Michaela Bishop
Editorial Assistant
Northeast News
May 15, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Staying healthy, gaining land and having more jobs available to the unemployed are almost all impossible in today’s society.

However, the Grow & Tell Urban Agriculture does just that. The Missouri Department of Conservation has created a one-day forum to help expand the public’s knowledge on urban agriculture and policy with our food in Kansas City. The forum is scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at the Gorman Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave. The forum is open to the public and a potluck lunch and refreshments will be provided. Registration is encouraged and can be done by emailing Natasha.collier@kcmo.org.

The one-day event is for those who want to share and learn about urban agriculture and food policy in Kansas City, network with others, hear about public programs and incentives, and feature their projects, and talk about their priorities, needs, trends and barriers. It is intended to promote access to healthy foods, productive use of surplus land, creation of local jobs and economic activity, and help foster public/private efforts to capitalize on opportunities created by the current momentum in urban agriculture. Andrew Bracker, a member of Kansas City’s Planning and Development Department, has a specific goal set for this forum.

“The objective of the forum is to gather feedback from diverse stakeholders on local needs, priorities, barriers and trends in the urban agriculture community,” Bracker said. “To share information on current local and state programs, projects and incentives.”

Some of the people involved with the forum are: farmers, non-profit organizations, food processors, retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, gardeners, the government and their partners, schools and universities, and more. Bracker has a list of reasons to why this forum is a great idea.

“This is a great opportunity for public and private stakeholders interested in urban agriculture and access to healthy foods within the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.” Bracker said.

For more information, visit http://kcmo.gov/planning/grow-and-tell/.