My growing understanding and appreciation of farming has been fostered by my work on the Community Integrated Agriculture Development research project underway at our firm. While I was completing all of the background research leading up to grant applications I talked to farmers, City and County staff, various California departments, advocacy organizations and schools. I did this in an effort to understand the policies, practices and visions for healthy communities held by these groups and the role of healthy fresh food inherent to any discussion of healthy communities.
On Saturday, June 9th I’ll be attending the 4th Annual Slow Food Urban Ag Fest at Rosemont High School in Sacramento. The hat I will be wearing for this event is “parent volunteer” for the Leonardo da Vinci school garden program. We’ll be highlighting the garden program at LdV, but mostly we’ll be learning how other schools have successfully cultivated garden programs – producing food for their school cafeterias! We’ll also be enjoying wonderful food.
I would like to hear more about Community Integrated Agriculture Development project.
I have clients asking all the time at a residential level for recycled material
and edible landscape potential and it would be good to see something local.
Please contact me if possible.
Thanks,
Research is proceeding and demonstrating many shared benefits with an intentionally integrated farm and residential development. Our initial research covers a wide variety of systems and methods of analysis. Our plan is to incorporate edible landscape and recycle organic waste from the residences back into the farm. Our focus is currently energy savings with this kind of development and we know there are many other benefits which may prove even more compelling in terms of fostering community and the environment. As we conclude the research this year we plan to post a white paper describing the project in more detail