Feed Denver Presentation 030410

WHY URBAN AGRICULTURE
Sustainable Opportunities Summit Food Panel: March 4, 2010
© Feed Denver Urban Farms & Markets, 2010

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS:
AGRICULTURE MOVES TO THE CITY

LISA ROGERS
FEED DENVER: Urban Farms & Markets

WHERE DOES YOUR FOOD COME FROM?

The Challenge

Energy Crisis

Agriculture Crisis

Health Crisis

The Numbers
.2
5. 7
4.9
3.2
5.5

Denver Metropolitan Region Local Farm & Food Economy (Highlights of a data compilation),
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center (Minneapolis, MN) for Civic Results (Denver, Co) 5/27/08

The  .2%: : How much of
Numbers our food is produced in Colorado
.2  $5.7 BILLION: How much we spend on
food in Colorado
5.7  $4.9 million: How much we food we buy
4.9 directly from Colorado farmers
 $3.2 BILLION: How much we could be
3.2 buying from Colorado farmers
5.5  $5.5 BILLION: How much money we send
outside of Colorado (and USA) for food
Denver Metropolitan Region Local Farm & Food Economy (Highlights of a data compilation),
Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center (Minneapolis, MN) for Civic Results (Denver, Co) 5/27/08

The Solution
CITY FOOD FOR CITY PEOPLE
Growing Real Food Near Where People Eat It


URBAN AGRICULTURE: GROWING REAL FOOD
NEAR WHERE PEOPLE EAT IT

Urban farms are more Urban farms use less
productive fossil fuel

Grower to grower: Creating a livelihood on a fresh market vegetable garden, John Hendrickson, CIAS
Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, October 2005



Urban farming is a Creates the
stable, productive
business greenest of jobs



New
Strengthen Untapped
fresh food
cottage food market for
distribution industry local food
streams



Education and
Community and
re-training culture building
opportunities


THE ULTIMATE GOAL
City Food for City People

Local • Farming entrepreneurs
Economy make a living

Green • New businesses creating
Jobs thousands of green jobs

Improved • Access to fresh, healthy,
Health affordable, local food

MEET DENVER’S
URBAN FARMERS

BACKYARD AND NEIGHBORHOOD FARMS
 Urban farming
 CSA shareholder model
 Edible Landscaping


COMMUNITY–BASED CITY FARMS
Established communities like
churches, clubs, and member
organizations
Community Gardens
CSA co-op model
Community network
Using under-utilized
community land


Urban Livestock
 Dairy and protein production
 City sized animals in appropriate
city sized numbers
 Honey, eggs, milks, cheeses


COMMERCIAL URBAN FARMS & MARKETS
 Vertical Greenhouse Farming
 Bio-Intensive, Year-Round Production
 Aquaculture Fish Farming
 Farm Marketplace


The Small Family Farm Moves to the City


WHERE CAN
YOUR FOOD
COME
FROM?


What Feed Denver is Doing
 Model Farm & Training Center
 We are a Growing Power Regional Outreach Training Center
working with Will Allen and his team.

 Community-Based Pilot Programs
 Working with neighborhood communities to establish farm
businesses bringing green jobs and enterprise.

 Main Street Urban Farms with Markets
 Entrepreneurial Main Street turn-key businesses

 City Farms Foundation
 Micro-lending and resource sharing program.


GROWING POWER REGIONAL
TRAINING CENTER
 International leaders in urban
agriculture
 Will Allen, founder, 2008
MacArthur Genius Grant
 Establishing Regional Training
programs throughout the USA


Urban Agriculture
Makes a Better City
Fresh Local Food
Production

Better School & Better Community
Institutional Food Health

Stronger
Stable Jobs &
Restaurant
Skills Training
Industry

Supplemental
Reinvigorated
Income & Small
Cottage Food
Business
Industry
Opportunity

© Feed Denver Urban Farms & Markets,2010

FEED DENVER:
URBAN FARMS & MARKETS
Sustainable Opportunities Summit Food Panel: March 4, 2010

Feed Denver Presentation 030410

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