Motivated communities achieve things
“Motivated communities achieve things,” so says architect Professor Ruth Reed.
Indeed, they do.
One of the wonderfully cheering outcomes of the New Optimists Forum has been the outpouring of news of all sorts of community fruit’n'veg growing, and its impact.
Here’s a collation of blogposts and links about it all in this single document: Agroecology & urban farming.
This contains a brief blurb about who we are, and the scenario planning the Forum is doing — plus a list of the brilliant scientists and others who’ve been deliberating things. Then there’s a one-pager list of quotations, not just from the scientist participants, also some from commentators on the blogpost.
After that is the bulk of the Report, all the blogposts (plus some comments) that inform us about agroecology and urban farming — from a plum tree in an allotment through the semantic web, vertical farming, Brum’s lively allotments to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Agroecology (that last sounds a bit stuffy, but it wasn’t. It couldn’t have been, what with Todmorden’s Mary Clear telling it as it is . . . )
note: This Report is in draft form, to be completed when we’ve had the analyses from the 1st March Forum events . . . and your comments, suggestions, amendments too please!
This summaries the efforts the New Optimists has been putting together since late last year. It’s fantastic to see that others are interested in promoting, and advancing, local food in Birmingham. Until recently, I feared there weren’t enough of us in Birmingham pushing this agenda.
We have several projects at BCU, ranging from allotment-focussed studies to my ethnographic work with community growers (and illegal cultivators), which may be of some use. I’m particularly interested in the mapping of Birmingham which you’re trying to achieve, something myself and another academic were interested in some time ago but did not have the partners to push it forward.
There’s lots going on, which is a good thing! I look forward to seeing you at our forthcoming Carrot City exhibition.