Sustainable Urban Food Production Program
Search for Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture Recognition Program
Lorna Bravo
CED/Urban Horticulture Agent
UF/IFAS
Davie
Team Members:
Bravo, L*1, Qiu, J2, Ryals, J*3
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CED/Urban Horticulture Agent II, UF/IFAS Extension Broward County, Davie, Florida, 33314
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Assistant Professor of Landscape Ecology, UF/Fort Lauderdale Research Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314
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Sustainable Ag/Food System Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Collier County, Collier, Florida,
Abstract
Background: Since September 2019, the six-week "Sustainable Urban Food System program" has been led by Dr. Jiangxiao Qiu from UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research Center and UF/IFAS Extension agents Lorna Bravo in Broward and Jessica Ryals in Collier County. The team launched the first Sustainable Urban Food Production program in South Florida after hearing community members' and stakeholders' feedback on the urgent need to focus educational efforts on urban food production for small beginning farmers within the context of Florida, currently undergoing accelerated urbanization. Objective: This multi-disciplinary approach brings together UF statewide researchers and county extension faculty. The program audience is geared toward small farmers, urban farmers, community gardeners, homeowners, schoolteachers, entrepreneurs, urban planners, regulatory personnel, and marginalized communities to start or expand food production in urban settings. Method: We introduced a comprehensive UF/IFAS Extension six-week short-course Urban Food Production module in Broward County. Participants learned practices on sustainable urban agriculture and regulations, business, marketing plans, financial resources, urban food production systems, water and energy conservation, and best management practices. Participants engaged with various technologies, including rain barrels, drip irrigation, composting, hydroponics, and growing plants in small spaces, and adopted them into their practices. They expanded their knowledge by growing UF Lettuce lines in a Hydro Kit (Deep-water culture system model) designed explicitly for this purpose. Results: Multi-year pre- and post-survey results showed substantial subject-specific knowledge increases (>90%). There was also overwhelmingly significant interest (85% –100%) in behavioral changes or behavioral intention changes. Participants also reported increased knowledge and interest in developing business and marketing plans (91 – 96%) and implementing technologies into urban agricultural practices. Our survey also revealed knowledge gains and willingness to behavior changes (96 – 100%) related to adopting practices for food safety, cottage food operations, and post-food harvesting. Conclusion: Current efforts are underway to expand this into (1) a statewide program and (2) a fully online course on the Sustainable Urban Food Program available to participants across the U.S. and overseas, and (3) be synergistically integrated as core modules into existing extension programs such as Florida Master Gardeners, Climate Resilience, Florida, and Florida Master Naturalist.
Entry