T h e
U r b a n
F a r m e r - t o - F a r m e r
D e c e m b e r
5 t h ,
S u m m i t
2 0 2 0
1 0 a m - 7 p m
A G E N D A
M o r n i n g
10:00-10:15am Opening Remarks, Land Acknowledgement 10:15-10:30am Video Meditation pt.1 10:30-11:30am Crop Trials: A Panel Discussion 11:30-11:45am Video Meditation pt.2 11:45-12:15pm Rooftop Hydroponics
A f t e r n o o n
12:15-1:30pm Networking and Parade of Misadventures 1:30-2:00pm Seed Saving 2:00-2:30pm Vegetable Pests and Diseases 2:30-3:00pm Tech for Farmers 3:15-3:30pm Video Meditation pt. 3 3:30-4:00pm Urban Foraging and Land Access 4:00-4:15pm Tomato Trellising Experiment 4:15-5:00pm Season Extension Infrastructure
E v e n i n g
5:30-5:45pm Video Meditation pt. 4 5:45-6:30pm Mutual Aid & Resource Sharing 6:30-7:00pm Farmy Drinks & Breakout Rooms
VIDEO MEDITATIONS
By Isa Jamira (In four parts – 10:15am, 11:30am, 3:15pm, and 5:30pm) Four video meditations throughout the day, featuring urban farmers exploring issues of land and labor, discussing the food they grow, and reflecting on the state of agriculture in New York City.
CROP TRIALS: A PANEL DISCUSSION
with Yolanda Gonzalez, Jane Zhu, Renee Keitt, Kimberly M. Brown and Marisa DeDominicis (10:30-11:30am) Join Cornell Extension agent Yolanda along with an amazing line up of urban farmers as they share the results of crop trials for ginger, African diasporic crops, and tomatos.
ROOFTOP HYDROPONICS
with Electra Jarvis (11:45am-12:15pm) Discover and learn about how the Green Food Solutions team have been growing over 60 varieties of veggies and fruits hydroponically on a Brooklyn rooftop for the past 3 years. We will discuss some of the challenges and rewards of trying to grow so many varieties and how we managed pest, disease, and inclement weather. Learn about the easy set-up and breakdown of this type of rooftop farming.
PARADE OF MISADVENTURES
with Sam Anderson (1-1:20pm) A procession of urban farmers share the things that went terribly -sometimes hilariously -- wrong this year. Part farm blooper reel, part group therapy. A celebration of our catastrophes, both the unexpected and the all-too-familiar, and a chance to laugh and learn together. (NOTE: Join the parade!)
SEED SAVING
with Jeremy Teperman and Brendan Parker (1:30-2pm) Brendan and Jeremy will share what they've learned about saving seeds from a variety of crops -- bitter melon, peppers, pigeon peas, garlic, and others -- both for planting next spring, and for sale through partnerships with Truelove Seeds. They'll talk about how each of their farms collects, cleans, dries, and stores different seeds, with space for participants to share their own seed saving tricks and challenges.
VEGETABLE PESTS & DISEASES
with Sam Anderson (2-2:30pm) Join this open discussion about NYC's most annoying vegetable pests and diseases. A few urban farmers will share observations and photos, leaving plenty of room for other participants to compare notes and share what worked for them (and what didn't) this year.
TECH FOR FARMERS
Leanna Mulvihill (2:30-3pm) In this interactive session we're including farmers in the process of building technology for them to use, particularly for farmers wanting to make sales online. We'll go through the process of critiquing existing solutions, fantasizing about what is possible, and getting specific about implementing new ideas. If you can, have a pen and paper with you to sketch out your ideas for this session.
URBAN FORAGING AND LAND ACCESS
with Nathan Hunter (3:30-4pm) The Bronx River Foodway is a pilot project at Concrete Plant Park developed in 2017 to examine how a sustainable food landscape can be integrated into a public park. The goal is to jump-start the imagination and think about new ways to use land within the city. Currently, The Foodway offers access to a variety of edible plants including medicinal plants like echinacea, nut trees like the chestnut, an assortment of native berries, as well as a section dedicated to kitchen herbs and recognizable veggies. Nathan will share the project's concept/design, successes, and failures with others to encourage a collective consciousness around land access, food sovereignty, and community/environmental health.
TOMATO TRELLISING
with Red Hook Farms (4-4:15pm) Farmers from Red Hook Farms will show off the tomato trellising set-up they created this year and share its advantages, disadvantages, and how they're planning to tweak it next year.
SEASON EXTENSION INFRASTRUCTURE
with Nick Storrs, Chloe Lazarus, Ciara Sidell, and Ben Flanner (4:15-5pm) Amazing things happen when we get fresh eyes on old projects. Participate in a round table discussion where we review previous and current season extension projects. With an aim to increase the productive season, and make protected growing more efficient, profitable, and enjoyable - we will share varying season extension infrastructure projects, discuss their efficacy, and work together to offer each other solutions to challenges faced in designing creative solutions for small-scale urban farms.
MUTUAL AID & RESOURCE SHARING
with Emily Kichler, Daniel Zauderer (Mott Haven Fridge), Lou Reyes & Caren Cardoso (Astoria Pug), Henry Obispo (Born Juice), and Raina Robinson (Woke Foods & Cafe Forsaken) (5:45-6:30pm) Join this roundtable discussion highlighting the ways in which New York residents came together in the face of COVID-19 around production, distribution, and composting efforts. Hear about how the urban farm community supported these initiatives during the growing season, and brainstorm ways local growers can continue to support these initiatives through the winter and beyond.
FARMY DRINKS & BREAK-OUT ROOMS
(6:30-7pm)