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How to successfully create an online community around your farm business: With Will Heeman of Heeman Greenhouses & Strawberry Farm Reaching today’s consumer is harder than ever, with your audience becoming less responsive to traditional media than ever. Your customers are engaging on social media and this presents a unique opportunity to build an online community … Read More
#8 Air and Water Pollution
Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Air Pollution Because airborne heavy metals and particulates are not likely to be absorbed by plants through their leaves, urban air contamination is not considered a major concern for urban-grown food. The exception is for farm and garden sites close to freeways, as freeway driving … Read More
#7 Dealing with Contaminated Soils
Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Mitigation vs. Remediation This factsheet outlines both mitigation and remediation strategies for dealing with contaminated soils. Mitigation (coping) strategies involve reducing human exposure to and/or plant availability of contaminants even though they remain in the soil, such as by safe gardening practices and the use … Read More
#6 Soil Contamination
Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Contamination in Urban Soils Farmers wanting to cultivate unfarmed urban soils should be aware of possible soil contamination, whether by physical debris or chemical or other toxins. Physical debris, such as blacktop, glass, and gravel, can be identified and removed much more easily than chemical, … Read More
#5 Site Renovation
Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Blacktop, Concrete and Structure Removal Farmers will often have to deal with existing blacktop and concrete surfaces when preparing vacant lots or other sites for urban farming. In such instances, farmers can choose to plant into containers or raised beds on top of these surfaces, … Read More
#4 Land Access and Tenure
Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Land Access Lack of accessible land can be one of the greatest constraints to urban farming, and finding growing space often requires creativity on the part of urban farmers. Empty lots, utility rights of way, private backyards, parks, institutional land (schools, hospitals, churches, prisons, universities, … Read More
#1 Codes and Regulations
Back to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Codes and Regulations Until recently, city codes, zoning laws, and other regulations have largely ignored urban agriculture. However, these codes and regulations can intentionally and unintentionally regulate urban farming activities in a myriad of ways, such as by regulating the construction of structures, such as … Read More
#2 Advocacy and Planning
Back to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Sustainability Plans Cities across New York State have developed are developing sustainability plans to address climate change, food insecurity, and other challenges confronting governments today. Some examples are: New York City’s PlaNYC 2030 at http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/; The City of Syracuse’s Sustainability Plan at http://www.syracuse.ny.us/sustainabilityplan.aspx; Buffalo’s Green … Read More
#3 Engaging Communities
Return to the Guide to Urban Farming Table of Contents>> Tips for Engaging Communities There are as of yet no best practices for engaging communities in urban farming projects, but there are certain ways to encourage community members to be involved: Create a sense of belonging and ownership among community members, such as by hosting … Read More
Demystifying Organic Certification: Get Help Navigating the Certification Process
If you’ve been thinking about getting your farm certified as organic but aren’t sure whether it’s worth it, and find all the paperwork and requirements overwhelming, this course is for you. This 6-week online course is facilitated by Laura Biasillo of Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome County and taught by representatives from NOFA-NY LLC (Northeast Organic … Read More