The New American Farmer - Equipping Urbanites for Food Production

New American Farmer Abstract This proposal focuses on two primary goals: 1. Conduct an assessment or web search to identify what current training classes and resources are available for new/beginning urban farmers. 2. Conduct a literature review to identify documented economic, social, and environmental impacts of urban agriculture and food systems on urban communities. "Urban" agriculture and food systems can be a misnomer to many within traditional agriculture and food systems communities. Government agencies like the USDA and US EPA support a general definition of urban agriculture that includes: “animal husbandry (e.g., breeding and raising livestock), beekeeping, aquaculture (e.g., fish farming), aquaponics (e.g., integrating fish farming and agriculture), and non-food products such as producing seeds, cultivating seedlings, and growing flowers”, (EPA, NA) that occurs within or around cities. Wagstaff and Wortman (2013) Agriculture in urban communities accounts for 15-20% of world food production (Corbould 2013). This sizable contribution is not often considered when planning for future population growth and could provide an even greater source of locally grown foods. Cooperative Extension has an extensive food production knowledge base that empowers producers who are growing food for personal use or one of the many other business models. Additionally, locally grown foods have the potential for reducing transportation and logistical costs and increasing employment. Population trends indicate that the United States will continue to see migration from rural to urban and suburban communities. Urbanites deserve to benefit from the Land Grant University Extension program''s research-based food systems and production data. Documenting best practices from existing "new/beginning urban farmer" programs and the associated economic, social, and economic impacts has the potential to highlight Extension''s relevance and importance to millions of people living in urban and sub-urban communities.