Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture Visioning Workshop Summary Report by CULTIVATIS

Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture

Visioning Workshop Summary Report November 2010

cultivatis

Prepared by:

agriculturally focused sustainable environments

Table of Contents Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture

Visioning Workshop Summary Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Purpose & Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 A Response to a Crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A Growing Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Experiential Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Sustainable Urban Agriculture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Neighborhood Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Economic Development & Job Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Childhood Health & Community Nutrition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

OUTCOMES, GOALS AND VISION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Vision Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Final Vision Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-16 Appendix A- Conceptual Farm Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Appendix B - Acknowledgements & Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Appendix C - Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Executive Summary On November 1, 2010 a Visioning Workshop for the Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture was held at Discovery Place. This day long workshop was the result of several months of informal meetings, discussions and planning with various groups and stakeholders. The goal of the workshop was to assemble a wide array of community members, stakeholders and industry professionals to think critically and creatively about how a facility like this could be utilized to address the present and future needs of our community and how it could benefit different segments of our population. The group was charged with the task of creating a list of key topics, concepts and goals for the project and to ultimately create a vision statement that would be applied to the future discussion, planning and design of what we hope will become a model facility for Urban Agriculture and Experiential Education. Cultivatis, a local Planning and Urban Agriculture consulting firm organized and facilitated the workshop. A presentation of the current local, national and worldwide issues that surround and support the need for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;re-localizationâ&#x20AC;? of our food system kicked off the workshop. Questions about how, where and who will grow our food in the future were discussed as well as the importance of educating our youth and the population at large about food production, nutrition and sustainable living principles. A lively group discussion followed by two break out sessions explored the topics of Experiential Education, Sustainable Urban Agriculture, Community Health and Nutrition, Neighborhood Building and Economic Development / Job Creation. The concept for an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable facility that will become the leadership and supporting organization for a growing network of food based and community outreach initiatives became the result and core vision for the Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture. As we look to gain broad based input and support for the project, the coming months will include presentations and small group meetings with potential partners, stakeholders and the general public. These meetings will help us further refine the vision and goals of the project before we begin the fund-raising phase. For more information or to find out how to get involved with this exciting project please contact Cultivatis at 704.904.1216 or Info@cultivatis.com

cultivatis

Vision Statement

The Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture (CCFUA)will be a model sustainable urban farm that teaches youth and the Charlotte community about sustainable agriculture and nutrition through outdoor experiential education. The CCFUA will become the leadership and supporting organization for a growing network of food based and community outreach initiatives. A physical nexus and focal point for the redevelopment of the North Tyron Corridor, the CCFUA will promote access to fresh local food, support new business development, and provide volunteer and work programs through partnerships with corporate, faith based, educational and gover nmental organizations.

agriculturally focused sustainable environments

CHARLOTTE CENTER FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE VISIONING WORKSHOP Executive Summary

Background & Introduction Much like preparing the soil for your own backyard “victory style” garden, there is a process and steps to be followed in order to ensure a successful harvest. Even with that , there is no guarantee of a bountiful crop. The process of creating the vision for a state of the art urban farm and education center has not been much different. Over a year ago the first seeds for the concept were planted by the team at Cultivatis. A bit of stubborn persistence blended with just a dash of luck and we have successfully reached a critical milestone in the development of our ”victory garden.” The Visioning Workshop held on November 1, 2010 at Discovery Place was our “harvest” and the wide variety of great ideas from the hand picked group of workshop participants will be processed, vetted and utilized as fodder for future conversation, planning and design of what we hope will become a model facility for Urban Agriculture and Experiential Education.

Purpose & Goals The purpose of the Visioning Workshop was fairly straight forward: Gather a wide range of individuals, stakeholders, community leaders and industry professionals for a one day creative session that would explore the key components and concepts surrounding the idea of the urban farm and education center. Through lively discussion as a large group and in small group breakout sessions, the concept of establishing such a facility in Charlotte was to be explored, critiqued and processed with the goals of: 1. Creating a better understanding of the social, economic and environmental challenges that have resulted in the need for such a facility. 2. Challenging the group to think critically and creatively about how a facility like this could be utilized to address the needs of our community and benefit different segments of our population. 3. Charging the group with the goal of creating a list of key topics, concepts and goals for the facility and how they could potentially be integrated into existing and proposed infrastructures. 4. Creating several “Vision Statements” for the group to review and distill into a “Master Vision Statement” that will be used for future communication related to the concept, facility programming and eventually facility design.

CHARLOTTE CENTER FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE VISIONING WORKSHOP Background & Introduction

