Decatur Rolls Out "Agricultural Initiative"
March 23, 2009 | 8:22 amDuring the keynote address at the Georgia Organics Conference this past weekend, the city of Decatur, Agnes Scott, the DBA, the Oakhurst Community Garden, and Georgia Organics officially announced the city’s “agricultural initiative.”
I followed up with city manager Peggy Merriss and she sent along this note/release. From the sound of it, “urban farming” is just the tip of the iceberg.
On Saturday March 21st, at the Georgia Organics 12th Annual Conference & Trade Show, Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss, along with Agnes Scott College’s Director of Sustainability Susan Kidd and Georgia Organics Executive Director Alice Rolls announced the creation of the Decatur Agricultural Initiative (DAI) designed to bring together community partners around the issue of growing food locally. The Initiative currently involves Agnes Scott College, the City of Decatur, City Schools of Decatur, Decatur Business Association, Georgia Organics and the Oakhurst Community Garden.
Among the first tasks that the group will undertake will be the creation of a Master Plan that will identify existing community-based efforts into one unified plan.
The partners intend to take a comprehensive approach resulting in providing a variety of agricultural products, including food, which would be available through local producers and markets.
Examples of some possible outcomes might include: stronger community support for farmers markets, co-operative purchase of environmentally sensitive products, education programs designed for children and youth to be able to plant and support their own gardens, and more.
The possibilities are exciting and all of the partners are looking forward to working together on this brand new DAI in Decatur. “
“…Roles Out…”?
Haha! Wow…that’s just completely unacceptable.
I’m going through editors like Kleenex these days…or maybe I should say “I’m going threw editors…”
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After reading of the City of Decatur’s “agricultural initiative,” I would like to respond with the following:
Since July 23, 2008, when my husband and I have been driving to Georgia Regional in Decatur each night to spend the half-hour we are allowed to visit with our daughter, I have noticed the vast acreage at that institution being mowed and wonder why it isn’t tilled. Then, lately, reading about the lack of small growers (organic and others), I started writing to anyone who will listen about how I see the benefit of a garden–not only for the food but for the activities/work that patients can do which will allow them to think about other things as well as make them feel good about accomplishing something worthwhile.
My daughter spends the majority of her days walking, having “walked” through a pair of tennis shoes in less than 6 months. I believe that medication and counseling are important, but I also believe unless you have something constructive to do, getting well will be a longer process.
In Atlanta, with the vast number of good gardeners, help in getting this program started would be in abundance. I don’t call myself a good gardener, but I do garden and would volunteer to do anything to get a program like this up and running.
So far, I have had one response with positive suggestions as a result of one letter and would welcome input from my comments here.
Doing all we can to help people with mental illness is very important to those of us who have someone who is sick. All we want is to give them a chance to get better and return to a normal life. I think gardening would go a long way in accomplishing that goal.