“Thanksgiving is always a great time to think about food” says J. Dennis Slaughter, District Supervisor of the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District. Dennis continues, “We are now having more urban communities seeking ways to encourage local residents to potentially raise their own food in a sustainable fashion” “Many of these communities are sharing their ideas about how they are fostering community development through projects relating to food production and other urban farming ideas”. Those interested in this concept can learn more about the work of a group called, “Nuestras Raíces”, a community development organization in Holyoke, Massachusetts that fosters human, economic, and community development through projects relating to food, agriculture, and the environment. A webinar on the topic “Agri-Cultural” Community Development will be hosted on December 3, 2010 at 12:00 noon Eastern time. A webinar is simply a training process, usually with video and audio, that people can access on the internet. Interested participants will need to register prior to the free webinar by going to: www.vitanuova.net/journal/2010/09/december-32010-nuestras-raices-agri-cultural-community-development.html.
The webinar will feature Ms. Calandrella who will be talking about “La Finca,” a community urban farm and beginning farmer incubation program; a recruitment and training model, network of farm businesses, events and culture, and youth programs. Learn how Nuestras Raíces has worked with the Latino community of Holyoke Massachusetts for asset-based and culture-centered community development. This webinar is part of Vita Nuova’s Sustainability Series of webinars. For more links and details about past webinars visit the same web site mentioned above. Register for Vita Nuova’s monthly Sustainability Series Webinars – FREE! The webinars are held on the last Friday of each month for one hour and feature experts from around the country who present interesting and current discussions on sustainable development topics. To learn more about Vita Nuova, a national leader in the repositioning and redevelopment of complex sites and neighborhoods, visit their website at: www.vitanuova.net/.
The new interest in urban agriculture and community gardening seems not only related to a tough economy and people thinking of novel ways to try to economize, but also to a simple truth: people are hungry for social interaction within their geographic community. When people are outdoors to tend their garden, especially if it is a community garden as such, they really get to meet their neighbors and have a common joy or problem over which to bond.
So tomatoes and worms go beyond simple things in the environment. In an urban setting especially, they are conversation starters.
Outdoors, exercise, neighbors, ways to assimilate various ethnicities into the community–what’s not to like?