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In our January/February edition of the Grounded in Philly newsletter: An interview with a revolutionary warrior for black food security, Aleya Fasier; coalition member seeking feedback on designing self-sustaining, non-profit agricultural organizations using permaculture; looking forward to upcoming events and meetings; and job opportunities...
Blog News
Reactions to Equilibrium: An Interview with Aleya Fasier
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| | Aleya Fraser at Black Dirt Farm |
Author Credit/bio: Zachari J. Curtis, a community accountable farmer and food systems expert in Washington DC. Contact info: [email protected]
I met Aleya Fasier hunched over sweet potatoes growing stubbornly in hard-packed earth under a sky that held history. There weren't many words exchanged that day-mostly just weeding-or that fall-just digging, weighting and sighing. What I did pick up on was that Aleya was a person who did everything with intention. Since that day, Aleya has poured her heart into that same soil, left her mark on the historical record under that same sky and the results have been remarkable. And that is where we'll start.
Seeking Input: Designing Self-Sustaining, Supportive Nonprofit Agricultural Orgs Using Permaculture
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Inoculating an edible mushroom patch at Historic Fair Hill
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by Robyn Mello
[Re-posted with permission of the author. Original article is published in Spring 2016 issue of Permaculture Design Magazine.]
Please share this article broadly with the appropriate constituents. My vision is to receive feedback, conduct interviews and site visits with various Nonprofit Agricultural Organizations (NPAO) interested in critical self-examination, and compile a report on best practices for designing highly functional NPAO with both ethical and supportive human structures and wide-angled strategies towards regenerative land stewardship.
During an Advanced Permaculture Design Course with Peter Bane in Akron, Ohio in November, I challenged myself to work on a design team offering a redesign of a 115-acre nonprofit farm at the top of two watersheds with depleted soil. Though this farm was a larger piece of land than I'd ever worked with and outside of my familiar inner-city environment, I immediately saw challenges similar to those I'm experiencing among Philadelphia's NPAO. I feel that I must work to find solutions to these challenges. Therefore, this is simultaneously an introduction, report on observations, contribution to a necessary conversation, series of questions for community input, and plea for more serious self-examination by the permaculture and nonprofit communities.
Designing highly-functioning NPAO--or a larger, emergent pattern Peter and I called "Social Benefit Permaculture Enterprises"--is more about social permaculture design than physical. If the structure doesn't support human dignity and equality, there's no hope for the land. When implemented properly, I believe that NPAO will perform a major role balancing inequities in our highly dysfunctional and dangerous farm, food, and property ownership systems. Additionally, NPAO should be able to provide strategies to grow self-sustaining and resilient revenue streams, allowing for a larger number of organizations to drink from the funding pool. As of now, NPAO that I'm aware of have a long way to go before realizing this potential. Permaculture design seems the natural bridge to connect vision and reality. Read more...
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Announcements
Calling all urban growers: Join the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC) for an open house on Monday, February 8. We'll be sharing information about land access, soil safety, and water resources, soliciting your feedback on FPAC's Urban Agriculture work, and raffling off some great prizes.
This is a FREE, family friendly, and wheelchair accessible event. Light refreshments will be served.
WHEN
Monday, February 8, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST) - Add to Calendar
WHERE
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Town Hall Room - 100 N. 20th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 - View Map
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Food Fit Philly Coalition Meeting: Food Access Measurement and Solutions
March 4, 2016, 9:30-11:30 / Location TBD
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Upcoming Events
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An opportunity to learn about access, soil safety, and water resources. Be sure to RSVP before it's too late!
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Philadelphia gardeners and growers have the opportunity to rent table space in the production greenhouses to propagate plants for Philadelphia gardens and farms.
Be sure to attend to learn more!
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On the Ground
Soil Generation
Soil Generation's April meeting welcomed guests from Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT), The US Social Forum Philly, Philly EcoCity & Home Grown Music Festival...
JOIN US
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Job Opportunities...
Philadelphia LandCare Program Intern
One or more, equivalent of 32 weeks
Position Summary:
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's (PHS) Philadelphia LandCare program began over a decade ago and serves as an international model for post-industrial cities seeking to clean, green, stabilize, and ultimately reduce their inventory of vacant land by returning vacant lots to productive use. PHS is currently seeking a detail-oriented individual with knowledge of landscape installation and management, site surveying and selection, database management, and graphic representation skills. The ideal candidate is a college or graduate student, focusing in urban planning, landscape architecture, construction management, or another related environmental field. This position will include fieldwork, so candidates must be comfortable working in low-income and diverse neighborhoods.
This position reports directly to the Associate Director of Landscape Management and Construction, but will work closely with the rest of Philadelphia LandCare team. This position is a part-time or full-time, paid internship.
Urban Tree Connection (UTC) seeks to hire its next visionary leader as the founding director, Skip Wiener, retires after nearly three decades of service. This experienced nonprofit executive will lead the organization during a time of exciting growth and development. The right candidate is hands-on, ambitious, and can demonstrate a track record of visionary leadership, dedication to increased positive impact on the community, and increasing and diversifying revenue streams for a growing mission-driven non-profit organization. The new Executive Director will lead the dedicated UTC staff to accelerate the dynamic, multi-generational programming at UTC.
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Philadelphia Orchard Project
2016 Community Partner Intern
The Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) is seeking an intern from among its community partners for the 2016 season. This intern will work primarily with The Program Director to develop POP's capacity to teach a diverse population in Philadelphia about organic perennial food-growing practices and the wide array of
permaculture-related lifestyle options.
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