BY KIM RUSH LYNCH
In 2020, the Urban Agricultural Conservation (UAC) program continued to support and connect with aspiring, new, and current urban farmers in Prince George’s County. While the pandemic brought new opportunities for urban farmers to spend more time on the farm and provide products to consumers safely, some continue to have difficulty accessing land, infrastructure, and funding to launch their businesses.
The UAC program provided technical assistance to 34 aspiring or new urban farmers and 65 stakeholders, all of whom are interested in supporting urban agriculture initiatives in Prince George’s County. Last year, the District reported on changes in legislation that allowed New Brooklyn Farms to farm in Mt. Rainer, MD. Once that resolution had passed, Doug Adams of New Brooklyn Farms was able to pursue his dream of owning a High Tunnel System. The District also worked with partners, including the Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement (DPIE) to develop a MOU that allowed high tunnel systems certified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to be erected without a permit. This encourages farmers to use this valuable conservation practice and season extension method without incurring the additional time and costs in the permitting process.
Above: Attendees participate in the Bloomin’ PGC Urban Farmer Workshop at Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro, MD.
This year, the UAC program launched the Bloomin’ PGC Urban Farmer Workshops and monthly Open Mic Nights. The program kicked off in February at the Watkins Nature Center with two fantastic educators: Urban farm Cooperator Linda Jones of Elements of Nature Botanicals and Farmaceuticals, and Ester Mitchell of UMD Extension—together, they spoke on winter sowing techniques and vegetable planting strategies. The District’s District Manager, Steve Darcey, spoke on soil health and conservation. He also demonstrated what happens to clear, clean water when topsoil is allowed to runoff fields in to local water bodies. In total, 40 new and aspiring urban farmers joined for a day of hands-on demonstrations, networking, and seed swap!
Below: PGSCD District Manager Steven Darcey.
The staff gave numerous presentations on its program including the Urban Ag Symposium at the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Annual Meeting, NACD’s Urban and Community webinar series, NRCS-NY program on “Working Effectively with Urban and Suburban Agriculture Producers”, University of Maryland’s (UMD) Plant Science and Landscape Architecture class on urban agriculture, UMD Extension’s Winter Urban Ag Meeting, and Maryland Farm Bureau’s Winter Webinar Series session on Urban Agriculture. Staff continued to provide support and expertise to several county advisory groups including the Food Equity Council, the Food Security Task Force, and the Prince George’s County Public School System’s Environment Ag and Natural Resources (EANR) Program Advisory Committee.
Visit our blog online to read about the District’s COVID-19 Plant Giveaway partnership with MD-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Council Member Dannielle Glaros District 3, UMD Extension, and the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center. Together, we worked to distribute seedlings from Gwynn Park High School’s EANR Program at local meal distribution sites!
Above: Site visit at Doug Adams’s farm in Mount Rainer with Michael Baker of NRCS.
For 2021, the District looks forward to announcing details about a new collaboration with ECO City Farms and the MD-National Capital Park and Planning Commission to develop an urban farm incubator at Watkins Regional Park. With help from a NACD-UAC capacity building grant, this project has the potential to help urban farmers access land and infrastructure to launch their urban farm enterprises, while also learning about soil and water conservation practices to protect our soil and water resources.
