During 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. “