Dear Farming Friends,

As we all struggle in our farming project with the 20 minute drive, the centralised versus decentralised land options and the issues of off-farm food storage, is there another option, a possible answer we haven't thought of yet? Why not farm in the city, why not build a huge farm skyscraper....?

"By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 10⁹ hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?"

http://www.verticalfarm.com

sincerely,

jonney

Benefit Screening of Food Inc

No doubt we are all excited about the recent release of Food Inc featuring my main squeeze, Michael Pollen. It starts showing in Portland on the 19th but there is a benefit screening on the 23rd. This is a meeting night but let's discuss a plan? Excited to share this movie with everyone!


Food, Inc., a new documentary about our nation's food industry, is coming to Portland. The film features Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, and explores the realities of and alternatives to our broken food system.

Attend the film on Tuesday, June 23 at Cinema 21 and a portion of your ticket price will be donated to Slow Food! We will use these contributions specifically to further our work, partnerships, and programming to improve the "fairness" of the food we eat.

So, bring your family, bring your friends, see a great and thought-provoking film, and support Slow Food while you're at it! When you buy your ticket, make sure to say the code word, "Slow Food", to activate your donation!

What: Food, Inc. screening to benefit Slow Food
When: June 23rd, 7 pm
Where: Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave.
Tickets: $8 regular admission, Cinema 21 box office

Planting Ensues!

Dear All Farm Loving Friends,

Ground has been broken, seeds sown and appetites wet. The past two weekends have seen the beginning of farm plot planting with a variety of friends and members helping to plant the first small sections of our farm. Looking up from where we diligently and compassionately cover up our first seeds, we see the epic space of two acres, soon to be covered in green and flowery goodness, sprawl out in front of us. I can safely say, these were some of the best two weekends I've had in Portland since my arrival last August. Here are a few pictures.

Vertical gardening

http://greenupgrader.com/7556/diy-vertical-garden-with-reclaimed-gutters/

In case we run out of land, we can build up with reclaimed gutters! I just loved this idea and wanted to share it. Maybe we can try this on our shade for an experiment.


What other great ideas can we share on the farm?

Farmer suicide, woah

Headline: 1,500 farmers commit mass suicide in India

What a message to start the day.

As we embark on this experiment, this project, this adventure it is good to add to the reasons that inspire us. We have our obvious reasons - health of our soil, our bodies, our community. But what about the health of our fellow farmers? What we are hoping to do together may help them by offering an alternative, offering hope.

Imagine if 1,500 farmers committed suicide in the USA not from financial debt (b/c our policy prevents it) but from the realization that their precious land is toxic from pesticides and slowly kills those that eat its produce? What would the Farm Bill look like after that?

Sanity Beckons

As we walk the knife edge between the virtual and real world in our farming group, sometimes it's important to remebmer the following:

Peace,

Jonney

Hard Farming Times in Paradise

This past week, Lauren's and my absence at the farm meeting was due to a presence in a different past of the world called paradise. Or at least that's what it appeared to the bleeched white, Portland soaked due that vibrantly reflected the sun's gaze from a lounger. However, 'paradise,' it turns out, is a relative global destination.

On the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas is a small local farm business aptly named, 'Island Farm.' It covers about 2 acres of land, all of which had to be tiringly prepared due to the amount of rock in the soil. The island that is only a kilometer or two in width faces the monstrous atlantic whose winds continually blow & whose salty moisture make mostly all vegetation coarse and tough. Throw in a dry season lasting longer than I have ever seen with temperatures that make you want to melt rather than get out and farm, well, you see the evident challenges.

However, given the tough environment, this little farm seemed to be thriving. They grew all things from coconut trees that sprouted from their giant nuts to good old fashioned lettuce. Water conservation was a top priority and the farm's helping hand, a rather stern young lady, patrolled early clippings of plants in order to encourage much needed growth. While the project was small, it exuded success and positivity in a paradise that really wasn't a paradise at all. 

Visiting another farm, especially abroad, while being a new farmer was a completely different experience for me. I had a new appreciation and affinity for what these people were doing. This has left me with the hope that we as a group, as we mature and get stuck into growing our own produce, will take the time to visit other farms, if not for hard sought lessons, for the appreciation and communitas it engenders.

With farming affections,

Jonney