Urban agriculture is small-scale commercial farming, bringing food production to consumers’ doorsteps. Durham College has just received a $5 million gift to create a centre for sustainable urban agriculture. Strategic partnerships with the University of Guelph could multiply its impact for both urban and rural farming.
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According to a national farm equipment association, Americans are moving to rural areas in record numbers. But until broadband providers pick up the pace of their upgrades, the potential for success by rural enterprises will be stifled. Image: csnbc.com
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Global warming and environmental issues made the ‘top five’ list (for the first time) of Canadian consumer concerns about food production, according to a national survey. Food company profits and consumer affordability were up there too. The food industry would do well to better explain rising food costs, and the link between profits and sustainability. Image: canadiangrocer.com
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Ottawa’s plan to have farmers reduce chemical fertilizer use by 30 per cent by 2030 would take about $10 billion out of the Canadian economy, according to consultants for Fertilizer Canada. And that’s assuming continued improvements in precision agriculture. Photo: tfi.org
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There’s nothing like a first hand account of a harrowing story to make you sit up and take note. That’s why we’re grateful to farmer Bev Bodkin for recounting his farm accident, and how easily it could have been any one of us.
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Owen Roberts is a faculty member in the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications program at the University of Illinois. As an agricultural journalist, he is the past president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and a lifetime achievement award recipient from the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation. His programs and research papers have been recognized nationally and internationally through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence, and others.