Volunteers helping harvest Hardpan Farm. Living in a city, farming often seems like a thing far away. We still hold the image that out there somewhere, in an idyllic country setting, a crusty old farmer pleasantly tends his fields. This is more fairy tale than reality as most of our farming has become multinational corporate industry. If you want to see real, here-and-now farming of healthy organic food you can actually look into your own neighborhoods.
Here at Feed Denver we are a cooperative of urban farmers working at the Sunnyside Farm, our own backyards, or actually farming on rented land. This week we experienced the all-too-common problem of land insecurity. One of our farmers, Jennifer of HardPan Horticulture was made to leave the two acres she had been farming. Although it was a frustrating situation and a serious setback for Jennifer who has built up the land's fertility and stability for the past number of years, it gave us all an opportunity to experience the reality of our urban farming community.
The call (email) went out late on Friday for help clearing and harvesting the land before the end of Sunday. One by one supporters and fellow farmers made their way to Boulder to help with the hard work. What seemed overwhelming and undo-able was accomplished.
But that's not the end - oh, YOU, our community! This sudden need for "all hands on deck" brought to the fore not only the kindness and generosity of our community - the true ecosystem of urban farming - but also reminded us of the need to organize and engage more deeply with you.
This is just the beginning of seeking solution for Jennifer and HardPan Horticulture. And she is not the only farmer or urban farming organization that needs to cultivate more direct engagement with community.
Please join us at Feed Denver in building a more formal network of supporters by signing up here to share with us your skills, resources, and interests. We would like to call on you when we need specific professional, organizational development, or farm hand help. If you want to add your name to our Urban Farm EcoSystem Network, add your name and interests here.
Here at Feed Denver we are a cooperative of urban farmers working at the Sunnyside Farm, our own backyards, or actually farming on rented land. This week we experienced the all-too-common problem of land insecurity. One of our farmers, Jennifer of HardPan Horticulture was made to leave the two acres she had been farming. Although it was a frustrating situation and a serious setback for Jennifer who has built up the land's fertility and stability for the past number of years, it gave us all an opportunity to experience the reality of our urban farming community.
The call (email) went out late on Friday for help clearing and harvesting the land before the end of Sunday. One by one supporters and fellow farmers made their way to Boulder to help with the hard work. What seemed overwhelming and undo-able was accomplished.
But that's not the end - oh, YOU, our community! This sudden need for "all hands on deck" brought to the fore not only the kindness and generosity of our community - the true ecosystem of urban farming - but also reminded us of the need to organize and engage more deeply with you.
This is just the beginning of seeking solution for Jennifer and HardPan Horticulture. And she is not the only farmer or urban farming organization that needs to cultivate more direct engagement with community.
Please join us at Feed Denver in building a more formal network of supporters by signing up here to share with us your skills, resources, and interests. We would like to call on you when we need specific professional, organizational development, or farm hand help. If you want to add your name to our Urban Farm EcoSystem Network, add your name and interests here.
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