URBAN AGRICULTURE SUMMITAugust 15-18 2012

Toronto OntarioLearn, Network, Train, Tour,

Marie, Linda & YoonheeRyerson University Thursday morning

A warm welcome for the local Native Community

Joe LobkoPresident of Ryerson University

Some of the Sponsors of this Summit

Keynote speaker: Will Allen

Promoting growing your own food as a group and partnership. Green Roofs, Hoop Houses,

Growing soil, Bee keeping.

Chicago-Art on the Farmwww.growingpower.org

• Urban Farm Sites in Chicago: • Altgeld Gardens Urban Farm

Established 2010 • This 2.5-acre urban farm on Chicago's Southside will grow and distribute healthy produce and create job

opportunities in one of Chicago's most isolated and impoverished communities. In 2010, Growing Power in partnership with the Chicago Housing Authority employed 150 adults and 40 at-risk youth from the local community. The site currently has one-acre in production and has a large-scale compost and vermicompost systems and a hoop greenhouse for year-round production.

•The Chicago Lights Urban FarmEstablished 2003 Located at the intersection of W. Chicago Avenue & N. Hudson Avenue, Chicago, IL 60610.

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• Since 2003, Growing Power has worked in collaboration with Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church to facilitate the

Chicago Avenue Community Garden. In 2002, Fourth Presbyterian Church bought property in the Cabrini-Green community on Chicago Avenue between Hudson and Cleveland. The purchase of this former unkempt basketball court was an outgrowth of Fourth Church’s forty-year involvement with the children and families living in Cabrini-Green. As the neighborhood transitions from low-income “projects” to mixed-income housing, the overarching goal of the community garden is to help facilitate a thriving diverse community and ensuring that present residents are not cast aside in this process of transformation. As the first step in this important endeavor, Fourth Church with Growing Power’s help, transformed the Chicago Avenue site into a community garden, as a way to strengthen the church’s relationship with the families and children in the Cabrini community.

Seminar #1Presenter: Gaston Remmers-Netherlands-City of Almere

• Getting clear about the purpose and scale of your project is crucial: we don’t need more to eat, we need better quality.

• 1. cultivate diversity• 2. connect place and context• 3. combine city and nature• 4. anticipate change• 5. continue innovation• 6. design health system• 7. Amsterdam- children work on a farm 2-3 times a

week

Bright Farms: Keynote speaker:Paul Lightfoot- Chief Executive Officer

• Need to produce year round to make it profitable.

• Talked about getting roof top gardens on top of super markets??

• Use of hydroponic greenhouses • Look into supermarket, commit to long term

purchase for better produce with fixed prices• Hire a local to produce, focus on two zones, eg.

Tomatoes and lettuce

Seminar #2: Design your Common Space by Carolin Nees, Architect and Edie Stone- Director

Green Thumb- www.greenthumbnyc.org• Space organized by citizens- what is your vision- communal or

individual?• Have a Community Garden Council- guidelines???

– Health and safety– Need resources to help people who don’t garden but want to learn– Finding a lot– Type of gardening, square foot gardening, green house– Structures- gazebo, stage, storage, rainwater catcher– Provide vocal point– Bee hives- check with neighbours– Composting – Raised beds and clean soil- prevents contamination– Think about vertical growing– Plant pollinator plants for pest control– Build in self watering- put in PVC pipe across whole lot and tap off with a house as needed– Windbreak around garden if needed– Tree removal company to get chips possible free

– ****Extra Share .org – good website to share food and garden help and ideas. This type of website can be started in any city. ***

Example of a community building

Another style with garden on roof with a cover

Funding

• Where to get grants from?– Rona: for material– TD Bank: Friends of the Environment Foundation– Service Canada– Heart and Stroke Foundation- Youth– CMHC- funded gardening-rooftop planter boxes back in

the 70’s, anything now????– Telus: getting the community involved– Try local organizations: working with children and seniors.– Live Green Grants

Toronto’s Rooftop Garden City HallNew city Bylaw: All new building must have green roof.

End of Day One

Saying Yes to Urban Agriculture, What it Brings to the City, Why are people saying yes and How can we say yes in the

FUTURE??????

• Shelia Penny- Toronto District School Board• Many schools in Toronto are now letting students

participate in growing food for their own purpose. It is a great opportunity for them to learn how vegetables are grown and how they can improve the process to get better quality food for themselves.

• Schools will need to check into insurance policy etc. • Gardens can be right over top of asphalt. Need to

check with onsite Design Consultants in your area.

Over 60 school gardens in VancouverSummer time need to work with other people such as camps, daycare, volunteers

Define Community GardensClare Wagner: Program Coordinator, Green Venture/Hamilton Community Garden

• Definition: where plants are grown by a community to meet that community needs.

• Networking: connecting, promote new growth, enhance benefits, support sustainability, good communication.

• Define Structure and Leadership: who’s on board- citizens not for profit, other community groups, church, school, municipality. Then define vision, purpose, goals and structure.

• Know and Develop resources: What do you need? – physical goods, people power, outreach and educational materials,

• “BUDGET” How can you get money?• Municipality• Grants• Sponsors

In-kind support• Donations• Staff time• volunteers

Tips for Success– Make things manageable and realistic start small– Consider risk, liability and insurance– emphasize benefits– don’t be afraid to ask– Consider project based components verses

ongoing needs– Where will the resources go? Tools, money: Get a

bank account– Make it “FUN”

• Create: Data Base- info in one place-google maps, facebook, garden info

Establish communication:-Internal- emails groups, phone tree-External- signage (children make sign good idea),

printed material, blog, social media.Develop Maintenance Plan:

-who and how, revisit stepsResources: American community Garden Association- Step

by Step Guide http://www.communitygarden.org/

Roof Top Gardens

Mark Morrison- President Mark K Morrison Landscape Architecture PC

• Mark has been in the business for 38 years• Depth determines the type of plants you grow• Veggies should be 24”• Blueberries food for all season for yearly looks• Size of area 30-36” in width• In an area that is 6-8” you need 40% compost (from

mushrooms good), 60% shale and clay• Popular in New York- hot peppers- low shallow roots,

less maintenance and water, 32 different types

Good resource: rooftopfarms.org

Sub irrigation recommended if going to have certain plants in the same place.

Compost enhanced potting soil: “no perelite”

Support Dwarf trees, check for wind. Planter bottoms need to be open.

Try some vertical planting

Cold frame made out of aluminum.

BBQ Dinner Friday Night

Concrete to carrots: Building Productive School Gardens on Asphalt

Starting our first layer with the clay and concrete mixture blocks.

First layer needs to be flat and straight.

Everyone helps

I’m sure it is level.

Just about finishes the first layer.

Yeah!!!

Start gluing and stacking.

We are getting there.

Still one more row.

So much fun.

Filling in the final crack with glue.

Complete: the extra block will be used for something else.

The Team

Notice: built right on the asphalt.

Mosaic done on the previous gardens by the students.

Gardens and compost done by students.

The school’s first garden.

Two great little plants to try: Stevia- (sweet) and Sorrel-(sour). Mix together

and get a sweet and sour taste.

The end of the day! The end of our weekend!