Book by Helen Stewart

Tudor House Press, Victoria
Printed: 2020

A plea for the celebration of gardens and the wonders and wisdom of nature, this work is a spiritual and artistic meditation describing the creation of a garden, its seasons in a time of changing climate, and the importance of life-giving soil and water. It speaks of favoured individual plants (from dandelions to roses), children’s literature, farm gardens to white gardens, bees and butterflies.

“We just really believe that food should not be a luxury item.”

Jan. 8, 2021
(AP)

Monika Owczarski, who turned a dilapidated city park into an urban farm, is now working to turn her Des Moines neighborhood into a place where nobody goes hungry.

She grows vegetables that are nutritious and culturally significant to the people of River Bend, many of them immigrants with children who attend Moulton Elementary, where students speak 30 different languages. In the summer, she works for hours before the heat sets in, again while her three kids nap, then again after they’ve gone to bed. She prices her produce based on what each person can afford, accepts food stamps and is happy to barter when people need to.

“This means, inserting every means of agriculture into every mode of urbanity. Tactically, this involves strategies that mobilize every component and feature of our varied and dense urban landscape towards establishing lasting food security for every Filipino.”

By Department of Agriculture
January 7, 2021

Excerpt:

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has teamed up with RE-TERRA, a youth organization, to conduct a design competition for future architects, designers, and developers to garner innovative and transformative designs that integrate agriculture into the urban setting.

“Time and again, I have emphasized the crucial role of the youth in agriculture. They are the source of many bright and fresh ideas, having a strong grasp of emerging trends and technologies,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.

The Effect of Locally Grown Food

By Grady Capstone
Grady News Source
January 7, 2021

Excerpt:

Abbie Dillon, a fourth-year horticulture student and Office of Sustainability Urban Agriculture intern, maintains the Green Roof Garden atop the University of Georgia’s Geography-Geology building. The garden is a 3,000 square foot green space that grows about 200 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every season. The majority of food feeds food-insecure people in Athens through organizations like Campus Kitchen.

The Green Roof Garden isn’t open to the public, but it represents a community approach to growing fresh food.