Homewood Nation

by Kevin Amos

In order to promote a more sustainable community and to encourage the responsibility of global citizenship, we the people of Homewood unite to focus on the environment as an important social issue, we propose to create an Urban Organic Farm in Homewood.

The Organic Urban farm will benefit community members by introducing urban farming and the process of growing foods in our community by providing new opportunities for training dislocated and unemployed community members that give them valuable life-transforming skills in all aspects of agricultural farming.

The emphasis of skills will be placed in organic farming, farm maintenance operations, a farmer’s market and food security. Our goal is to engage, educate and train community members in hands on applications into farming. We want to educate community members about the health-related benefits that stem from the practice of sustainable communities.

Our plan is to have the farm producing vegetables by Fall 2012 and to continue to expand the project into a permanent fixture in Homewood, contributing significantly to Urban Farming.

ACTION STEPS

Phase of the Development

Start the community Urban Organic Farm with the participation of community members, activist, leaders and organizations in Community thru support.

Recruit Farmers to help

Plant and grow fresh produce by Fall 2012

Turn vacant lots into farming areas

Build a Homewood task force of community members for food security

Secure Funding for the Farm Project by investigating all possible resource.

Basic Outline for Starting the farm

Get Permission from the City to Use or Lease land lots

Do a soil survey

Conduct land survey of boundaries for zoning and for farming purposes

Find and look at water drainage and uses needed for farm

Begin a compost site and or find donated resources for compost

Build a green house

Worm bin

Due soil remediation

Purchase or receive donations for supplies and materials needed for growing. Eg - Seeds, forks, spades, wheelbarrows, etc.

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

Core Values

Homewood Urban Organic Farm will promote:

Environmental responsibility in global citizenship

Sustainable agriculture in organic farming

Community engagement and development

Food access and security

Interactive learning

Create a Farmers Market here in Homewood

The rebuilding of the Homewood community

To replace some of the negative attitudes and social disparities associated with poverty in our community.

To donate go to:

https://www.ioby.org/project/homewood-agricultural-project

Check out our Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/HomewoodAgricuturalProject