Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners

This Just In: Money Does Grow on Trees

2008-12-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

I came across some information that encourages people to learn how to make money from farming. Yes, farming - growing food and selling it. Apparently, this is a growing phenomenon as a result of the bad economy and recession.

Now, before you start shaking your head. Consider this: There is a new concept called Micro Eco-Farming, which is basically local mini-farming. The idea is that you can grow food in your backyard and sell it to local stores, restaurants, and food co-ops. You can also sell the food at your local farmer's market, or you can set up your own roadside stand.

Even better, you can sell the food to your organic-loving neighbors.

It may sound far-fetched, but people are making anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars a month from micro eco-farming.

Here are some useful resources, in case you're interested:

Start a Small Farm or Make Money From Your Garden

www.ezinearticles.com/?Start-a-Small-Farm-or-Make-Money-From-Your-Garden&id=716809

How to Sell Your Crops: Marketing

www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG7618.html

Center For Micro Eco-Farming Movement

www.microecofarming.com

Resources ---FoodRevival.com

2008-07-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

The following is reposted from www.foodrevival.com

I'm grateful to the folks at Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners for distrinuting a sheet of helpful resources to each FoodSummit 08 attendee. These links are super helpful and my hope is that each of you will learn something new or at least be inspired after visiting the websites listed below:

Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners: http://www.gbcfp.org
Magic City Harvest: http://www.magiccityharvest.org
Heifer International: http://www.heifer.org
Jones Valley Urban Farm: http://www.jvuf.org
People Helping People Farm:http://www.bessemerfarm.org
Society of St. Andrews: http://www.endhunger.org
Urban Ministry: http://www.urban-ministry.com
Community Farm Alliance: http://www.communityfarmalliance.org
Community Food Security Coalition: http://www.foodsecurity.org/
Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee: http://www.foodsecuritypartners.org/
New Orleans Food and Farm Network: http://www.noffn.org/
Sustainable Food Center: http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/
Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network: http://www.asanonline.org/
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group: http://www.ssawg.org/
Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms (TLW): http://www.trulylivingwell.com/

FoodSummit 08 Part IV: What's Cooking In Birmingham? ---FoodRevival.com

2008-07-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

The following is reposted from www.foodrevival.com

Have no fear folks. It may seem like a dire situation (and it is), but there are good things happening in our community. Unfortunately, we don’t hear about them all of the time. The following examples should serve as inspiration for moving forward.

East Lake: Sally Allocca, pastor of East Lake Methodist Church, gave us a run down of all the cool things happening in East Lake. For one, there's a farmer's market from May - October where area farmers sell produce. You can find the market at the corner of 78th Street and 2nd Avenue South. In the parking lot of the East Lake United Methodist Church.

Church address:
7769 2nd Ave. South

Birmingham, AL 35206

In addition to this great resource for East Lake residents, they've also implemented coupons for seniors and young mothers (under 30 yrs old) to cash in at the farmers market. Their latest program includes a Market basket program (funded by a grant) where Sally and team (St. Andrews is a partner) deliver up to 100 baskets weekly to two area senior homes.

Girls, Inc: Dr. Olivia Thomas spoke of the garden project happening at Girls, Inc (56th street in Crestwood area). With help from local folks in the area, they were able to establish a garden at the facility. Girls were able to work in the garden, plant in the garden, and the next steps will be integrating nutritional programs associated with the program.

Just look at Jones Valley Urban Farms' programs or the Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners assessment of East Lake grocery stores and you'll see that Birmingham is moving in a good direction. I left Food Summit 08 feeling the need to explain why eating local is a necessity-- how it impacts our surroundings, our people. I also left recognizing that we have a long way to go. I hope you take some time to look at the websites mentioned

FoodSummit 08 Part III: Lessons Learned From Others ---FoodRevival.com

2008-07-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

The following was reposted from www.foodrevival.com

The next part of the Summit was dedicated to a round table discussion that included folks from other places willing to share ideas/challenges they faced and provide ways Birmingham can learn from each one of their stories. First up: Andrew Smiley, Farm Projects Director with Sustainable Food Center (SFC) in Austin Texas shared some partnership ideas:

SFC worked with the city of Austin to get water meters installed for free on community garden sites
SFC worked with the park system to establish gardens on park grounds
SFC worked with the health system to sell local foods in health clinics
SFC worked with the city to establish food stamps to be accepted and local farmers markets
SFC worked with the transportation department and policy makers to have a "grocery bus" available to those who need it as a means to provide access to food.
SFC worked with local churches dedicated to the cause

Next up: Cassi Johnson, Director of the Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee. She shared that her lesson learned was bringing people together to make it happen: food banks, agricultural associations, faith groups, neighborhood groups, etc. This group came together, opened up the doors of communication, and built a structure to allow change to happen. Now they have 65+ partners and have collaborated to form some really cool programs like:
The Veggie Project includes having farmers markets near Boys and Girls club sites, which impacted summer camps.

