Rebar Art & Design Studio | San Francisco | art, design and ecology Farmers’ market study shows benefits for consumers, producers and community Farmers’ market study shows benefits for consumers, producers and community 06 Jun 2014 A study into Australia’s farmers’ markets has revealed that they provide a number of benefits to farmers, consumers and the communities in which they are situated. Funded and released by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the study considered farmers’ markets for four stakeholder groups – consumers, farmers, value added food businesses and local communities. The author of the report, Vicki Woodburn said the study identified a range of strengths and weaknesses of Australia’s farmers’ markets in relation to these four stakeholder groups. “The farmers’ markets not only provide an economically viable distribution option but also a platform for farmers and value added food businesses to grow their business, test their products with consumers and improve other aspects of their business, such as management approaches.
Who? « Nomadic Allotments The Nomadic Allotments project is delivered in collaboration between Borough Market, The Welsh School of Architecture, Rachael Davidson and Dr. Cristian Suau Qasim Ahmed, Student Hannah Barnsley, Student Hannah Frances Barnsley is in her first year at Cardiff university studying architecture. Hannah’s favourite aspect of the course to date is the challenge of making the buildings she has designed able to stand up! Keith Chan, Student Johnny Edwards, Student Theo Ellis, Student Originally from Brighton, Theo is now in his first year at the Welsh School of Architecture. Teodora Petrova , Student David Phillips, Student Yeko Smirnova, Student William Swithinbank, Student Alun Williams, Student Alun is a second year student at the Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff. Edwin Yu, Student Yuliye Yudchenko, Student Peter Locker, Carpenter After 25 years working as a carpenter and joiner Peter Locker completed a fine Arts degree at the London Metropolitan University in 2003. Dr. Like this: Like Loading...
AFMA STRATEGIC PLAN 2014-2017 | Australian Farmers' Markets Association The AFMA Strategic Plan 2014 – 2017 provides a vital platform to review and inform the evolution of best practice farmers’ markets into the next three years throughout Australia. This Strategic Plan was informed via a consultative process with key stakeholders active in the Australian farmers’ market sector. It was also informed by key documents resultant from farmers’ market research conducted in Australia, such as the RIRDC research study 2014. Vision AFMA contributes positively to Australian agriculture, healthier communities and more sustainable food choices by supporting vibrant Australian farm economies and direct farm food production and supply to consumers. Mission AFMA will continue its evolution as a well-recognised national association that is strong, progressive and sustainable, and supports and promotes the viable growth and operation of authentic farmers’ markets nationally. Brief History What is a Farmers’ Market? AFMA defines farmers’ markets as those that are: Role of AFMA
Garden as if your life depended on it, because it does Spring has sprung — at least south of the northern tier of states where snow still has a ban on it — and the grass has ‘riz. And so has the price of most foods, which is particularly devastating just now when so many Americans are unemployed, underemployed, retired or retiring, on declining or fixed incomes and are having to choose between paying their mortgages, credit card bills, car payments, and medical and utility bills and eating enough and healthily. Many are eating more fast food, prepared foods, junk food — all of which are also becoming more expensive — or less food. In some American towns, and not just impoverished backwaters, as many as 30 percent of residents can’t afford to feed themselves and their families sufficiently, let alone nutritiously. Here in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina where I live it’s 25 percent. Across the country one out of six of the elderly suffers from malnutrition and hunger. What’s for Supper Down the Road? Why Is Gardening So Important Now?
Food Page Content The food industry is integral to Australia’s economic and social prosperity. It consistently accounts for around 20 per cent of domestic manufacturing sales and service income. Australia also has a reputation internationally as a modern, safe, reliable and sustainable producer of food. The overwhelming majority of food sold in Australia is grown and supplied by Australian farmers. We are able to export more than half of our agricultural produce, while more than 90 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, milk and eggs sold in supermarkets are domestically produced. A comprehensive analysis of the Australian food industry is provided in the department’s Australian Food Statistics series. The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is responsible for policy and programs that support a globally competitive and sustainable Australian food industry. We work with the Department of Industry and Science, which has a focus on the food processing and manufacturing sectors.
