#6 An Interview with Fields
on The Heritage Radio Network & USDA's new Urban Ag Committee
Hi Friends!
Greetings from Houston, Texas.
The farm tour continues westward! Any and all recommendations between Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona are welcomed.
In the meantime, I am excited to share with you a few of my interviews from the road. My friends over at Fields, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories of those working in urban agriculture, were kind enough to welcome me on their show and will be hosting the interviews in the weeks to come.
In this first episode, I share with the team:
How I became a full-time, professional consultant in urban and indoor farming
Going from New York City to touring the country in a camper van
Some of the trends I’m seeing out on the road, both inspiring and worrying
And what I’m hopeful for in the world of urban agriculture in NYC, in the year ahead.
Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS
A few show notes worth sharing:
My first blog post - How did I get into urban agriculture?
When the county came for our citrus between ‘03 - ’06 - Citrus Canker
My van build - Naartjie the Van
Enjoy! And be sure to subscribe!
USDA Announces Inaugural Federal Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture
In Jan 2021, the USDA announced they would be creating an advisory committee on Urban Agriculture.
The 12-person committee will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices as well as identify any barriers to urban agriculture.
One year later, the committee is live!
Members include:
Jerry Ann Hebron, Mich., Urban Producer
Bobby Wilson, Ga., Urban Producer
Viraj Puri, N.Y., Innovative Producer
Kaben Smallwood, Okla., Innovative Producer
Sally Brown, Wash., Higher Education
John Erwin, Md., Higher Education
Carl Wallace, Ohio, Non-Profit Representative
John Lebeaux, Mass., Business and Economic Development Representative
Zachari Curtis, D.C., Supply Chain Experience
Allison Paap, Calif., Financing Entity Representative
Tara Chadwick, Fla., Related Experience
Angela Mason, Ill., Related Experience
As Secretary Vilsack notes,
Urban agriculture has been growing in impact and importance, and we are taking bold actions to build a support structure.
This right here is key.
A support structure is desperately needed to further the urban agriculture industry. Though the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production was established in 2018, we’ve only recently started to see the committees established, grants awarded, and leadership take shape.
Cities around the country are hiring urban ag directors, urban ag coordinators, and putting out requests for proposals (RFPs) to create urban ag plans: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Austin, and more. Federal guidance and support is a critical component of building organizational capacity at each level in government.
I look forward to seeing what this committee recommends to the Secretary.
From the Gram
Meet Mike & Hannah - @FarmsUnknown
A Few Articles Worth Reading
Black Farmers Fear Foreclosure as Debt Relief Remains Frozen - NY Times
Lawsuits from white farmers have blocked $4 billion of pandemic aid that was allocated to Black farmers in the American Rescue Plan.
Indigenous Farmworkers Are Unheard, Overlooked and Exposed - Civil Eats
In California, thousands of migrant workers are cut off from mainstream health care by language and cultural barriers. Now, community activists are working to bridge the gap.
Closing Thoughts
As always, I appreciate you reading this! Let me know what you think. Leave a comment, reply to this email, or send me a message on Twitter @JeffreyLandau.