NOFA RI and SCLT host Advanced Growers Series Workshop

Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) of Rhode Island and Southside Community Land Trust invites farmers and growers to its Advanced Grower Workshop series on Sunday, February 5^th at Smith-Buonanno Hall (Room 106) at Brown University. Eliot Coleman, owner of Four Seasons Farm in, long-time organic advocate, and author of The New Organic Grower, will be teaching a workshop on high tunnel production.

• 12:00 – 4:00 PM:  Advanced Growers Workshop on High Tunnel Production. Taught by Eliot Coleman, the workshop will teach RI Farmers to maximize high tunnel vegetable production throughout the year.

• 4:30 – 6:00:  NOFA/RI Annual Meeting & Potluck (Bring a dish and your own utensils).

• 6:00 PM:  Keynote talk by Eliot Coleman and discussion “Organic Farming: The Next Steps.” This is open to the public and costs $10.

The cost for the workshop and keynote is $35. The keynote is open to the public and costs $10 (or free for NOFA members). For info, contact NOFA/RI at nofari@live.com, 401-835-2346, or 401-523-2653.

Coleman is known for producing year-long farming on his farm in Maine. Under harsh winter conditions, he uses unheated and minimally heated greenhouse structures to grow vegetables year-round. He is an advocate of small-scale organic farming and fostering strong relationships with customers.

This workshop and keynote event is brought to you by NOFA RI, the University of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Brown University, and Southside Community Land Trust. NOFA RI is an organization of farmers, consumers, gardeners, and environmentalists working to promote organic farming and organic land care practices. NOFA RI aims to foster a healthy relationship to the natural world through advocacy and education. Their goal is to increase the acreage of certified organic land in RI while also increasing the access of local organic food to all Rhode Islanders. NOFA RI is affiliated with the other NOFA chapters through the NOFA Interstate Council.

SCLT Executive Director Job Application Posted

Following up last week’s exciting news about Southside Community Land Trust’s upcoming Executive Director Transition, we are pleased to announce the full job description and instructions for application can be found here on our website. A competitive nationwide search is underway for an Executive Director for the Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, RI. Date of employment is expected to be July 15, 2012 with full assumption of duties on August 1, 2012.

Deadline for application is February 24, 2012 at midnight.

Big News from Southside Community Land Trust!

A special announcement from Southside Community Land Trust’s Executive Director Katherine Brown:

Today is the day I get to share with you and other very special supporters exciting news of a long-anticipated opportunity—for me and for Southside Community Land Trust. August 1st will be my last day as SCLT’s Executive Director, and on that day another very fortunate person will become your new partner in realizing our shared vision: Grow food everywhere!

This news may not come as a surprise to you. Over the past nine years I’ve been open about my plan to stay only long enough to strengthen SCLT’s 30-year foundation in Providence’s Southside neighborhood so that we might provide equal support for more people who also wanted to grow food throughout Greater Providence. And we’ve reached this goal! Our work has directly supported the ability of thousands of people to grow their own food, and we are well-positioned to enable many more in the future.

I have full confidence that SCLT is ready for this intentional leadership transition. Our past two years’ preparations for the new director have been exciting and
transformational. SCLT’s Board and Staff members serving on the Transition Team have crafted a series of clear steps to guide our transition process. And last year we approved a 3-year strategic plan to scale up and meet the ever-increasing demand from the community for more land, training and technical assistance, facilitation of new and existing gardens and farms, and coordination of policy initiatives that support urban agriculture. We have been steadfast in achieving our program objectives and have strengthened our financial and operational capacity to meet this growth. Please visit our website for more details about our strategic plan.

Next week we will officially post the Executive Director position. I hope you will spread the job posting widely.

It has been a great privilege to work with you, and to be inspired by the contributions of the brilliant, creative, funny, hardworking, and inspiring crew of visionaries on SCLT’s staff and Board. My heartfelt gratitude for everyone’s many gifts to me and for the ongoing support of our work with the community is boundless. I know you will continue to share your trust in, and your many gifts with everyone at SCLT– including our lucky new Executive Director.

With love, and heaps of xoxo!
–Katherine Brown

Let’s talk food!

Have your voice be heard about Rhode Island’s Food System. There are 3 events coming up to learn and discuss the exciting things taking shape for the RI Food Policy Council, compost in RI and the Farm Bill. :

1) The first open meeting of the newly formed Rhode Island Food Policy Council – shaping Working Groups for 2012!

WHEN: Monday, January 30th, 2012, 4 pm – 6 pm.

WHERE: RI Department of Environmental Management, Foundry Building, Room 300. The Foundry building is located at 235 Promenade Street, near the Providence Place Mall.  Enter through the rear door off of Holden Street, and take elevator/stairs to the 3rd floor.  Signs will be posted directing you to Room 300.  Limited visitor parking is available on Promenade Street, or parking at the mall is $1 for up to three hours.

WHO: Anyone interested in RI Food Policy Council Working Groups or learning more about the RI Food Policy Council!

