Urban Farmer Makes Good

The second farmer ever to win a MacArthur Foundation genius grant is Will Allen of Milwaukee.

http://www.macfound.org/site/pp.aspx?c=lkLXJ8MQKrH&b=4537249

His story is not just a marvel of urban agriculture, but one of community development, integrating human good with sustainable farming.

One of the themes that emerged so clearly in my recent researches about Episcopal communinty gardens - the way growing community and growing food work together - is elevated to an art form by Mr. Smith and his neighborhood colleagues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/dining/01genius.html?partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

For all of us who care about food systems, this is something to celebrate, big time.

For me on the local level, thoughts are turning to how we can do more to develop an integrated system at the TLC community garden that would allow us to do our own plant starts and have worm composting. But before we can have greenhouse dreams, we need a sound shed. And we need a few more gardeners - to get to that critical mass where year round, integrated systems can happen. Growing community, growing produce.