Urban Farming resources in the Bay Area

We've got some amazing resources here in the Bay Area and even surrounding cities (i.e. Oregon) to learn about urban farming. I found out about it through Hayes Valley Farm - who hosted a lecture by Cuban permaculture activist Roberto Perez Rivero here in the city earlier this year. If you get the chance, you should watch the documentary entitled, "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" which talks about Cuba's turn to urban farming after its economic collapse in 1991 following the fall of the Soviet Union.

From there I read Novella Carpenter's Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer over the summer. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I don't see myself raising pigs in my little San Francisco backyard anytime soon. In any case, I think it's been claimed by an orange stray cat. Everytime I've opened up our blinds in the morning, he's been there in our overgrown backyard, doing what cats do, which is laze around on a sunny patch of grass and exude absolute cuteness.

The chicks (Ducky and Hammie) in their plastic housing unit

I've pretty much lived in cities my entire life, during which time I'd raised some unconventional pets for an urban environment: ducks and chickens. My most recent stint owning chickens didn't end too well though, as our two chicks eventually grew too large for our Vallejo backyard and I'd come home to my mom's house and lo and behold, there'd be two chickens crossing the road. Sprinting, really, because our street is a main thoroughfare for cars coming right off the freeway and vice versa. We eventually lost the chickens, although I have a feeling they ended up on someone's dinner plate. It didn't help that they're not the smartest birds, and worse, that they think they're human and will think nothing of walking up to complete strangers and asking for food: "Hello! Hi! Food? Do you have food?" It's kinda sad but I suppose it's better not knowing what really became of our domesticated chickens. <Insert angry PETA rant in here>

Hangin' with mah peeps

Our chickens also often took shelter in a tree in my mom's backyard (which, okay, was a pretty smart move to avoid predators) but they didn't have enough sense to take shelter under the covered patio adjacent to their tree when it rained in the fall or early spring. Instead, they just stayed in their bare tree, two dark lumps of feathers, sitting dejectly in the rain.

You could almost see the thought run through their little bird brains, "Why am I wet?!"


So, learning resources for urban agriculture that I know of are:

• Biofuel Oasis - they offer classes in Berkeley on raising a variety of livestock animals (such as City Chickens -> this would've come in handy a year or two ago), homebrewing biodiesel, growing fruit trees, etc.
• Novella's farm in Oakland - I'm a bit iffy on this one. She used to do tours up till the start of this summer but she was on hiatus for a while and now she's pregnant and coming out with a new book!
• Hayes Valley farm in San Francisco - Hayes Valley Farm is an amazing resource for people in the city to learn about permaculture. They are a non-profit, community-run urban farm that offers workshops, classes and courses and have volunteer days on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays where you can come and help out. For more on their learning resources, visit http://www.hayesvalleyfarm.com/learn.html
• Permaculture SF - Just found out about them! "This San Francisco/Bay Area network welcomes anyone who is interested in Permaculture and sustainable living." If you'd like to volunteer with Permaculture SF, check out their volunteer calendar

I had the opportunity to connect with some people involved in urban agriculture at the Maker Faire in San Mateo this year and I know I've got the resource sheet lying somewhere inside a box at home or at my mom's. Once I find it, I'll update this post with a list of the other places in the Bay Area that offer classes or other similar resources for budding urban farmers ;)

Have a happy Tuesday! :)