Urban Agriculture: Year 1
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Transcript of Urban Agriculture: Year 1
Urban Agriculture: The First Year
Advantages, Challenges, and the Road Ahead
Jericho Road Episcopal Housing InitiativeVacant Land Management
Enterprise Green Communities ○ Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Central City ○ New Orleans, LA
Alison Ecker ○ Director of Vacant Land Management
JERICHO ROAD
• Following Hurricane Katrina –Started in Winter 2006
• Formed by the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
• 3 Contiguous Neighborhoods in New Orleans’ Central City
• 3 Areas of Work: • Housing Development• Community Development• Vacant Land Management
OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
FaubourgDelassize
FaubourgLivaudais
FaubourgLafayette
OUR WORK
VACANT LAND MANGEMENT
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT:• New + Rehab Single Family Homes• Traditional, Universal, and Green Design• 24 Built/19 Sold To‐Date
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:• 3 Community Organizers• Neighborhood Associations and Events• Connecting residents to each other + resources
VACANT LAND MANAGEMENT
THE CONTEXT
•Negatives of Blight:• ↓ Property Values ‐ ↓ Tax Revenue• Correlation with crime• Dumping• Health Hazards
• Taking care of Blight:• Reverse/improve above problems• Neighborhood pride• Help to sell our houses• Urban Ag – Food Access+ Meet Neighbors
* “Optimizing Blight Strategies” Greater New Orleans Community Data Center
THE ANSWER• Comprehensive Program to Deal with Blight
• Started in Spring 2010 with Pilot Projects
• Expansion Funding: Greater New Orleans Foundation
VACANT LAND MANGEMENT
EDUCATION + ADVOCACY
LOT GREENING
TOTALEL + BB
Number/%
NOLA 213,000* 44,000/21%*
Our Neighborhoods 2,500 620/25%
∼ Empty Lots + Blighted Buildings
EDUCATION + ADVOCACY
• PROPERTY CONDITIONS SURVEY:• Worked with residents, volunteers, other orgs
to survey 9 variables of 2500 properties ∼ 23,000 pieces of info.
• This spring – first survey + baseline, to repeat each year.
• NEIGHBORHOOD BLIGHT COMMITTEES:• Part of Neighborhood Associations that will:
• Analyze data• Create target lists• Develop blight‐fighting strategies
• DISCUSSIONS:– Bring together leaders/thinkers to discuss
blight‐related issues– May 25th Forum – 7 prominent panelists to
discuss demolition
LOT GREENING
• VACANT LOT STABILIZATION:
• Beautifying lot after acquisition by:
• Demolition + Lot Clearing +
Foundation Removal
• Green Lawn
• Fence
• Trees/Shurbs
• Minimum Investment →Large Return
• For now – just with Jericho lots
• URBAN AGRICULTURE:
• Currently two projects:
• Community Garden
• Community Fruit Tree Orchard
BEFORE AFTER
2238 SEVENTH
COMMUNITY GARDEN• Started Spring 2010
• Group of residents approached Jericho
• Worked with Community Organizer to start
THE SPACE• Jericho Road Lot
• 80’ x 30’
• 6 Beds
THE COMMUNITY• Group with 1 Leader and 6‐7 participants
• Signed between JR and Group:
• Lease – Use of Space
• MOU – Expectations of Maintenance, Funding, General Operations
• Group active in Neighborhood Association
• Shade Structure
(Tulane City Center)
• Storage
• Seating
FRUIT TREE ORCHARD• Entered online competition sponsored by Fruit
Tree Planting Foundation and Edy’s/Dreyers
• One of 25 (out of 80) to receive orchard
• Voting April – August 2010; Planting Nov. 2010
THE SPACE• Jericho Road Lot
• 150’ x 60’
• “Fruit Tree Museum”:
33 trees (25 varieties)
THE COMMUNITY
• Activities/Maintenance on volunteer basis:
• Local schools, residents, outside groups
• No Lease/MOU – Jericho Operated
• Why?:
• No individual beds – more communal
• Yet, looking to develop advisory committee to fulfill this role
• Close to 3 Apt Complexes
• Storage
• Seating
EXPANSIONSIn the next 2‐3 Years:
• Increasing workshops, classes, events
• Outreach to local schools
• Fruit Tree Orchard:
•Advisory committee
• Add planter boxes and shade structure
• Add third urban ag space in Faubourg Lafayette
• Fundraising
ADVANTAGES
• Access to fresh, local, affordable food
• Combat obesity (LA one of highest rates)
• Space for:
• Jericho to connect with community(esp. those not at formal n’hood mtgs)
• Residents to connect with each other
• Pillar projects of Neighborhood Associations
• Afterschool + Summer Activities
• Helps to sell community, thus our houses
• Demonstrates + hopefully inspires
CHALLENGES• To START:
• Cover Costs: Site prep, fence, water access, and 1 yr maintenance
• Sustained + Consistent Commitment
• Residents back‐out → You’re the back‐up
• Constant activities → to make space active
• Stealing food + vandalizing site/fence
• Over‐saturating neighborhood?
• Racial/Ethnic/Class →Who wants to or can get involved
• Alternative, but not ultimate answer to food issues
RE-DO YEAR 1?
• Staff Person in community + at sites from Day 1
• Understand commitment level from competitions/grants
• Find it for free:•Mulch• Plants• Fertilizer + Supplies
• Searched out more local ag advice:• LOCAL landscaping centers (not Lowes/Home Depot)
• Extension Officers
BIG PICTURE
Ideas • NOLA – One BIG Market Venue?
•Urban Gardening Corps?
• Pop up Gardens?
• Schools and Gardens?
• Assemble properties for larger projects?
Check these out:Other New Orleans Urban Agriculture Initiatives
• HollyGrove Market and Farm (www.hollygrovemarket.com)
• NOLA Green Roots (www.nolagreenroots.com)
• New Orleans Food and Farm Network (www.noffn.org)
• Edible Schoolyard NOLA (www.esynola.org)
• Parkway Partners (www.parkwaypartnersnola.org)
Check us out:Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative
www.jerichohousing.org
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