Archive for the ‘Resources’ Category
Aquaponics Offers Farmers Two for One Deal
Growing Power Aquaponics, photo by Wikimedia Commons
To grow food, you need soil, plant seeds, water and fertilizer, right?
Not necessarily. A new take on gardening has found a way to eliminate the need for soil, constant watering and fertilizing. Aquaponics combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-feeding system that supplies both fish and plants.
Aquaponic systems come in a few different forms but essentially they’re all irrigation systems that link fish tanks and planters. The nutrient-rich (read: fish manure) water is sent through the system to nourish plant roots with both water and fertilizer. The water is filtered by the plants and then returned to the fish tank. Once it’s set up, the only input is fish food. More…
Eat Dirt: Farming at the University of Washington
Life starts early at the University of Washington’s farm. The “dirty dozen” crew members start the day by collecting eggs from the farm chickens. As the day moves on, more students show up to work on farm tasks from the weekly to do list. From weeding to digging up new beds to harvesting the bounty, there is always work to be done at the farm.
The urban farm at the University of Washington was started in 2004 by Keith Possee, Dr. Alan Trimble, Dr. Jennifer Ruesink and several students, with the goal of educating the UW community about the global impacts of our food choices. As time went on, the farm has evolved to include several for-credit courses in addition to volunteer opportunities.
The farm is a great place for students to get away from the busy life on campus and get back to the land. With over 400 members, the farm has become a much-loved aspect of campus life, with students coming to the farm every day to get their hands a little dirty and “eat dirt.”
The farm is located at the Botany Greenhouse next to the Burke-Gilman Trail, and anyone is welcome to come by and visit. Just ask a volunteer, and they will be happy to show you around. For more information about the farm and how to get involved, check us out at the farm’s new website.
We look forward to seeing you out at the farm!
About the author: Daron Williams was a farm intern last quarter and this
quarter has been helping out when he can. When he’s not busy with his studies, you can find him tending to veggies on the farm.
WSDA Releases Small Farm and Direct Marketing Handbook
Farmers who sell their agricultural and food products directly to consumers now have a new tool to help launch a business or expand into new products: Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) Small Farm and Direct Marketing Handbook.
Announced at the annual meeting of the Washington State Farmers Market Association last week, the handbook provides practical information about resources available to farmers; how to operate a farm business, marketing strategies, and regulations on specific products. Chapters include sections on licensing, food safety, organic certification and marketing directly to consumers through farmers markets, retailers and institutions, community supported agriculture (CSAs), farm stands and U-pick, and information on agri-culinary tourism. It also discusses regulations affecting the marketing of specific products such as poultry and meats, eggs, fish and shellfish, fruits and vegetables, honey, milk and dairy. More…
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Seeks Article Submissions
The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Development (JAFSCD) is an online, international, peer-reviewed publication focused on the practice and applied research interests of agriculture and food systems development professionals. The Journal emphasizes best practices and tools related to the planning, community economic development, and the ecological protection of local and regional agriculture and food systems, and strives to bridge the interests of practitioners and academics and encourage cooperation among local stakeholders. Articles are published online as they are approved, but are gathered into quarterly issues for indexing purposes. Whole issues and individual articles of the Journal are also available through print-on-demand.
As the journal focuses on the practice of agriculture and food system development, empirical and methodological content are emphasized over the theoretical. To be included in JAFSCD Vol. 1 Issue 2, the deadline for submission is June 5, 2010
Submission Guidelines
JAFSCD welcomes research or policy briefs, and case studies (up to 2,500 words) and full articles (up to 8,500 words) on best community-development practices related to:
- Urban livestock management and regulation
- Urban market gardening and backyard gardening
- Marketing and value-adding
- Waste management and reuse
- Urban farming by immigrant or other special populations
- Farming on the fringe More…
FARMS Report Offers Blueprint For Growing King County’s Agriculture Business
Photo by Steve Tracy
To ensure agriculture remains a vibrant part of the King County’s economy and cultural fabric, County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Agriculture Commission announced last week in a news release that they are recommending a series of actions to ensure the health of farming for generations to come.
