He gives growers advice on where to buy decent soil or how to

Urban Farmers Say It’s Time They Got Their Own Research Farms

canada goose outlet uk About 80 percent of Americans now live in urban areas, and more and more of us are growing food in cities as well. canada goose outlet uk

But where’s an urban farmer to turn for a soil test or when pests infiltrate the fruit orchard?

official canada goose outlet Increasingly, they can turn to institutions that have been serving farmers in rural areas for more than 150 years: land grant colleges and universities. From Cornell Canada Goose online University to the University of Florida to Texas A land grants dispense practical advice to farmers Canada Goose Outlet and hobby gardeners across the country. official canada goose outlet

canada goose outlet uk sale The agricultural arms of these universities have Canada Goose Jackets historically focused on regions far from cities where the majority of our food is still grown. But their research on crop Canada Goose Online varieties, canada goose clearance soil quality and pest resistance is just as relevant and now in high demand inside the city. canada goose outlet uk sale

canada goose outlet store uk The Salt canada goose outlet store uk

canada goose outlet parka Tax Breaks May Turn San Francisco’s Vacant canada goose clearance sale Lots Into Urban Farms canada goose outlet parka

canada goose outlet shop One of the central questions of urban agriculture is how to grow more food in less space. And so, instead of vast fields testing dozens of varieties of wheat, Axum’s research farm has raised beds, narrow hoop houses and even a shipping container. He gives growers advice on where to buy decent soil or how to compost their own, in case the land they plan to grow on has a seedy industrial past. canada goose outlet shop

canada goose outlet canada He says cheap canada goose uk urban farmers aren’t looking to grow one crop for a commodity market, but enough crops to replace a trip to the grocery store or to fill uk canada goose outlet a small farm box for customers. They need to know a little about a lot of varieties in order to make the most of Canada Goose Parka small growing spaces. And, often, it’s been a generation or two since anyone in their family has lived on a farm. canada goose outlet canada

As interest in farming in the nation’s capital has evolved, so has the 143 acre farm in Beltsville, Md. And it’s serving as an example to other land grants looking to cater to city farms.

canada goose outlet nyc “It’s clear that canada goose coats urban settings, given how many people live there, still have an important role to play in food security and production,” says Sabine O’Hara, director of UDC’s land grant programs. canada goose factory sale “So that’s how we’ve positioned the farm.” canada goose outlet nyc

canada goose outlet toronto factory The UDC farm serves as kind of a demonstration of the different ways agriculture can serve urban communities. There are apple orchards that supply area food pantries and a shipping container filled canada goose with fish that makes food and fertilizer. The farm also has greenhouses filled with seedlings of specialty crops such as African eggplant and an omega 3 rich South American plant called waterleaf cultivated with immigrant communities in mind. canada goose outlet toronto factory

canada goose outlet online Axum, a trained agronomist, also has all kinds of research projects underway looking at the nutrient density of crops and increasing their yield. Department of Agriculture’s National canada goose black friday sale Institute of Food and Agriculture, which helps fund land grant programs. canada goose outlet online

canada goose outlet in usa The Salt canada goose outlet in usa

canada goose outlet store Rooftop Farming Is Getting Off The Ground canada goose outlet store

canada goose outlet jackets canada goose uk shop In New York City, for example, Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension has one staff member for every 160,000 Canada Goose Outlet residents and tries to “make sure that all New York residents benefit from Cornell’s research,” says Jennifer Tiffany, executive director of the college’s city based outreach. canada goose outlet jackets

canada goose factory outlet In New York, the Cornell extension office works alongside dozens of other organizations that add to its work by writing prescriptions for fruits and vegetables that can then be used at canada goose store nearby farmers markets. Instead of visiting individual farms to offer growers advice, as staff might in a rural setting, Tiffany says her program leads instructional tours that take cheap Canada Goose almost 100 canada goose uk black friday people through an indoor hydroponics facility, showing them just how many calories of food can be uk canada goose grown inside the city buildings. canada goose factory outlet

canada goose outlet online uk Though her university has been catering extension programs to the city’s nearly 8.5 million residents for some time, other states are just beginning to see urban agriculture reach a critical mass. Texas A University is gearing more of its land grant programs toward the canada goose coats on sale booming Dallas Fort Worth region, where a farming workshop can draw as many as 4,000 people, Shipley says. canada goose outlet online uk

canada goose outlet As other universities consider their urban audiences, they could www.canadagooseuk.net take cues from the only land grant with an entirely urban canadian goose jacket charter. residents with HIV and AIDS. He works alongside local farmers to help them troubleshoot issues throughout the growing season, demonstrating nearly every growing practice they can imagine on the farm. canada goose outlet

canada goose outlet reviews The farm also serves as home base to the land grant’s chapter of the iconic Master Gardener Program, a national program that trains gardeners in all 50 states canada goose outlet reviews.