The Urban Farming movement seeks to use available space within urban environments for growing food. Think of communities built around farmland instead of golf courses. Here are a few links to learn more and support this movement as if your dinner depended upon it.
News -
Frequent the Ventura County Star's Home & Garden pages for local events and activities.
The Los Angeles Times food page is here, although it tends to focuses on upscale restaurants.
Community Gardens -
Join the Las Flores Community Garden in the Conejo Valley.
The Los Angeles Community Garden organization is looking ahead.
Santa Monica has an established community garden program, as well.
Farmers Markets -
Others -
Start here with a Google map of the Ventura County Food Shed.
The AG Futures alliance supports Ventura County farming.
The Appetite for Profit organization takes on the industrial food system.
Archi's Acres provides agricultural training to veterans.
The BALLE organization is business supporting local living economies, including farming.
The Buy Fresh Buy Local organization is based in Berkley but is reaching out to Ventura County. I am trying to help them.
The Carbon Economy of Santa Barbara focuses on local food and sustainable living.
The City Farmer organization offers a clearinghouse of news and information.
The Eat Well Guide is recommended by Michael Pollan.
The Eat Wild organization helps you find meat raised on grass and other natural food.
Environmental Horticulture is being taught a Sequoia Middle School in Newbury Park.
Farmlab has a great name.
The Food For Maine's Future organization is saving seeds for the future.
The Food Routes organization is another group dedicated to getting local.
The Growing Power organization has been successful with composting and aquaponics.
The Local Harvest organization helps you to find locally grown food.
The Madison Area CSA Council is a model for supporting local food production and consumption.
The Permaculture Guild of Santa Barbara plans to be around for awhile.
The Soil Food Web site was interesting the first time I looked at it.
Check out the Urban Farming organization.
The US Department of Agriculture can do either harm or good to the cause. Clearly, they favor big agribusiness, throwing a few crumbs the way of small, independent farms. The California Department of Agriculture is in the mix as is the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Closer to home the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner is responsible for enforcing local, state and federal laws and regulations associated with the agricultural industry. Need a program guide to keep it all straight.
The Weston A. Price organization has been dedicated to sustainable, healthy food for a decade.
