Sustainable Food Arlingtons Way If more of us valued food and cheer - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

FOOD Sustainable Food Arlington’s Way

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien +300% +3000% +400% Direct agriculture Farmers Markets CSA operations in the sales nationally listed in USDA past 20 years directory

FOOD SYSTEM CYCLE Community Government Advocates Agencies Community and Farmland Preservation Social Viability Retail Distri-bute Waste Jobs Security Community- Eating Disposal based Food System Growing Prep Technical Food Trade Service Associations Economic Process Providers Farm Viability Development Environmental Stewardship Funder & Educators & Adapted from CS Lenders Mott Group at MSU Researchers

Food creates community “Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Don't forget food. You can go a week without laughing.” Joss Whedon

EXAMPLES OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN ARLINGTON C O M M U N I T Y C o m m u n i t y B E E K E E P E R S F A R M E R S S u p p o r t e d G A R D E N S M A R K E T S A g r i c u l t u r e 309 F O O D F O O D 8 7 30 79 V I N T A G E V I N T A G E Recent proposed See 48 Plant-a-row Northern Virginia changes to zoning www.LocalHarvest.org Gardens Beekeepers code will allow 25+ School Gardens Association markets in residential Unknown numbers of www.nvba.org F O O D F O O D zones home gardens V I N T A G E V I N T A G E

ARLINGTON URBAN AGRICULTURE RECONNECTING THE DISCONNECT C I T I Z E N E N G A G E M E N T D E M O N S T R AT I O N O U R A P P R O A C H E D U C AT I O N PA R T I C I PAT I O N

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT Super Volunteer Friends of Urban Agriculture (FOUA) arlingtonurbanag@gmail.com www.arlingtonurbanag.org “The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor.” Hubert Humphrey

The Mission of the Friends of Urban Agriculture is to facilitate community collaboration to promote sustainable food systems for Arlington.

DEMONSTRATION “Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.” Wendell Berry

W I N D O W F A R M A Q U A P O N I C S R O O F T O P

EDUCATION EDUCATION AGRICULTURE FOOD growing plants nutrition understanding soil cooking composting preserving special needs of the urban safe handling practices environment recipe development learning to work with the marketing and finance community

PARTICIPATION Many ways to get involved – what excites you? Friends of Urban Ag Arlington Food Assistance Center Farmers Market volunteers Schoolyard gardens Faith organizations VCE Master Gardeners VCE Master Food Volunteer

PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR ARLINGTON AGRICULTURE Attendance at VCE ag classes up 30% since 2012 Attendance at VCE food classes up 300% since 2012 Sales at farmers markets up 30% in one year at AFM (2015) Applications for community gardens up 300% in 5 years. N u m b e r s t e l l t h e s t o r y

Where are we going? C o m p l e t e t h e C y c l e U r b a n f a r m i n g Rooftop and Regional Zero Waste R e s i l i e n c y F o o d H u b s Approach Indoor A c c e s s f o r A l l T h e W a y F o r w a r d