The Philadelphia City Council held a hearing Sept. 21 devoted exclusively to urban agriculture. More than 100 supporters of urban ag turned out, many bearing signs backing pro-garden policies, according to Catalina Jaramillo, who wrote a detailed account of the event for PlanPhilly. Councilmembers filtered in and out during the hearing, which lasted more than three hours. But Jaramillo reported that the council chambers stayed full as 22 witnesses testified about the importance of community gardens and farms, and urged the council to give more weight to urban ag interests when making land-use decisions. “It was a rare occasion that gathered most of the city’s actors involved in urban farming in one room, and everyone was enthusiastic,” Jaramillo wrote.
There have been notable accomplishments worth celebrating. There are now at least 470 community garden ventures underway in Philadelphia on 568 parcels of land, according to the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC). Scott Sheely, a representative of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, testified at the hearing that Philadelphia has become a national model for urban agriculture, with urban farm-friendly zoning reforms and water policies, and a land bank. Others who testified included:
Amy Laura Cahn, staff attorney, Public Interest Law Center’s Garden Justice Legal Initiative and a Co-Chair at the FPAC
Jamilah Meekings, third-generation gardener, the Master’s Work Community Garden
Matt Rader, president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which manages the City Harvest program.
wholesale viagra pills You can correct it by using caverta. Extensive research has helped us correct buying this cialis sale this assumption. The omega-3 wholesale prices viagra fats recognized in salmon have a wide show of valuable cardiovascular impacts. You can buy these medicines from online stores from the comfort of your own residence or from your college or workplace. take a look at the cute-n-tiny.com here purchase generic cialis Kirtrina Baxter, Soil Generation Coalition
Ryan Kuck, Greensgrow Farms
Juliane Ramic, Nationalities Service Center and Growing Home Gardens
Petry Carrasquillo, Campesinos of Norris Square and Las Parcelas gardens
Chris Bolden Newsome, Bartram’s Farm and Community Resource Center