Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were announced today.  Planning for access to fresh food is a part of these grants, so there may be a good opportunity to partner with your regional planning commission if they are a grant awardee.  If you have further questions about this program, you can contact the HUD Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at (202) 708-2404.

In the attached document, Jason Parker and I have distilled research and education questions, objectives, and a rough start on the methods needed to address them from the conference flip charts relating to social issues and policy.  The initial research objectives in red are followed by the issues in outline form described by conference attendees on the flip charts.  We would encourage those interested in participating in the proposal with research in a particular city to incorporate as many of these into your activities as possible. 

Hi All,  

This public radio interview might be of interest:

Darrin Nordahl: "Public Produce" (Island Press)

Urban agriculture: A city designer explains how growing food in urban, public spaces can help feed the hungry, supplement the existing agribusiness model, and promote good health for all.

Check out the winning ideas in this great contest that challenged people around the world to redesign their farmers markets.

 http://www.good.is/post/redesign-your-farmers-market-winners/

One example from Los Angeles:

    In five vacant lots across the city of Cleveland, things are growing.  Not just fruits and vegetables, although there are plenty of those, but also the knowledge and experience of the high school students who tend the gardens.  Employed by the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Green Corps program, these students plant, weed, water and harvest in the gardens while learning about agriculture.

    This season, the city of Akron is getting involved in the urban agriculture movement with a new program called Akron Grows.  Eight city-owned vacant lots have been turned into community gardens, and community members can acquire plots in which to grow food for a small fee of $20-$30.  “We recognize, especially in today’s economy, the need for people to put affordable, fresh food on the dinner table; the city itself also has a need to put vacant lots to productive use.  I’m excited to watch Akron Grows spur community involvement a

Braddock Farms, one of the largest projects run by the non-profit Grow Pittsburgh, is a farm run on a stretch of vacant lots on one of the main streets of the suburb of Braddock.  It sits in the shadow of the last steel mill in Braddock, a town that has lost 90% of its income and population. The area is dotted with overgrown vacant lots, and the mayor, an enthusiastic supporter of the local food movement, hopes to turn them into useful growing spaces.  The existing farm is now in its second full growing season.