Subject: Conference Focus Session: Farming the Urban Fringe (fwd)

From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 00:55:22 -0400 (EDT)

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 Lawrence F. London, Jr. - InterGarden - Venaura Farm
 mailto:[email-masked] - mailto:[email-masked]
 http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden
 http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden/permaculture.html
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 11:51:50 -0700
From: "Stienbarger, Douglas" <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]'" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Conference Focus Session:  Farming the Urban Fringe

i believe this announcement is appropriate and I apologize for any cross
postings.

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***************

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

Food & Natural Resource Systems: 
Integrating Diversity, Inquiry, 
Action, & People

Third North American Conference of the
Farming Systems Research & 
Extension Association

in  collaboration with

Oregon State University
Washington State University, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and
Natural Resources
 And Other Groups

November 2-5, 1997

Resort at the Mountain
Welches (Mt. Hood), OR

Focus Session: 
Farming the Urban Fringe
Organized by the WSU Western Washington Small Farms Team
(see URL: http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/UrbFarm.htm)

Farming the Urban Fringe is one of four concurrent focus sessions at the
Farming Systems Research & Extension conference. Focus sessions
integrate knowledge and experience with focused and facilitated
discussion. Focus session discussions will highlight integrated research
or inquiry along with facts, analysis, and feedback.  The other three
focus sessions at the conference are:  Community Food Systems; Watershed
Inquiry and Action; Crop and Livestock Production Systems.

Farming the Urban Fringe will explore social, economic, and
environmental issues associated with agriculture in the urban-rural
interface. Voices will be heard from individuals and organizations
shaping this issue such as farmers and their neighbors, consumers,
government agencies, activists, media, and the business community. 

Call for Presentations   (Deadline: October 15)

1. Submit an abstract and indicate your interest in presenting a
5-minute summary to serve as an introduction to one of the following
four major topics for this focus session for the Monday program: 

* Economics and Farm Profitability - value added, niche markets,
marketing, maintaining viable farms in face of high land prices & taxes 

* Land Use Planning and Preservation - preservation and use of
agricultural lands, land  resource availability, regulations, incentives
(taxes, right to farm, etc), urban food policy 

* Community Relations, Communication, and Learning - demand for locally
grown food, rural-urban understanding/interaction, media role/coverage 

* Resource Stewardship - water quality, waste management, pesticide use
& management, fertilizer & nutrient management, recycling, composting

2. Submit a description or short summary for a poster, photo display,
agency exhibit, etc. to present at the Learning Bazaar on Sunday.

3. Volunteer to tell a story to lead off the Story-Telling session on
Sunday. Stories should describe the complexity and connections of food
and natural resource systems. 

Session Agenda: Farming the Urban Fringe 

Sunday Nov 2 

2 - 9 pm: Learning Bazaar, Food, Fair, and Reception
Look, listen and learn by attending poster sessions, photo displays,
agency exhibits and a systems thinking/action bazaar. 

4 - 7 pm: Story-telling, which describes the complexity and connections
of food and natural resource systems. All participants will be invited
to tell their story. 

Monday Nov 3 

7:00: Breakfast in the Ballroom.

8 - 8:30: Introductions and expectations of the conference format will
be explained. 

8:30 - 9:20: Plenary session: Farming the Urban Fringe (speaker to be
announced).  Introduction to systems thinking in simple and
understandable terms:
	* Patterns, relationships, interconnections;
	* Building the rationale for systems;
	* Value of systems' diverse context and bringing diverse interests
together. 

9:30 -1:30 pm: Four themes of Farming the Urban Fringe - Two 5-minute
presentations will be made for each topic followed a 30 minute
discussion. 

9:30 - 10:15: Economics and Farm Profitability (2 presentations /
discussion) 

10:15 - 11:00: Land Use Planning and Preservation (2 presentations /
discussion) 

11:00 - 12:00:  Brunch 

12:00 - 12:45:  Community Relations, Communication, and Learning (2
presentations / discussion)

12:45 - 1:30: Resource Stewardship (2 presentations / discussion) 

1:30 - 2:40: Self-selected Break-out Groups 

Participants will remain in one meeting room but will form break-out
groups to further discuss one of the four major topics or other topic(s)
identified by the group. The charge will be to:
	*  Look for common trends and issues;
	*  Fit commonalties to what will be seen on the field tour. 