Additional advice is teaming up with folks who can make an impact: your mayor, the media, etc.

Last but not least: K. Rashid Nuri provides overall executive and administrative leadership to Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms in Atlanta. Mr. Nuri defines himself as an "urban farmer" and a "guerilla farmer." He has lived in Southeast Asia, Nigeria, and Ghana-- and says that the United States is experiencing what other countries have been experiencing for some time (e.g. high gas prices). Additionally, many countries have had to implement ways to feed their people and farming (whether small as in community/backyard gardening or larger initiatives) is a viable solution for people who need to eat. In fact, urban agriculture is a great example that ANYONE can do it!

FoodSummit08 Part II: Creating a Food System That Works For Everyone ---FoodRevival.com

2008-07-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

The following has been reposted from www.foodrevival.com

Next on the agenda was Dr. Keecha Harris, President of Keecha Harris and Associates, Inc., a food systems and public health consulting firms based in Birmingham. She led with the following questions and I wanted to do the same in this entry:When was the last time you said you were hungry?How many of you had a choice as to what you were going to eat this morning? How many people know their primary care physician's name? How many people know the name of the person who provides food to your family?

If you are like me, some of these questions definitely hit home. I often talk about how starving I am right before lunch. The truth? I don't know what starving really feels like. And I can tell you the name of my doctor without looking it up, but unfortunately I have no CLUE who feeds me. I'm a grocery store kid of the 70s and have never known my food suppliers.

The facts: 1 in 10 Alabamians are food insecure. That means that 1 in 10 Alabamians do not live in an area where all community residents obtain a safe, culturally appropriate, nutritionally sound diet through an economically and environmentally sustainable food system that promotes community self-reliance and social justice.

Dr. Harris asked the following question over and over: " What would it take to create a food system that works for everyone?" And as I sat there at 8am on a Saturday morning yawning and semi-complaining in my mind about how cold the room was, it dawned on me that I never once pondered that very question. And I got another jolt when Dr. Harris said, " Your work will wake you up!" as passed down from her great grandmother. Got it. Each one of us in that room, which happened to span all races and ages and included both men and women, were there to work on finding an answer. What WOULD it take to create a food system that works for everyone? Is our food system socially just? After listening to Dr. Harris, I realized that it depends on whom you ask.

Food Summit Part I: Inspiration ----FoodRevival.com

2008-07-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

The following is a repost from www.foodrevival.com

The Food Summit appropriately began with Ms. Odessa Woolfolk, a Civil Rights Activist who has received numerous awards based on her commitment to community service. She inspired us from the start with quotes like "Do something in the space you share" and my personal favorite, " You have to bloom where you are." She asked a very important question: Why in the world of plenty are there so many hungry people? Clearly, poverty isn't a new subject in Birmingham as she used excerpts from Martin Luther King’s writings and her own experiences growing up in Birmingham. Though it is clear that poverty is not a distant memory as Ms. Woolfolk explains, " This is SO now." So what do we do? How do we help? According to Ms. Odessa Woolfolk, we:

1) Define the problem

2) Trace the source of the problem

3) Confront those that are responsible: you have to name names.

4) Engage energies of those harmed by the problem

5) Inform the public: we have to use the tools we have to let the public know what the problem is and who is to blame

6) Never give up: you have to be persistent while maintaining love and respect.

Ms. Woolfolk grew up in the Titusville community and attended Birmingham public schools. She remembers a time in Birmingham when 10% lived in public housing. Community gardens were all over Birmingham because they were places that provided food to the residents and a sense of community. If you take a look at housing communities now-- they are usually in areas where grocery stores are not accessible or require transportation. What a great reminder of just how lucky I am to have access to food- to grocery stores- to nutritious food sources. And it also happened to be a great start to a really informative day.

GBCFP Food Summit 2008

2008-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

On June 21st, farmers at the YMCA Youth Center in Birmingham, farm group leaders, Neighborhood Presidents, community activists, religious leaders, nonprofit advocates, Extension agents and others will gather to share information on efforts around the state and region to expand Alabama’s food access. The one-day Food Summit will be the second gathering of its kind to build on the growing demand for locally produced food and the issue of food insecurity in our area. If you are part of a local effort, the Summit will offer an excellent opportunity to share your experiences and learn from others around the city, state and region.

Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners (formerly the Food Security Coalition of Jefferson County) is holding this Food Summit in conjunction with Jones Valley Urban Farm’s Summer Solstice Festival. The purpose of the summit is to bring people from across Jefferson County together around the issue of equitable access to fresh, healthy food.

There is a $10 registration fee required for all attendees. Please fill out the registration form and return with your registration fee to PO Box 10703, Birmingham, AL 35202.

For more information, please visit our website at www.gbcfp.org or contact us at (205) 706-6405.