urban_food - Yule Heibel on Diigo

01 Dec 08

Urban farming school takes root

Richmond, BC starts an urban farming school...

www.vancouversun.com/...story.html - Preview

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.
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- 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.

30 May 08

» Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this (food) wall! • Spacing Toronto • understanding the urban landscape

For a view of how Toronto would propose to "nanny" the street vendors, see Shawn Micallef's article here. It's amazing to note that the city would rather create an additional arm of bureaucracy "in charge" of the actual food carts, versus letting the vendors decide what sort of cart they want to use.

spacing.ca/...achev-tear-down-this-food-wall - Preview

spacing.ca urban_food street_vendors cities toronto

and lives up to whatever Soviet-style imagery they want to evoke. It’s more annoying because we find ourselves agreeing with these folks.
- ...indeed! - on 2008-05-30
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In the Star yesterday the Preston-Manning-of-Toronto-Danforth, Case Ootes, complains that “we have to micromanage everything,” and for once, we agree.
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- But no, too easy. The meddlers had to engineer it into delay and confusion. First, the city wanted to borrow $700,000 to buy 35 carts and lease them out for $450 a month. Why not just set the cart standards and leave it to the private sector to provide and sell? Because the city wants to block “conglomerates” from taking over this new venture.
- The solution is easy. Forget about this centralized cart-leasing scheme. Issue permits to individual human beings, and then let them decided what kind of cart they will use. Establish some general cart guidelines, but that’s it (”no towering neon signs,” that sort of thing). Maybe some of them will tap into Toronto’s vast design talent and get a unique, locally built cart. Then let them serve whatever they want. Then send around Toronto’s great food inspectors, who enforce some of the world’s toughest food hygiene laws, and see if they’re up to code, just like we do with restaurants in this city. If they’re clean, they would have lineups of austerity-weary customers immediately.
- the creative entrepreneurial spirit in Toronto can move at the speed of light — all that creative city stuff we keep hearing about — but only if we let it happen
  - Exactly! - on 2008-05-30
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"The Toronto Society of Architects presents Food in the City" Canadian Architect - 5/29/2008

Here's some food for thought: "A city without food is a city without soul. Many of our favourite urban spaces in the city are places where we buy food: think of St. Lawrence Market, Kensington Market and Dufferin Grove Park. Many of the city's great festivals are about food, such as the Taste of the Danforth or the various food festivals at Harbourfront in the summer. All of our great cultural neighbourhoods are defined by their flavours, like Corso Italia, Little India and Chinatown."

On Tues. 6/3 the Toronto Society of Architects presents "Food in the City." Wish I could be there...

www.canadianarchitect.com/...ISArticle.asp - Preview

canadianarchitect urban_food conference

This discussion assesses the health of the city through examining the cycles of its food: the growth, sourcing, production, buying, selling, cooking, and eating of food in the city.
A city without food is a city without soul. Many of our favourite urban spaces in the city are places where we buy food: think of St. Lawrence Market, Kensington Market and Dufferin Grove Park. Many of the city's great festivals are about food, such as the Taste of the Danforth or the various food festivals at Harbourfront in the summer. All of our great cultural neighbourhoods are defined by their flavours, like Corso Italia, Little India and Chinatown.
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- But the distribution and purchasing of food also shapes our urban form. Large supermarkets on the periphery of our communities have decimated Toronto's history of vibrant neighbourhood corner stores. Chain restaurants in the parking lots of "power centres" threaten the family-run ethnic restaurants that have made Toronto a culinary destination. Even our street food policies provide us with the sole non-choice of a bland hot dog dressed with processed condiments.
  - http://spacing.ca/wire/2008/05/29/mr-gorbachev-tear-down-this-food-wall/ - on 2008-05-30
  - re. the bylaws concerning street vendors, see also the related Spacing.ca article. - on 2008-05-30
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Urban farming school takes root

» Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this (food) wall! • Spacing Toronto • understanding the urban landscape

"The Toronto Society of Architects presents Food in the City" Canadian Architect - 5/29/2008

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