Sustaining Communities Through Urban Agriculture

• Erica Quinlan AgriNews Publications
  • Nov 16, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS — Urban agriculture is about more than just the number of farms in a city. It’s a way of viewing the entire food system, from farm to grocery store.

Karen Plaut, the interim dean of Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, discussed urban ag during a dinner hosted by Marion County Farm Bureau.

“Only 314 people are employed in the farm sector in Marion County,” she said. “But, as many of our FFA students have heard, if you eat, if you wear clothes — most of us are involved in agriculture or farming at some level.

“The university defines urban agriculture as the growing, processing and distribution of food crops and animal products by and for the local community within an urban environment.

“There’s a huge opportunity for careers in agriculture.”

Plaut listed several ways that Indianapolis shows what urban agriculture has to offer.

Urban Ag Certificate Program

“It’s a year-long program with 25 learning modules,” Plaut said. “It’s a hybrid format including online and in-person activities. The program has been in place for one year.

“The goal is to give in-depth instruction for urban, organic crop production all the way from farm design and harvest. Soil health, irrigation and pests are all important issues for an urban garden, just like a larger farm.”

Learn more about the certificate program at:www.purdue.edu/dffs/urbanag/programs/urban-ag-certificate.

Urban Bike Tour

“This year, 114 cyclists went on a bike tour to different urban farms,” Plaut said. “They stopped and looked at each farm, and in the evening, they brought it home by using produce from local farms to have dinner.