Your Own Backyard Farm?

02/26/2009

Trouble knocked at the door, but hearing laughter, hurried away.
Benjamin Franklin

Mother Jones magazine (March 2009) describes how green growers in Oregon and California are taking advantage of "backyard farms." We leave it to the creativity of our readers to figure out what applications these ideas might have in your own programs....

"Unable to find an affordable spot to start an organic farm in Oregon, Donna Smith launched Your Backyard Farmer and now tills 47 plots in Portland. Clients pay her $1,575 a year to plant and tend home gardens that yield enough organic produce for three. Meanwhile, in Oakland and San Francisco, Forage Oakland and MyFarm help their members share their backyard harvests with one another. MyFarms's Chris Burley envisions a food chain where produce travels just '20 feet from farm to fork.'"

A Wealth of Outdoor Ideas from Rusty Keeler

Rusty Keeler has compiled a life's work of his ideas into his beautiful book, Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul. This book is about a new movement in children’s outdoor play areas, natural playscapes, where the entire space is filled with art, hills, pathways, trees, herbs, open areas, sand, water, music, and more.... This magnificent 316-page resource contains close to 500 color photographs and illustrations.

Join us to learn from ECE experts such as Bev Bos, Louis Torelli, Holly Elissa Bruno, Barbara Kaiser, Ooey Gooey Lady, Ellen Galinsky, Vincent...2009 Ohio ECE Conference – May 28-30, 2009

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.