2:40 - 3:30:  Break-out groups will provide 5-minute synopses of
findings / discussion to the whole focus group, followed by general
dialogue

3:30 - 4:00: Break 

4:00 - 4:30: Focus Group Presentation. Focus groups present 5 minute
summaries to the whole conference. 

4:30 - 5:00: Remarks & Reflections.  Whole conference session (speaker
to be announced).

6:30 - 7:30: Dinner

7:30 - 9:30: Spontaneous Learning Groups 

*********************************
Tuesday Nov 4 

Field Tour:  A box lunch will be provided for tour 
participants

The tour is designed to complement the four major topics of Farming the
Urban Fringe and to enable participants to assess:

* What are people researching?
* How are they doing the research?
* What relationships/connections are they making?
* Who will use the results; how will the results improve the situation?

These questions will be considered in the context of the following tour
schedule:

* Ornamental nursery stock production - the leading agricultural
industry in Oregon is based near Portland;

* High-value horticultural food crops in southwest Washington - ginseng
and red raspberries;

* Animal waste management - tour an award winning dairy on the Portland
urban fringe that 	excels at working with nearby neighbors;

* State-wide land use planning that preserves farm land - Oregon leads
the nation in agricultural land preservation efforts. 
Wednesday Nov 5 

7:00 - 8:30: Working Breakfast

Break-out groups will meet over breakfast and prepare a list, poster,
diagram, story, or some other summary of their discoveries about
researching/integrating agriculture in the urban fringe environment.
Flip chart paper, pens and other supplies will be available along with
breakfast. 

8:30 - 10:00: "Going To The Fair"

For the first 40 minutes, half of each break-out group will be
"exhibiting/presenting" the groups' discoveries/summaries to the entire
conference group while the other half will be touring the "exhibits"
prepared by all the focus groups. After 40 minutes, the "presenters"
switch roles so that everyone has an opportunity to view and learn from
the exhibits. 

10:00 - 10:30: Break 

10:30 - 12:00: Whole Systems Research
Focus group will reconvene and break-out groups will re-form to discuss:

1) What is whole systems research?
2) What is working, what ought to be improved?
3) How/what can citizens or multiple agencies contribute?
4) How/when can causal research be integrated?
5) What might be changed in how we currently do research and inquiry? 

12:00 - 1:00: Lunch 

1:00 - 2:00: Break-out groups will provide 5-minute synopses of findings
/ discussion to the whole focus group, followed by general dialogue. 

2:00 - 2:30: Break 

2:30 - 3:30: Discoveries, Critical Analysis, & Reflections - Wrap-Up.
Each focus group will make a 10-minute presentation of their cumulative
discoveries to the whole conference. 
3:30 - 5:00: Town Hall

A Town Hall meeting featuring citizens and agency heads along with
conferees will discuss the conference themes which were identified in
the previous session. 

6:00: Gala Dinner, Theater and Farewells 

To Submit Presentations for This Session/
For More Information/Farmer Scholarships:

Carol Miles, PhD 
Area Faculty, Agricultural Systems
Chehalis, WA
(URL: http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/UrbFarm.htm)

Douglas M. Stienbarger
Area Faculty, Agriculture and Natural Resources
WSU Cooperative Extension
700 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3700
Seattle, WA 98104-5037
	tel: 206-205-6390  	Fax: 206-296-0952
	e-mail: [email-masked]
	
For General Conference Information/
Registration Packet:

Stefan Seiter  (e-mail: [email-masked])
Ray D. William (e-mail: [email-masked])
Oregon State University 
Horticulture Department, 4017 ALS
Corvallis, OR 97330
    Tel: 541-737-5441

Douglas M. Stienbarger
Area Faculty, Agriculture & Natural Resources, 
       King & Pierce Counties
Washington State University Cooperative Extension
700th Fifth Ave., Suite 3700
Seattle, WA 98104-5037

Direct Line & Voice Mail:  206-205-6390
mailto:[email-masked]
fax: 206-296-0952
   
Office telephone: 206-296-3900