Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Jessie Banhazl of Green City Growers and Luisa Oliveira, a senior planner with the city of Somerville, discuss the city's push to encourage urban agriculture.
As you may know, the city of Somerville recently enacted urban agriculture laws to encourage urban farming in the city. It's also launched the Urban Agriculture Ambassador Program to teach people how to grow food. One of Somerville's experts on the matter, Jessie Banhazl of Green City Growers, recently spoke to KyAnn Anderson on SCATV's "Greater Somerville" about these efforts. They were joined by Luisa Oliveira, a senior planner with the city who has spearheaded these recent programs. Here's the description of the episode from Greater Somerville: In a special episode of Greater Somerville, join host KyAnn Anderson as she speak's with the City of Somerville's Luisa Oliveira and Green City Grower's Co-Founder Jessie Banhazl, as they discuss…
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Bring seeds, buy seeds, talk about seeds and growing seeds, and check out seed catalogues at Saturday's Winter Farmers Market.
- GOING GREEN
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Saturday, February 2
The Somerville Seed Swap is taking place Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market. Organized by the Somerville Community Growing Center, it takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Here's more information from the Community Growing Center: The Somerville Community Growing Center is pleased to team up with High Mowing Seeds for an Organic Seed Sale! Order forms are available online www.thegrowingcenter.org/news . There will also be blank copies available at the SeedSwap during February 2nd's Somerville Winter Farmer's Market. Orders can be placed until February 22nd, and seeds will be available for pick up at the Growing Center on March 9th during the Somerville Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival! The Growing Center invites you to…
42.38933
-71.10598
The Center for Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
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1462206
/locations/8731288
The Urban Agriculture Ambassador Program is designed to help spread knowledge about gardening and growing food in Somerville.
Fifteen Somervillians with green thumbs could become urban agriculture experts as members of the Urban Agriculture Ambassador Program. The city and Green City Growers are offering a four-week course, free of charge, to 15 residents who want to learn more about growing food in Somerville. In return, these highly trained individuals will be asked to volunteer 30 hours over the course of the year with local organizations to help other people learn how to garden and grow food. More details from the city are below, but here are some key points: Also, here's more about urban agricultrue in Somerville: Here are more details about the Urban Agriculture Ambassador Program: CITY’S URBAN AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE EXPANDS WITH NEW AMBASSADOR PROGRAM …
Friday, August 17, 2012
The ordinance allows for raising hens, keeping bees, selling eggs and growing produce.
The Somerville Board of Aldermen Thursday approved an ordinance that allows for urban farming and agriculture, such as raising chickens, keeping bees and growing produce for sale. In expressly allowing certain types of urban agriculture, the ordinance also outlines permitting, public health and best-practices requirements associated with farming in the city. If you want to keep bees or raise chickens in Somerville, you'll need to get a permit to do so. If you want to grow produce to sell, you don't need a permit, but you will need to get your soil tested for lead and other contaminants, and you'll only be able to sell fresh, unprocessed produce. The ordinance does not apply to people who garden and grow fruits and vegetables for their own …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The ordinance would govern things like raising chickens, keeping bees and growing fruits and vegetables.
The Somerville Board of Aldermen may vote Thursday night on an ordinance that would govern urban agriculture and farming in the city—we're talking about things like raising chickens, keeping bees, growing produce and starting hydroponics and aquaponics operations. Aldermen and city staffers have been drafting the proposed ordinance, and it's been in the Board of Aldermen's Land Use Committee since April. Members of the Land Use Committee kept the matter in committee after an Aug. 8 meeting, but they were scheduled to take up the ordinance again on Wednesday. There was some scuttlebutt before Wednesday's committee meeting that the whole Board of Aldermen would vote on the matter Thursday. Somerville Patch will provide an update after …
Friday, June 29, 2012
Among other things, the websites talk about the produce garden at City Hall.
The city of Somerville has launched a new blog and Facebook page where people can share information, ideas and experiences about urban agriculture, according to an announcement from the city. The new websites come as some in city government, including the mayor, are working to create a law that would encourage urban agriculture in the city. At a public hearing about the proposed ordinance held in May, the Somerville Board of Aldermen heard from Somerville chicken raisers, beekeepers and vegetable growers who support the idea. The new blog, Somerville Urban Ag, is designed to support the urban agriculture initiative, and it includes posts about the City Hall produce garden—tended by City Hall volunteers—and other urban agriculture efforts …
42.38671
-71.09836
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
/articles/somerville-starts-blog-facebook-page-for-urban-agriculture
787420
/locations/7340732
Friday, May 18, 2012
Urban agriculture fans voiced support for a proposed ordinance that would allow farming in Somerville.
Khrysti Smyth, who lives near Porter Square, has eight chickens in her back yard. They live in a chicken coop she built herself, and she raises them for the eggs. "I have a huge waiting list, just amongst my friends, of people who want eggs, locally grown eggs," Smyth told the Somerville Planning Board and the Somerville Board of Aldermen's land use committee Thursday night. Chickens are becoming her life's work, she said, joking that "I've sort of become a chicken concierge" because she provides chicken-raising advice to others in Somerville and around Boston. (She blogs at thechickeness.blogspot.com.) Smyth spoke at a public hearing about a proposed zoning ordinance that would allow urban farming in Somerville. Yes, Somerville: the most …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The city is holding a public hearing about a proposal to allow community farms and other forms of urban agriculture in Somerville.
Somerville is considering an ordinance that would promote urban agriculture in the city, and it's holding a public hearing on the matter Thursday. The ordinance would "create a framework for residential, community and commercial farming within city limits," according to an annoucement released by the city in April. The announcement said it would encourage things like hydroponics and aquaponics, which allow urban farmers to raise things like vegetables and fish in warehouse space. The public is invited to attend Thursday's hearing and comment on the proposed ordinance. The hearing is being held by a joint meeting of the Somerville Planning Board and the Somerville Board of Aldermen's land use committee. A description of the ordinance says …
42.38671
-71.09836
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
/articles/speak-out-urban-agriculture-in-somerville-public-hearing-on-thursday
787420
/locations/7029009
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The mayor and the board of aldermen want to create "a framework for residential, community and commercial farming within the city limits," according to an announcement from the city.
The city of Somerville is trying to promote urban agriculture, according to an announcement sent by the office of Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone Tuesday. "We're not just talking about community gardens here, but other food production options that lend themselves to the urban environment, including aquaponics and hydroponics," he said in the announcement. Hydroponics allows people to grow earth-bound plants in nutrient-rich water, which means they can be grown indoors. Similarly, aquaponics is a type of vertical farming, often set up in warehouses, in which fish and plants are raised together. Fish effluent fertilizes the plants, and then the plants filter water for the fish. (Check out this Boston Globe article about it.) Curtatone is …
Jodie Dow-Novaes
11:26 am on Sunday, February 3, 2013
why was this posted on the 3rd when it happened on the 2nd? more ›