Queen City Farm: Creating Urban Agriculture
“When I look around here I don’t see vacancy and abandonment,” he said. “I see opportunity, I see excitement, I see life.”
Bringing those possibilities to life will require support from all areas of the community -- from the neighbors themselves, who will have ownership over the farm, to sponsors (lots of sponors), to city officials, who will have to turn over to the 19 city-owned lots on the block, including four vacant demo-ready homes. The proposal has been gathering speed over the last few months, even finding support from Erie County Executive Joel Giambra and other local big wigs.
"The devil's always in the detail," said City Commissioner Rich Tobe, "but right now any productive use of land in Buffalo is welcome."
Turning unused land into a farm or, on a smaller scale, a community garden does not just find use for previously wasted land, it solves a fundamental problem in many of our neighborhoods: getting fresh, healthy food to residents. The recent closing of Latina's, by no means a model grocery store, only highlights the difficulty many have in accessing healthy and natural food.
A recent study by UB planning students, under the supervision of by Samina Raja, found the East Side to be a "toxic food environment," where the majority of available food is unhealthy, and convenient stores abound where stocked grocery stores lack. The Farm, then, would give its low-income neighbors the means to eat fresh and healthy food that they themselves harvested. They could have ownership over not just the farm, but the health of their families and themselves.
“Self-reliance, which is often overlooked, is established through growing,” Raja said. "This is possible in Buffalo because we happen to have a tremendous land resource. There is a vast amount of vacant land that culturally Buffaloanians think is a problem. But if you see if through my eyes, you would see an asset.”
MAP's Growing Green program, with gardens on the West Side and a greenhouse under construction, provides a shining example, which McCallum will follow, of the positive impact such gardening can have on individuals and communities.
To learn more about community supported agriculture and gardening programs in the city, pick up May's Green Issue of Buffalo Rising.
McCallum will speak tomorrow at the Landmark Society's weekly "Tuesday Talks," at 12:15 p.m. in the Market Arcade. Later this month, Queen City Farm will be hosting its Groundbreaking Campaign Kickoff event at 5:30 p.m. on May 21. The Kickoff is being sponsored by Greater Buffalo Savings Bank and will be held in their former Pierce-Arrow showroom branch at 2421 Main St.
What Others Have To Say
What Do You Think?
Related Articles
-
Jeffrey Spakes Goes Public
I always tell people that Allentown is synonymous with art. In this part of the city you never know what you might find when taking a leisurely stroll down any of side streets. I've posted on 'tree stump to flower planter conversions', we’ve showcased a few of the murals, we've seen live performers walking the streets, and on any given day the sounds of instruments can be heard coming out of residential windows.
Yesterday I briefly stopped to take a look at some of the latest … - Today, 11:31am
- Continue Reading
- 5 Comments
-
Damon & Morey Puts Pen to Paper
The lease is signed. Law firm Damon & Morey LLP has finalized the lease for 51,000 square feet at Two Hundred Delaware. Damon & Morey, the third largest law firm in Buffalo, will occupy the 11th and 12th floors of the building starting on May 1, 2009. Well into construction, Two Hundred Delaware will be a central feature of contemporary architecture in the heart of the Central Business District. The project by UniQuest is located at the intersection of West Huron and Delaware, … - Today, 9:45am
- Continue Reading
- 5 Comments
-
Acts of Intentional Kindness: Risa's Deli
For those of you who follow this column, we have not suddenly become restaurant reviewers for Buffalo Rising. As it turns out, Acts of Intentional Kindness are not limited to not for profits, but occur daily in lots of for profit (hopefully!) businesses in our city.
Case in point – Risa of Risa’s Deli on Hertel Ave. As we enter Risa’s Deli, we are reminded of the lyrics to the “Cheers” theme song, specifically the part that goes...
Sometimes you want to go
Where eve … - Today, 7:45am
- Continue Reading
- 1 Comments
-
Hoisington Becomes a Hero Again
During the War of 1812, Job Hoisington became a Buffalonian of legend. As we approach the 200th anniversary, the Kleinhans Community Association saw it fitting to honor this hero of local lore with a historic marker, commemorating his heroic battle deeds.
To those who may not know who Hoisinton was, Chris Brown President of the Kleinhans Community Association explained, “There was a lot written about him, but unfortunately, it was written 150-200 years ago.”
