[Community_garden] Seek Memo re Federal Initiatives to Advance Urban Agriculture

[James Godsil]

Dear All,

Would anyone care to spend some time
Developing a memo to express what would be
Worthy federal initiatives to advance the cause
Of urban farming and community gardens.

This memo will be read be a few of the members
Of one of the candidates urban policy team.

Here is what Jerry Kaufman, president of Growing Power,
The Milwaukee based enterprise founded by Will Allen,
Had to say in response to the Obama Urban Policy paper.

http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy

*On this page…*

   1. ECONOMIC PROSPERITY<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc1>
   2. HOUSING <http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc2>
   3. POVERTY <http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc3>
   4. EDUCATION<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc4>
   5. HEALTH CARE<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc5>
   6. CRIME AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc6>
   7. STRENGTHEN HOMELAND
SECURITY<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc7>
   8. STRENGTHEN LIVABILITY OF
CITIES<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc8>
   9. HELPING FAMILIES<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc9>
   10. Grass Roots Suggestions for Improving Obama Urban Polichy
Paper<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc10>
      1. 10.1  Jerry Kaufman, President of the Board, Growing
Power<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc11>
      2. 10.2  Response to Kaufman's
Suggestions<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc12>
      3. 10.3  Urban Agriculture Provisions in American Planning
      Association Policy Guide on Community and Regional Food
Planning<http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/UrbanPolicy#toc13>

   Jerry Kaufman, President of the Board, Growing Power

   Some suggestions for the Obama urban policy paper

   Jerry Kaufman <http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/JerryKaufman>

   The Obama policy paper, Investing in America's Cities, contains many
   excellent proposals. I'll key on two of them: "fostering healthy
   communities" (under the section Health Care) and "building more livable and
   sustainable communities" (under the section Strengthen Livability of
   Cities). Each proposal could be strengthened by recognizing the contribution
   that a stronger local food system underpinned by urban agriculture projects
   can make.

   The emphasis in the Obama policy paper on fostering healthy
   communities

   is squarely placed on improving the built environment. How a community
   is designed—the layout of its roads, buildings, and parks, and having safe
   places for children to walk (sidewalks) and to play (playgrounds within
   walking distance of residents)—is seen as having a "huge impact" on the
   health of a community's residents. Furthermore, the lack of such facilities
   is considered to be "a major contributor to the growing numbers of
   overweight children".

   No question that the growing incidence of overweight children and
   adults is a serious problem. While improvements to the built environment can
   help raise the level of health of any community's residents, the Obama urban
   policy misses an opportunity to address an even more significant factor. And
   that is the quality and accessibility of the food we eat. In many
   disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, poor diet is a leading cause of community
   health problems and the rising incidence of overweight and obese residents.
   Many studies show conclusively that poor diet leads to increases in
   overweight and obesity residents, which in turn contributes to the spike in
   diabetes, some cancers, and heart disease cases. Consequently, attention to
   fostering healthy communities should be given to improving the access of
   people who live in inner city neighborhoods to more nutritious, affordable,
   safe and healthy foods. How to do this? Support the local food movement,
   particularly by expanding the reach and range of urban agriculture projects
   which includes, among other things, community gardens, farmers markets, farm
   to school programs, community supported agriculture farms, market basket
   programs, and roof top gardens.

   Here's a suggestion for adding a couple of other sentences to the
   paragraph in the "foster healthy communities" section.

   A major cause of community health problems and the rising incidence of
   overweight children can be traced to an inadequate supply of healthy,
   nutritious food available to residents of less advantaged urban
   neighborhoods. Food deserts and overabundance of fast food places are
   contributors to these problems. Attention needs to be given to supporting
   the growing local food and urban agriculture movements. These efforts will
   lead to creating an environment that will provide more nutritious, healthy,
   and affordable foods for all city residents. In addition, a local food/
   urban agriculture strategy can help strengthen community capacity, provide
   greater self-reliance, help youth development, provide jobs, and reduce
   dependence on fossil fuel use.