Coffee/tea and light snacks will be provided.  For more information about the RIFPC’s work, or to download a copy of the Rhode Island Food Assessment, visit the Rhode Island Food Policy Council’s website: www.rifoodcouncil.org.

2) The 3rd RI Compost Conference and Trade Show is coming up on February 27, 9 am – 3 pm at Hope Artiste Village for those interested in food waste and resource recovery.  More info and registration at: http://www.environmentcouncilri.org/compost2012.html. (Registration is $25).

3) Farm Fresh RI is also hosting its annual Local Food Forum on February 7, 8:30 am – 2:30 pm at Andrews Dining Hall on the Brown University campus.  This year’s theme is Food Fight: How the 2012 Farm Bill Will Affect Rhode Island.  More info and registration at: http://www.farmfreshri.org/about/localfoodforum.php. (Registration is free).

Please feel free to forward this to those interested.  If you or someone you know would like to be added to the RIFPC email list, please email Leo at leo@southsideclt.org.  We look forward to seeing you on the 30th!

Save the dates! 2012 preview of SCLT events

Wintertime Food-growing Workshops!

It might be cold outside (well, not THAT cold, it’s actually pretty nice for January!), but it is the perfect time to start planning for the growing season! Southside Community Land Trust and Farm Fresh RI invites the public to attend two free workshops on urban beekeeping (a primer that focuses on what it takes to raise bees food in the city) and seed starting. These workshops will be held at the Wintertime Farmers Market greenhouse space on Wednesday January 25^th 6-7pm and Wednesday February 1^st 5:30-6:30pm, respectively.

Want to learn what it takes to raise bees in the city? Learn more about it at the urban beekeeping primer workshop, which will be taught by Kelly Smith, Davis Park Community Garden coordinator. Kelly owns 5 beehives and has taken bee school classes and a week-long intensive advanced course by the Eastern Apicultural Society. Kelly will give a basic overview about what it means to keep bees in the city, going over topics such as materials required for urban beekeeping, resources and available education options for bee school.

Seed starting will be taught by Sidewalk Ends Farm’s Laura Brown-Lavoie, Tess Brown-Lavoie and Fay Strongin. This workshop will help people get a head start on preparing their favorite vegetables and herbs as well as accommodate for those who have limited growing space in their homes or apartments. The lesson will also provide information on growing sprouts and building your own indoor grow box to start seeds inside. Southside Community Land Trust will be offering free seed packets (lettuce, summer squash, etc.) at this workshop.

Register by emailing SCLT at amber@southsideclt.org or online at www.plantprovidence.org.

These workshops are an extension of the Plant Providence educational workshop series. First introduced in 2010, the Plant Providence calendar is a full-color poster printed annually that lists programs and events taking place throughout the year related to urban agriculture. In addition to the upcoming workshops on urban beekeeping and seed starting, the 2012 Plant Providence calendar will debut at Southside Community Land Trust’s Urban Agriculture Kick-off on March 3^rd at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center from 1-4pm.

The Plant Providence calendar is a project of Southside Community Land Trust and is sponsored by the Albin Family Foundation, the Urban Agriculture Task Force of Providence, Brown University’s Center for Environmental Studies, Casa Buena Builders Inc., the John T. Howard Agency Farm Family Insurance, The University of Rhode Island Outreach Center, What Grows On in Rhode Island, and Whole Foods Market.

More information about Southside Community Land Trust is available at www.southsideclt.org

It’s 2012!

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a restful, joyful, and fantastic holiday! Here at Southside Community Land Trust, we’ve already jumped into the new year in full gear. We have BIG plans for 2012. SCLT is excitedly planning for a bright new year of events, workshops, celebrations and more! We’re looking forward to…

• Building more community gardens and spaces to grow food

• The 2012 Plant Providence Calendar

• SCLT’s Annual Plant Sale

• Providence Community Growers Network going into full swing

• Growing even more food all over the city

… and so much more!

Stay tuned for updates on all of these AND for a couple workshops we’ll be having at the Pawtucket Wintertime Market on Wednesday January 25th and Wednesday February 1st. Cheers!

A shout-out to our 30th committees

Our 30th Picnic Party this past summer was a hit thanks to our planning committee!

Thanksgiving may be over, but our gratefulness is anything but! SCLT wants to give a proper acknowledgement to our 30th committees, which have planned and facilitated so many of the fabulous events that SCLT hosted this past 30th anniversary year. These events would not have been the same without the wonderful folks on these committees! So here is the cast of credits of each individual who has contributed his or her invaluable time to SCLT, making this a year something to cheer about.

