Urban farming school takes root - The Diigo Meta page

• 01 Dec 08
  

  Yule Heibel

  Richmond, BC starts an urban farming school...

  urban_food urban_farming food_security vancouver richmond

  • Kwantlen and the Richmond food security task force have joined forces to launch the ground-breaking program in 2009 as a way to allow young farmers to get into the industry and to meet the growing demand for locally produced food.

    "The potential for this kind of agriculture to develop into a substantial component of the local and regional economy cannot be understated," Mullinix said.

    he program would require about two hectares of land to start, and could partner with the Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project, which already has a presence at the proposed city sites and is growing food for local food banks.

  • The school's topics would include soil management, plant science, animal husbandry and farm infrastructure, but would cover all steps in the food chain, including value-added processing, marketing, and sales.
  • 2 more annotations...

  • • Mullinix said the program would be flexible for students who want part-time and short-term instruction as well as those seeking a full-time four-year baccalaureate program, with an emphasis on teaching in the field rather than the traditional classroom setting.

      The goal is to start the program in early 2009 with perhaps a dozen students and build from there.

    • In later years, students might be allocated a portion of city lands where, short of outright ownership, they could operate their own farm operation under supervision.

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