Hoisington was a … - Today, 7:40am
- Continue Reading
- 2 Comments
Comment Options
Lucia
I think the whole vision - proposal is a fabulous idea. Having experienced poverty when I was a litlle girl, I saw great beauty and value in saving things (like this Queen Anne style home) and from our garden our back yard, I enjoyed the blessings a good garden can give - not only in delicious, healthy, real tasting food - but in the peace and joy that could come from sitting in the garden.
Report this
skybox
I find it both ironic and unfortunate that we are turning rural farm fields into suburban homesteads; at the same time that we are turning an entire city block into farm land. The rural and suburban farmers complain that there is no market for their produce; yet we read that there is insuffient access to produce in the city. What is the problem? Why do we need to eliminate existing infrastructure and lose the tax base for something that already exists a few miles away? It just seems backwards.
In regard to urban / east side residents purchasing fresh produce and food; all I can say is that I lived in poverty for a number of years. You can feed an entire family on 2 boxes of $.39 spaghetti or fettucine noodles ($.80 total) yet the average orange costs $.80 a piece; bananas are $.50 each, the same as a can of spaghettios or mini-raviolis. It is not cost effective to purchase fresh produce when you are on a fixed or supplemented income, the prepared foods are more cost effective on the fixed budget.
I see this as a 'pie-in-the-sky' solution that is only possible because of the poverty and vacancy in Buffalo. We have to stop suburban expansion, save the usable farm land, and force people to move to the city. There isn't enough space in the city to farm economically; it is just going to be a nice-to-have at best, a trendy little farm to say that you bought your produce locally, the price for that is huge.
Report this
Olcott_Beach
Aside from the fact that some may regard it as nothing short of retarded to initiate an inner city vegetable co-op, I personally am glad to see another, once magnificent, building being considered for renovation.
I do not even know the history of this Queen Anne but just the shear dimensions alone indicate that someone of wealth certainly had this home built and to see it befall the wreaking ball would be a sad day indeed.
My only concern is that the building will not be fully restored or haphazardly restored properly, as like the Squires Mansion, because of monetary constraints.
Report this
Kernwatch
Clearly slowing or reversing sprawl is a desirable goal, but there has been little political will to do that.
This proposal is a creative effort to utilize some of the hundreds (thousands?) of acres of vacant residential lots in Buffalo.
One option, after the tragic ice storm least October, might be to create tree nurseries on some of the vacant lots . . . "tree farms" creating some jobs for struggling nearby neighbors, especially on more polluted tracts . . . in addition to more idealistic aspirations to raise produce.
Dick Kern
Report this
carlmalone
I'm curious, how does the City zone these things. As far as I know the City has no zoning for agriculture, which this clearly is. How do other cities deal with this issue.
Report this
david
I've had the unique and very fortunate opportunity to introduce Rod McCallum to this neighborhood and 194 East Utica - I live two blocks away from the proposed farm site.
I first wrote about the house abit over a year ago and according to Common Council proceedings, Louis Engel built 194 East Utica in 1889. He was a produce dealer and had a biz located at 37 Michigan in the former Elk Market. This location now belongs to the Senecas.
Here's a post with plenty of links to interior and exterior slide shows - right here... You'll want to click into that and at least see/hear the piece that BRO's own David Steele wrote. The Preservation Board was key in helping us remove 194 East Utica from the demolition list - as the City had already contracted to spend 23K to knock it down...
We'll soon be adding Queen City Farm to the growing list of near East side success stories - Merrieweather Library, Performing Arts HS and Artspace...still plenty of houses to homestead over here...join me on a tour - every Saturday at 11am...Rod and his family were the first to show up for my first Artspace Backyard Neighborhood Tour, last November...
If you can't make Rod's presentation Tuesday at the Landmark Society, make sure to attend the fundraiser later this month...
Report this
lupen
will this be an organic farm? i think it is a wonderful and desperately needed project for buffalo, but if the agriculture will be conventional, propelling our environmental disaster rather than reversing it, i think it would be a tragic waste of an incredible opportunity. buffalo has always been known to be behind the times as far as the progressively minded community is concerned, and after traveling around the world for the past year, mostly working in organic agriculture, i have realized just how profoundly buffalo is lacking in organic innitiative. it is not an option to continue with conventional agriculture, just as it is not an option to continue driving SUVs that get 12 miles per gallon of gasoline. if the aim is truly to provide nutritious food for an underpriveleged, but equally deserving community of people, why poison it?
Report this