Constantine submitted to the County Council a report, the “Future of Agriculture, Realize Meaningful Solutions” (FARMS), which offers recommendations on how to help resolve challenges related to water, including flooding, drainage and irrigation; economic development; keeping farmers farming; farmer succession; developing a farm-city connection and financial support for the county’s agriculture program.
“As farmers ourselves, we believe these recommendations can help ensure the future of farming in King County, and we are pleased with the commitment that Executive Constantine and the County Council are demonstrating on agricultural issues,” said Nancy Hutto, chair of the King County Agriculture Commission. More…
Happy Birthday City Fruit!
City Fruit works neighborhood by neighborhood to help residential tree owners grow healthy fruit, to harvest and use what they can, and to share what they don’t need.
City Fruit collaborates with others involved in local food production, climate protection, horticulture, food security and community-building to protect and optimize the planting and maintenance of urban fruit trees.
City Fruit has just celebrated its first full year and they have accomplished a lot!
- Picked over 10,000 pounds of fruit from over 100 trees
- Taught six classes on canning, drying, pest control and pruning
- Set up a great new web site at cityfruit.org
- Created a fruit tree map with over 650 trees
Join City Fruit to support a great organization, get monthly newsletters and a discount on classes. For information click here.
The Future of Food and Seed
What should be the right dynamic between farmers and consumers in maintaining agricultural diversity, self-reliance, and food grown with locally-sourced seeds?
Listen to this talk, The Future of Food and Seed, by Dr. Vandana Shiva as she discusses the importance of maintaining agricultural diversity, self-reliance, and seed integrity.
Seattle Free School Seeks Teachers
I’m sure some of you have heard about Seattle Free School but I’d like to take a quick moment to invite any and all of you to facilitate a class.
We regularly have full classes on keeping chickens in the city and while I assumed that I’d eventually teach everyone interested in raising chickens in Seattle — class sizes just keep growing. To that end, I’d love to see people teaching more of these classes, especially in neighborhoods that I can’t get to easily (I live in Greenwood). I’d also love to see folks teaching about keeping goats or any other urban farming skills they have to share.
I know that many people get freaked out by public speaking but I will say that facilitating a class with Seattle Free School is about as low pressure as you can get. People don’t expect you to know everything and are just happy to have someone lead them through the process and tell them where to go to get more information. If nothing else it can be personally helpful later when you need to give a presentation for work or some other place. It’s easy and people are nice, I swear!
Thanks for listening and considering and if you do want to share the knowledge you have just contact me at seattlefreeschool@ gmail.com
About the author: Jessica Dally founded and offers a broad range of totally free classes through the Seattle Free School.
City Stream Dedicates Program to Healthy Living
Last week Seattle Channel’s City Stream dedicated it’s whole program to healthy living. In the show, host Kim Holcomb looks at a new obesity study that finds economic status is inextricably linked to obesity rates. The old adage of ‘you are what you eat’ has alarmingly been replaced with ‘you are what you can afford.’
She also stops by the Seattle Animal Shelter to visit with some great running companions, and highlights three Seattle chefs on the rise nationally for their commitment to growing and using fresh local food.
To watch the full video, click here.
New Research Discovers Why People Need Gardens
The National Trust, and organization that works to preserve and protect the buildings, countryside and coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, recently released research on the importance of gardens. As one section explains:
Gardens bring people together. They provide a safe and comforting environment in which to pursue a variety of
activities: exercise, socialising with friends, appreciating nature and the seasons, or quiet contemplation. As
such, gardens are great social levellers, helping to unite communities in ways that other public spaces often do not.
They discovered over 70 per cent of the population think that spending time in gardens is important for their quality of life and that iven the choice, many would rather spend time in their gardens than in front of the television or shopping.
The overwhelming majority of the public (80 per cent) also believe that children should learn about gardening and growing at school.
The Space to Grow report, which can be accessed here, weaves together a beautiful array of personal testimonies, garden profiles, and survey results to educate people on the importance of garden preservation and cultivation. You can also listen to a podcast by head gardener Alan Power where he reflects on why gardens are such special places.
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