   Why not an Obama Healthy Local Foods Act to parallel the Healthy
   Places Act that Barack Obama introduced?

   The same omission is also evident in "building more livable and
   sustainable communities" (under the section, Strengthen Livability of
   Cities). No recognition is given to the need to have a vigorous and
   flourishing local food and urban agriculture system. Smart growth
   considerations like residents having greater access to walk, bicycle, and
   other transportation alternatives, which the paragraph emphasizes, are
   important for building more livable and sustainable communities. But that
   desirable goal can be enhanced by efforts to improve access to quality,
   healthy and nutritious food for everyone in a community. Such access would
   clearly contribute to building more livable and sustainable communities, not
   only in terms of improving the health of all residents of the community
   through encouraging healthier diet, but also for capturing the benefits of
   less use of fossil food energy, helping empower residents of disadvantaged
   communities with useful skills, and contributing to youth development.
   Response to Kaufman's Suggestions

   This is very exciting. As a Family Physician in an urban community
   clinic (Los Angeles) I am struck daily with both the level of diabetes and
   obestiy in my largely Latino population and the lack of safe places for my
   patients, both children and adults, to exercise and find affordable fresh
   produce. There's a dearth of Farmer's Markets in the immediate area despite
   an abundance of fast food venues, and not all of the limited parks in the
   area feel safe to the locals who are so in need of open space. I'm delighted
   to see work in this area. "Grngasalud at aol.com"
   Urban Agriculture Provisions in American Planning Association Policy
   Guide on Community and Regional Food Planning

   http://www.planning.org/policyguides/food.htm

   (Adopted by the American Planning Association Board of Directors, May
   11, 2007)

   •recognize that urban agriculture can offer an important solution for
   improving access to healthy foods in low-income areas (p.2)

   •recognize that inner cities have significant amounts of vacant land
   that when used for vegetable gardening by low-income residents can produce
   multiple health, social, and economic benefits (p.6)

   •prepare comprehensive and neighborhood plans that recognize community
   gardens, farmers markets and other forms of urban agriculture as desirable
   civic uses in neighborhoods, and provide sufficient space, infrastructure
   and inter-modal transportation access for such uses (p.11)

   •support studies that consider the impact of locally oriented food
   production and distribution activities—e.g. farmer's markets…community
   gardens, public markets, and other locally sourced food businesses on the
   area-wide economy (p.12)

   •encourage mixed-use neighborhood design and redevelopment to include
   small and mid-size grocery stores (e.g., 3,000 to 20,000 square feet),
   seasonal farmers markets, and open space and related infrastructure for
   community vegetable gardens to allow residents to grow their own food (p.13)


   •on publicly owned lands, such as schoolyards, parks and greenways,
   and tax foreclosed properties, support the development of vegetable gardens,
   edible landscaping, and related infrastructure, and the formation of
   partnerships with community-based nonprofits serving low-income residents
   for garden related programs (p.13)

   •support development of urban agriculture projects and community
   vegetable gardens on school, park, and community center sites, and near
   public agency offices and nonprofit providers offering health, human and
   social services (p.14)

   •promote the provision of community gardens, urban agriculture
   projects, and community kitchen in multi-family and low-income housing
   projects (p.14)

   •provide incentives and special zoning provisions to integrate locally
   supported agriculture (e.g., community gardens, urban agriculture, small
   farms) into existing settlements and new areas of residential developments
   (p.15)

   •develop plans and redevelopment proposals for food insecure areas
   with sites and incentives for community gardens, entrepreneurial urban
   agriculture projects, farmers markets, neighborhood grocery stores, and food
   assistance programs (p.17)

   •assist urban agriculture projects through land use, zoning, facility
   location and related community development activities where some produce is
   sold at farmers markets and to restaurants, where food business incubation
   in community kitchens creates value-added products like salsa and salad
   dressing, and where food kiosks and catering operations are opened (p.17)
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