Paige Hill is a founder of Urban Patchwork, an Austin organization that offers to turn property owners’ yards into vegetable patches. Photo by Larry Kolvoord.

Urban Patchwork currently farms four plots

By Asher Price
American-Statesman
April 16, 2010

Except:

Within the buzz of traffic from Koenig Lane and a view of a Texas Gas Service office and warehouse across the street, Dale Oliverio’s backyard isn’t obviously situated as a pastoral paradise.

Until recently, his yard was overrun with “weeds and nut grass, and very little real grass,” he said. “It was such a waste of space. I would mow it every week, just wasting gasoline.”

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Livia Marques, L, the director of the People’s Garden Initiative and her son Levon Cooper, 8, plant as USDA employees volunteer in the “People’s Garden”, an organic garden on the grounds of the USDA HQ building on April 9, 2010, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

USDA People’s Gardens

By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post
April 13, 2010

Excerpt:

Most days, Ed Murtagh spends hours behind his desk in Suite 1028 of the south building at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, trying to figure out how to conserve energy, reduce waste and make other environmental improvements.

But starting this month, Murtagh will regularly get up from his desk, walk outside and literally make the department greener.
Murtagh is among 80 volunteers at the USDA who are lending their sweat and muscle to an organic garden created by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack along the Mall, on the grounds of the agency’s headquarters at 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW.

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Tena Kebena, urban agriculture in Addis Ababa

In 1993 (Ethiopian Calendar, 2000 Gregorian Calendar) two youths named Alemayehu Akalu & Desalegn Firew established the Tena Kebena & Ginfle Cleaning Association (TKGCA). Their motivation for this project was seeing all of the problems, pollution, and rubbish in the local area. They also noticed there were no other youth organizations and they wanted to help. Soon the organization became 10 members who were all committed to helping the local community in various ways. Unfortunately, despite the wonderful intentions, the organization was forced to cease functioning after 3 years due to lack of resources and support.

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First Lady Michelle Obama, center, examines vegetables grown by Somali immgrant Khadija Musame, second from right, as interpreter Bilal Muya, right, farm coordinator Amy Lint, second from left, and Dr. Robert Ross, President and CEO of The California Endowment, look on Thursday April 15, 2010 in San Diego. Photo from Associated Press

Michelle Obama at the New Roots community garden

by The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO April 15, 2010, 10:08 pm ET
Returning from Mexico, Michelle Obama made a brief stop Thursday in San Diego to visit a community garden farmed by international refugees that she called a model for building healthy communities across the nation and around the world.

Obama toured the New Roots Community Farm to promote her “Let’s Move!” campaign against childhood obesity. The event kicked off a $1 billion project by The California Endowment to fund healthy living initiatives in 14 communities across the state, including the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, where the community farm is located.

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