Positive Future News #905 (Feature Photo – Abandoned Stadium – Courtesy of Harrisburg City Farm) Harrisburg City Farms, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is transforming an abandoned high school stadium into an urban farm. This is probably the first time ever that a farm takes root in old bleacher seating. Fox 43 news brings the story about…
Category: Urban Agriculture
Agri-Food Canada – Funds Food Greenhouse in Calgary of all Places
Positive Future News #893 (Feature Photo– Calgary – CCA SA 4.0 International) Calgary is one of the largest northern cities in North America. With a population of 1,250,000, the city has a very short growing season, Different from the past, governments are getting interested in urban horticulture to support food banks and other charitable feeding…
Malaysia – Growing Food versus Money to Buy Food
Positive Future #888 (Feature photo – Growing Food in Malaysia – GNU Free Doc License) Malaysia is divided into an area of land south of Thailand, and an area of land North of Indonesia. Despite being dissected by the South China Seas, this nation of 33 million people is facing a challenge, that faces all…
A National Urban Farm Strategy
Positive Future #871 (Feature photo – Urban Farming – CCA SA 4.0) Envisioning a national urban farm strategy, seems far a fetched, for a large nation like the United States. Where do you even start? However, for a small nation like Luxemburg – population 640,000 – in the heart of the European Union, you can…
The Jian Mu Tower – A Farmscraper Capable of Feeding 40,000 People
Positive Future #859 (Feature photo – The Jian Mu Farmscraper – photo courtesy of Carlo Ratti Associates.) Arch Daily brings us the story of Carlo Ratti’s 51 story farmscraper. Externally, the building is clad with giant hydroponic farming system, capable of feeding 40,000 people. You can read the full story here: https://www.archdaily.com/967740/carlo-ratti-associati-unveils-worlds-first-farmscraper-in-shenzhen
Community Gardening Efforts Continue to Grow
Touch the Soil News #1676 (Feature Photo – Volunteers Dsiree Dieno, Nadine Smith and Carson Dieno tend to new garden boxes – courtesy of Maegen Krajewski) CBC News brings us the story of how urban food gardening continues to expand in Canada – specifically in Regina. Of note is the participation of schools and people…
USDA – Office of Urban Agriculture
Touch the Soil News #1679 (Feature Photo – USDA official Seal – Public Domain) Successful Farming journalist Megan Schilling reports on recent grants by the USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture. Formed by an Act of Congress in 2018, the Office of Urban Agriculture is pursuing its mission to promote urban agriculture. The Office recently announced…
Re-Thinking Urban Farm Spaces
Touch the Soil News #1678 (Feature Photo – Sao Paulo, Brazil embraces green spaces – CCA 2.0 Generic, gaborbasch) Agritecture journalist Briana Zagami brings us an urban farming story from Sao Paulo in Brazil. The 12 million people in this city live in a landscape of many empty spaces. The high cost of controlled environment…
More Food for Uncertain Times – Rooftop Gardens
Positive Future #803 (Feature photo – The Seal of Bangkok – public domain) Global economic sanctions against non-essential workers does not protect the lives of non-essential workers. In fact, it can lead them to health crisis from insufficient calories due to insufficient purchasing power. Complicating the issues is the retraction of global trade – compromising…
Promoting Urban Agriculture at the USDA Farm Service Agency
Positive Future #802 (Feature photo – Farm Service Agency Logo – public domain) Most counties around the country have a Farm Service Agency offices to help farmers with all sorts of issues and federal programs. Now, the USDA wants to start setting up committees at the local levels to support urban agriculture. At one time,…