opportunity for teams to present their proposals to a mock grant review panel and have time to incorporate and refine their proposals.
Registration is required, but there is no cost to participate. This conference is supported by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant.
For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/msu.edu/grow-uaconf/home.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The UC ANR Urban Agriculture Workgroup recently became official after years of meeting informally and is welcoming new members.
The workgroup develops resources, training, and materials for the specific needs of California's urban farmers, and conducts applied research to address their needs.
“We work on projects and share resources related to urban agriculture, which can include everything from small farms in and on the edge of cities, to topics such as backyard livestock and beekeeping,” said Rachel Surls, workgroup co-chair and UCCE sustainable food systems advisor in Los Angeles County. “Much of urban agriculture takes place in nonprofit settings related to community, youth and families, often with a focus on food access and social justice. In addition to these topics, we also discuss and follow policy related to urban agriculture.”
The next Urban Agriculture Workgroup meeting is scheduled for June 8 at 1 p.m. If you'd like to be added to the group's collaborative tools to receive a meeting invite, or have any questions, contact co-chairs Surls at ramabie@ucanr.edu or Jennifer Sowerwine at jsowerwi@berkeley.edu. Check out the Urban Agriculture website, blog, and social media (Twitter, Facebook).
The University of Minnesota Extension and the National Urban Extension Leaders have announced a call for proposals for the National Urban Extension Conference on “Engaging in Collective Purpose,” which will be held in Bloomington, Minn., May 7-11, 2017.
Proposals may include, but are not limited to, examples and impacts based on how extension operates in city or regional centers, city neighborhoods through shared partnered offices or through traditional county operations.
The full call for proposals is at https://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/urbanextensionconference2017/call-for-proposals.
The deadline for submissions is Sept. 30, 2016.
For more information about the National Urban Extension Conference, visit the conference website.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Urban agriculture is one tool that has the potential to improve food security in California communities.
To better support the state's urban agriculture, a statewide assessment of urban agriculture needs was conducted by Surls, Gail Feenstra, deputy director of Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP); Sheila Golden, former SAREP staff member who now works for Community Alliance with Family Farmers; Ryan Galt, professor in the Department of Human and Community Development; Shermain Hardesty, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; Cheryl Wilen, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in San Diego County; Claire Napawan, professor in the Department of Human Ecology; Valerie Borel, horticulture and natural resources program coordinator in Los Angeles County; Aziz Baameur, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Santa Clara County; and Rob Bennaton, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
The team conducted a survey of ANR personnel and interviewed urban farmers and policymakers.
They found that 65 percent of ANR academics and staff responding to the survey said that they had provided support, advice, technical assistance or served as a partner for urban agriculture activities within the past year.
ANR personnel said they would like to see educational materials developed specifically for urban agriculture on a number of topics, including pest management, water management, design of community projects, soil testing and remediation and tips for projects at schools.
Their study has been published in the February issue of Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, a special issue on urban agriculture.
To read the full report, you can also view it at http://ucanr.edu/sites/UrbanAg/files/188371.pdf.