Local Urban Agriculture group brings Midwest message to New York City

Center for Urban Agriculture talked farming at the fourth annual Urban Agriculture Conference

A local urban agriculture organization traveled to halfway across the country to share their message that food is good. Billy Polansky, the group’s general manager, delivered the keynote address Friday at the fourth annual Urban Agriculture Conference. The event was held May 29 and 30 and was hosted by the Horticultural Society of New York.

CCUA was invited to speak because of its diversity of programs that serve a diversity of people.

Polansky’s keynote highlighted CCUA’s unique programs and the broader impact that urban agriculture is having on cities, but the heart of the speech urged the audience to count every interaction.

“We run CCUA as a business. Our focus is on metrics and results. We have to ensure we measure impact.”

Polansky explained that it is imperative to explain how Urban Ag impacts a city – prove how Urban Ag changes lives, and demonstrate you’re in it to make a lasting change. He advocated that one must track results to prove the impact that urban agriculture has on the community, environment, economy and health.

Adam Saunders, the public outreach coordinator, moderated a panel discussion called “The Business of Farming: Organizational Structures & Operations,” which gave urban farming leaders from around the country a chance talk about their experiences. Program coordinators Carrie Hargrove, Heather Gillich, Liberty Hunter, and Trish Woolbright accompanied Polansky and Saunders to fully experience all that the conference had to offer, and bring their experiences back to Columbia.

Education and Volunteer Coordinator, Heather Gillich, was energized by the excitement around garden education. “I am excited to take the energy from the conference and apply it to the work in our programs.”

On Thursday and Friday, conference members toured urban agriculture projects throughout the New York City area. Workshop tracks ranged from container farming at Smiling Hogshead Ranch to composting and soil management at Build It Green!NYC.

Opportunity Gardens Program Coordinator, Trish Woolbright, attended the city-wide composting track and was blown away by the simplicity, scale, and diverse participants composting scraps to repair depleted soils and create life in a concrete jungle. “I look forward to carrying on the conversation and bringing these innovative ideas to CoMO.

The many different “flavors” of urban ag resonated with each of the staff members. Polansky boiled it down: “The practice of urban ag is different in New York City because of their space limitations, but the benefits and outcomes are similar. It is connecting people to healthy food, the environment, and their neighbors.”

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The Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture is an educational 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. CCUA teaches people how to grow their own food through its many programs at CCUA’s Urban Farm, in backyards and in the community. CCUA uses its 1.3-acre Urban Farm at 1209 Smith St. as its main educational site.

For more information about CCUA’s programs, call 573-514-4174, or email Adam@ColumbiaUrbanAg.org. For more information about The Urban Agriculture Conference, contact The Horticultural Society of New York by calling 212-757-0915, or email info@thehort.org.