17 Apart: Growing Celery Indoors: Never Buy Celery Again Remember when we tested and shared how to grow onions indefinitely last week? Well, at the same time, we've been testing out another little indoor gardening project first gleaned from Pinterest that we're excited to share the successes of today — regrowing celery from it's base. We've figured out how to literally re-grow organic celery from the base of the bunch we bought from the store a couple weeks ago. This project is almost as simple as the onion growing project — simply chop the celery stalks from the base of the celery you bought from the store and use as you normally would. Instead of tossing the base, rinse it off and place it in a small saucer or bowl of warm water on or near a sunny windowsill — base side down and cut stalks facing upright. We let our celery base hang out in the saucer of water for right around one week, give or take. We watered it generously and after planting in the soil, the overall growth really took off. Discover More:
Benefits of Community Gardening Community Organizing • Community gardens increase a sense of community ownership and stewardship. • Community gardens foster the development of a community identity and spirit. • Community gardens bring people together from a wide variety of backgrounds (age, race, culture, social class). • Community gardens build community leaders. • Community gardens offer a focal point for community organizing, and can lead to community-based efforts to deal with other social concerns. Crime Prevention • Community gardens provide opportunities to meet neighbors. • Community gardens build block clubs (neighborhood associations). • Community gardens increase eyes on the street. • Community gardening is recognized by the many police departments as an effective community crime prevention strategy. Cultural Opportunities • Community gardens offer unique opportunities for new immigrants (who tend to be concentrated in low-income urban communities) to: - Produce traditional crops otherwise unavailable locally, Youth And,
Container Gardening For Urban Apartment Dwellers Think you can’t garden because all you have is a fire escape? Mike Lieberman of Urban Organic Gardener will set you straight in this guest post! Thanks, Mike. It was the Spring of 2009 when I first started urban gardening. What I did have though is a 2×3 fire escape. With some creativity and littler investment, I turned it into my own organic fire escape garden. Since then, I’ve moved to the left side of the country to Los Angeles where I know have a 13×4 balcony garden. How have I been able to grow my own food despite having little space? The main reason that I’ve been able to do this and do it affordably is because I’ve been upcycling 5-gallon containers and building self-watering containers and hanging planters from soda bottles. Self-Watering Containers In a matter of 15 minutes and for less than $3, you can make a self-watering container at home. The system is made up of two containers – the reservoir and the planting containers. Soda Bottle Hanging Planters About Mike
Is This the Future of Farming? - Sarah Rich - Technology ATLANTA -- It's easy to miss the Podponics headquarters on Ponce de Leon Avenue. We breezed right by before company co-founder Dan Backhaus came out to the curb to wave us in. To look at their setup--six rust-colored, graffitied shipping containers tucked between a Cactus Car Wash franchise and a halfway house--you'd never suspect this was one of Atlanta's flourishing young startups. But behind the padlocked doors, an urban farming operation is in full swing. When Backhaus founded Podponics in 2010 with Matt Liotta, the pair had no previous experience with food or farming. The six containers, or "pods," represent a trial-and-error process through which Podponics found their way to a cost-effective means of production. When Podponics began, they established a farmer's market on the site for selling their yield, but the city cracked down on the ad hoc arrangement so Backhaus and Liotta cultivated more direct relationships with restaurants. Alexis Madrigal Full Screen
Locavore-dom taken to the extreme—by bike Photo: MetrofietsI stepped out onto my front porch one day this summer just in time to see my farmer pedaling down the street with a trailer full of tools. To an outsider, such a vision must seem like a sketch right out of Portlandia, the television show that spoofs my hometown’s supposedly eccentric ways. Here in real-world Portland, however, it’s a normal sight. I subscribed to their CSA (community-supported agriculture) program this summer because the pickup point is an easy one-mile bike ride from my house. It would be easy to take farming by bike as a sign that dear old Portland has jumped the (locavore) shark. It turns out that being green is, as I suspected, behind every decision made at Sidewalk’s End, Mills said, from their dispersed urban model to the sturdy “apocalypticrops” they grow. Biking is no exception. Sidewalk’s End’s unconventional methods have proven to make good economic sense, and not just from a marketing perspective. Their skimping has paid off.
Small Urban Space Rain Gardens Rain gardens aren’t just for homeowners with large tracts of land. A rain garden planted in a small urban area can make a big difference in the water quality and environment of its surrounding area. When it rains in densely populated urban areas, impervious surfaces such as roads, sidewalks, and roofs not planted with gardens, trees, or turf, produce runoff that goes straight into storm sewers. Some storm drains carry water to treatment plants, while water from other storm drains washes directly into lakes, rivers, and oceans. Photo, City of Kingston, Melbourne, Australia In addition to impervious surfaces made of concrete or asphalt, many urban areas have vacant, muddy lots. Planting a rain garden, even a small one, can help divert water and keep it within the aquifer and out of streams and lakes. Small urban rain garden at 2008 Chelsea Flower Show • Rain gardens need to be constructed to drain within four hours of a 1” rainfall. Eupatorium is suitable for rain gardens.