ZOOM - Soil Contaminents and Soil Testing Workshop with Dr Sara Perl Egendorf - Friday, August 28 - 1 PM EST

Sara Perl Egendorf

• Doctoral Student, Groffman Lab, Environmental Sciences Initiative

Sara Perl Egendorf is a Ph.D. student in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center and Brooklyn College studying urban soil. Her research is focused on human interactions with urban soil contaminants and nutrients on multiple scales,  particularly the potential for urban soil to promote environmental justice and sustainability. She conducted the pilot study for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation’s Clean Soil Bank for her Masers Thesis at Brooklyn College, and is currently working on research with the NYS Department of Health and Cornell University on sources of lead contamination that are deposited on vegetables in community gardens.

Friday, August 28th - 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST

ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8507742346 (Meeting ID: 850 774 2346)

The New Wave Of Urban Farms Sprouting Strong Community Connections

By Greg Callaghan | The Sydney Morning Herald | June 5, 2020

If there’s one thing the global pandemic has taught us, it’s the importance of being as self-sufficient as possible, especially when it comes to putting food on the table.

While community gardens and urban farms have been sprouting up across our cities in recent years, driven by an increasing demand for fresh, locally sourced vegetables and fruits, the coronavirus lockdown really struck a nerve about grow-your-own, according to operators of nurseries, community gardens and commercial urban farms in Sydney and Melbourne.

Tending the veggie garden at Camperdowns Commons, Sydney. Louise Kennerley

Emma Bowen, co-founder of Pocket City Farms in inner Sydney, which is part of Camperdown Commons, a former lawn bowls club turned urban farm and restaurant, says growing food forges a stronger sense of community.

“We’ve seen a really huge shift in mindset towards urban farms in the eight years we’ve been working here,” she notes. “We have many more developers and local councils reaching out about incorporating both urban farms and community gardens into new developments.”

While Camperdown Commons’ on-site restaurant and workshops have been put on hold since the lockdown, produce from the farm has been selling out every week, says Bowen. “Growing food where we live and building resilient communities are more important than ever.”

Before the pandemic, Farmwall, an agrifood-tech start-up in Melbourne, was predominantly selling its vertical aquaponic farming kits to businesses in office buildings. Now the company’s market has shifted to apartment blocks, enabling those without backyards or even balconies to grow microgreens, herbs and leafy greens.

“We show people how to grow food indoors, in limited spaces, in a naturally contained eco-system,” says Geert Hendrix, founder of Farmwall.

Adds Serena Lee, the firm’s non-executive director, “We may never go back to the corporate environment.”

But the urban farming phenomenon isn’t restricted to inner-city hipsters. Five percent of Australia’s biggest urban park, the Western Sydney Parklands, which covers more than 50 square kilometres, has been set aside for urban farming. In the heart of Parklands, 16 existing urban farms supply fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers to surrounding areas.

“Our urban farmers have experienced an upswing in customers at their roadside stalls, with the community choosing to shop locally and away from the traditional supermarkets,” says Parklands executive director Suellen Fitzgerald. “It reduces transport costs and allows children to see where their food comes from.”

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.