30th Committee :

Co-Chairs:
Vera Wayne
Debbie Schimberg

Committee Members:

Erin Boyle

Carol Fay

Tim Kearns

Sarah Kern
Jessica Knapp

Erika Lamb
Louis Raymond
Sarah Zurier
Susan Sakash
Rick Schwartz, consultant
Dana Gee, graphic designer

Carrot City/Public Events Committee:

Paul Connelly

Richard Gutman

Skye Hibbard-Swanson

Jessica Knapp

Deborah Schimberg

Pamela Steager

Sarah Zurier

 

The Harvest Party Planning Committee:
Louis Raymond, Chair
Jill Brody
Johnnie Chace
Karen Champagne
Judy Croyle
Sarah Kern
Patrick Mattingly
Patucci Shehan
Frances Trafton
Karen Usas

30th Honorary Committee:
Governor Lincoln and Stephanie Chafee
U.S. Senator Jack Reed
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Congressman Jim Langevin
Congressman David Cicilline
Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts Peggy and Henry Sharpe
Mayor Angel Taveras,  City of Providence
Mayor Allan Fung, City of Cranston
RI Senator Harold Metts
RI Senator Juan Pichardo
Gertrude Blakey Jones, Lifespan
Andy Fisher, Community Food Security Coalition
Ned and Polly Handy
Michael Pollan
John Schenck, Edible Rhody
Jyothi and Shivan Subramaniam
Mary and Rick Worrell
Barbara Van Beuren
James Vincent, NAACP

Help Growers Like Naomi Move Mountains (of dirt!)

Pictured: Naomi (far right) with a couple community volunteers at the Potters Ave. Garden Build-out

People want to grow food, but need spaces for it. In 2011, SCLT gardeners, volunteers and staff helped build seven new community gardens in Providence.  But these gardens are still not enough – many more people are still waiting for a plot. One such person was Naomi Timbo, a local church pastor and mother of four.

“I had been hearing about the gardens ever since moving to Providence from Liberia in 1996,” she says, “but it wasn’t until this spring when I visited my friend Sarah’s crops that I knew – deep down inside – that I wanted to grow food too.”

Naomi and her four kids (ages 13, 11, 10 and 8) love fresh food and go to the Armory Park Market every week in the summer. They eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, but she wants them to learn to grow food on their own as well. “{By growing food], they will grow healthy and live longer. I want to extend that to my church [Crossroads Covenant Church on Cranston Street]. I have been praying that our church can get plots in the new gardens – we have not backyard or space to grow. “

Through her patience while waiting for a garden space for her family, Naomi has been involved with SCLT in many ways. “I have stayed involved because, even though I don’t have a garden plot, [SCLT] staff have given me other ways to stay involved and give back.” She and two family members helped out with the Potters Ave. Garden build-out, where they were able to get to know their neighbors and the SCLT team.

Naomi and a relative jumping right into building new garden bed frames at Potters Ave.

SCLT supports people like Naomi with opportunities to get involved with the Community Growers Network, volunteering at community gardens, and through Plant Providence workshops, where she her kids can learn to grow food in the city (whether it’s their backyard, front yard or even the porch).

But the need is still there.

“[SCLT Community Gardens Director] Liza told me at the last workday that even state and city leaders are starting to realize we need more garden beds so more people can start growing food for their families and themselves,” Naomi recalls, “this gives me a lot of hope because, as I’ve seen from my church, there are a lot of people who don’t have jobs but do have time and a desire to be part of something.”

In this season of giving, donor contributions allow SCLT to reach more and more neighborhoods of Providence and offer the priceless gift of healthy food and a stronger community. SCLT recognizes the powerful impact of bringing people together having spaces for growing food. We imagine neighbors of every ethnicity, income and class will be able to grow safe, dependable, affordable food within walking distance of their homes.

Your end-of-year gift means we can get started right away with planning our 2012 community garden build-outs, educational workshop series, and Plant Sale seedling orders. With your support, SCLT is able to the needs of ALL kinds of growers, including Naomi!

Give today.

Mulch ado about nothing

It’s been an exciting and productive year at City Farm!  Thousands of pounds of food were harvested (about 2 tons to be exact!) and delivered to local restaurants, sold at farmers markets and donated to food banks. Hundreds of kids made their way to the farm to learn about growing food from seed to fruit, good bugs, compost and more. From cultivating hundreds of veggie starters and perennials flowers for the plant sale to hosting and teaching workshops on composting and chickens – it was indeed a busy year for the City Farm team!

Dead leaves are the perfect mulch material that will keep the soil from losing moisture over the winter.

Now that the sunny, summer abundance has faded into the slower-paced and brisk fall days, it’s that time of year that City Farm Steward Rich Pederson puts the farm to bed for a winter hiatus. Equipped with a hefty delivery of fallen leaves and harvested seaweed from the shores of Rhode Island, Rich applies the mixture onto the garden beds to keep the soil in tip-top shape over the winter. The process of mulching provides a protective cover for the soil in order to retain moisture, reduce erosion, provide nutrients, and suppress weed growth and seed germination. The minerals from the seaweed will ensure a beautiful harvest for the next growing season.

Sean O'Brien, Than Wood, and Rich Pederson with a wheelbarrow full of harvested seaweed that will be used to amend the soil back at City Farm

You can prepare your own garden beds for the winter too. Check out our Urban Agriculture Resource Center for information about over-wintering and planting cover-cropsfor soil health.