A Response to a Crisis The world is facing enormous problems regarding the current industrial system of agriculture upon which our dinner depends. This system is based largely on petroleum, a resource that has passed its global production peak and whose remaining quantities existing either under the soils of regimes unhappy with America or beneath great depths of ocean and ice. The burning of fossil fuels that underpin our industrial food system emits greenhouse gasses that help to further destabilize our climate causing problems that include increasingly chaotic weather patterns that are unfriendly to farmers. Inches of topsoil that took thousands of years to create are washed away in one rainstorm due to agricultural practices that fail to recognize its value. The synthetic chemicals used to support the unnatural existence of millions of acres of monoculture cropping help to poison the soil even before they make their way into our streams and rivers causing further degradation of our already polluted waterways because of course all of this is happening upstream as well. Where we can find clean water - for instance the ancient aquifers that span several states in the Midwest- we use it to irrigate crops at a rate must faster than it can be recharged. The resources used to grow food in the fashion we currently favor will not be available to our children. And what then has been the result of this Faustian Bargain in which we’ve enter into? 15% of the US population goes without food on a regular basis. 1 in 7 Americans is on food stamps and because of the lack of quality of our calories 2/3 of Americans are overweight. 1/3 third of US citizens born after the year 2000 will develop diabetes. Others will develop dietary-based diseases related to eating in a culture where we have turned food into merely a commodity to say nothing of the dangers of food-borne illness in a system that is chemicalladen and includes the use of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, cloning, irradiation and genetically modified organisms. But what might be even more shameful is the joy we’ve lost by degrading our dinners. When six year old children think we don’t need farmers because food comes from the grocery store we have a problem. Not until we reawaken the spirit of healthy, happy eating in our kids can we suggest that we are serious about taking back control over our food system and remaking it in an image that is wholesome and satisfying. The vision and concept for The Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture is born out the need to help us change the current course we are on concerning our relationship with food, our health and more importantly our children's future.

CHARLOTTE CENTER FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE VISIONING WORKSHOP Response to a Crisis

1 in 7 US households hit by hunger issues in 2009 USDA, 2009

A Growing Movement A collision of social, economic and political issues has given the Urban Agriculture and Local Food movement a great boost in the past three years. Communities across the nation have been quietly planting the seeds of change in the form of Urban Farms, Community Gardens, Farmers Markets, Community Supported Agriculture Programs, Rooftop Gardens and just about everything in between. If it’s local, it’s in demand. Increasingly people want to know where their food comes from and who grew it. They want to be sure the food they eat and serve their children is safe and chemical free. This fundamental shift in our collective attitude towards our food system and environment is helping push the demand for locally produced products forward as well as into our headlines. From Boston to Milwaukee, Charlotte to Birmingham, urban farming initiatives are in full swing. The Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture hopes to become a leader in this movement both locally and regionally. We are researching and studying the best practices of multiple cutting edge facilities across the nation for ideas and solutions to incorporate into the concept. Notable examples of such programs are Growing Power in Milwaukee Wisconsin, The Food Project, in Boston Massachusetts. Jones Farm in Birmingham Alabama and the Ohio City Farm. There are multiple other efforts underway and the movement continues to grow. Philadelphia just released its 2035 vision plan and agriculture will be a core value as the city looks to manage its growth and best provide for its citizens, And most recently, Cleveland just announced a 1.1 million dollar pilot program to create the Cleveland Urban Agricultural Incubator Project. Local officials hope the facility will not only turn people into entrepreneurs but will help convert a food "desert" into an oasis of fruits and vegetables. As our society continue adjust to “the new normal” we feel Urban Agriculture and its wide variety forms and programs will continue to make headlines as more of us begin to take small steps towards self sustainablity.

photo credits: The Food Project Jones Valley Urban Farm

CHARLOTTE CENTER FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE VISIONING WORKSHOP A Growing Movement

Workshop overview The Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture Visioning Workshop was a one day intensive program that quickly got participants up to speed with the current issues and trends surrounding our nation’s food systems and associated deficiencies. Below is a outline agenda of the days proceedings.

Monday November 1, 2010 Windows on Tryon, Discovery Place Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture Visioning Workshop Agenda 8:30 am - Welcome & Team Introductions

Facilitated by Milt Rhodes, an independent charette and workshop facilitator whose expertise at getting participants to “do the heavy lifting” needed to get the core values of the topic, was critical to an efficient and productive workshop. After a short presentation by Aaron Newton of Cultivatis on the “big picture” issues surrounding our nation’s food systems, the group quickly began discussions about how those issues are having an impact locally. Cultivatis prepared a list of critical or “key topics” for the group to explore in a set of small group break-out sessions. Charged with creating a set of ideas and goals for their assigned topic, the small groups were set free to “get their hands dirty” and pressed to work smartly and quickly. Small group results were presented and discussed by the group at large. Looking for similarities and ideas that overlapped between groups, Milt began to develop a master set of key items and goals that could be used for helping the small groups create their vision statements. The afternoon session was spent in small groups where the participants created a unique vision statement for the project. These vision statements were presented to the group and briefly discussed.

Background / Big Picture Presentation 9:15 am - Short Feedback Session 9:45 am - Facilitated Workshop Introduction 10:00 am - Small Group Sessions 11:00 am - Small Group Presentations and Discussion 12:00 noon - Lunch 12:30 pm - Speaker - Jim Noble, Jim Noble Restaurtants 1:00 pm - Vision Statements in small groups 1:45 pm - Vision Statement Presentations 2:00 pm - Closing Remarks

CHARLOTTE CENTER FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE VISIONING WORKSHOP Workshop Overview

Experiential Education A key topic and future component of the Charlotte Center for Urban Agriculture will be Experiential Education. The group as a whole determined that education from pre-kindergarten, and beyond to grade 12 was to one of the most important aspects of the project. The small group assigned to the topic developed the following list of key ideas and goals that relate to the project and Experiential Education:

The project should “Illuminate a path of hope” It should be multi-cultural It should provide learning opportunities for ALL age groups It should depict and exploit emerging technologies It should be accessible to both “newbies” and experienced gardeners. It should become a “Think Tank” on food and food policy It should create mentorships It should be immediately relevant It should not be sterile It should let kids get dirty