Cleveland, Ohio was founded in 1796 at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River where it emptied into Lake Erie, and it grew, slow and steady, until the years leading up to World War II. The city’s population boomed during and after the war as people moved to the northern industrial states from rural areas in the south and Appalachia. Today, the city has some definite challenges. Many residents and businesses have moved to outlying areas, and it has been widely impacted by the foreclosure crisis, leaving a much smaller tax base to keep things running.

Along with its challenges, the city has some good things on the horizon. One of the more positive changes going on in the city is the establishment of urban farms in blighted areas. Where once there were abandoned and boarded up homes or empty lots due to the foreclosure epidemic, there will now be lush plants, and a much-needed local food source. Innovative programs aimed at involving the community in the process while also producing healthful foods. Churches and neighborhood gardens have been around for many years, but these new urban farms are large-scale operations that will grow crops to sell in local markets.

I’ve grown herbs in window boxes, indoors, on the back steps of my apartment, in hanging baskets attached to a chain-link fence, and even in cracks in pavement. Here’s how you can too.

When one thinks of Connecticut, it’s likely that her perception is tainted by pop culture’s portrayal of it, which frequently conflates Fairfield County with all of the remaining areas of the state. Hartford — Connecticut’s capitol — is as far as one can get from the riches of New York City’s suburbs. Hartford has been ranked as the second poorest city in the United States, with nearly 44% of the city’s youth living below the poverty level (Hartford Food System). This concentrated area of poverty has all of the expected side effects — diabetes, obesity, and other preventable ailments. While it is easier to find a bag of potato chips than it is to purchase an apple, Hartford is not nearly the “food desert” that it is often described as by those whose healthful-eating imagination starts and ends with Whole Foods.

As the Summer Solstice approaches, highlights this week include:  the antibiotic-resistant “super bug” controversy goes global; conservation efforts step up in the Mississippi River basin; the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines are …

Faatma Mehrmanesh rides the John Deer tractor in style. Her long hair fills a woven cloth hat. Turquoise headphones rest on top so she can rock to the tractor’s slow roll over the soil. She’s preparing the plot for its first planting: the growing season starts late here at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

The Farmer’s Garden is the place to post free classified ads to sell, trade or give away your excess backyard produce. Individuals and food pantries can also register to post wanted classifieds. Free registration is required to post a classified. If you’re interested in cooking fresh locally grown produce, visit The Farmer’s Garden website, enter your US zip code, select the radius that you are willing to travel and see what people in your area have to offer.

Within the contemporary food movement, Detroit is well known as an an important site of food justice activism. In a city in which 500,000 out of 900,000 citizens are food insecure, a multitude of grassroots projects have emerged to rebuild Detroit into a sustainable urban environment for the future.

This week’s link roundup is a little light, but that balances out the double-posting days we’ve had. Going forward we will by syndicating more of these types of articles as well.

The USDA and Department of …

Whether you’ll be growing food in a big backyard, a community garden plot, or in a small windowbox, now is the time to plan what you’ll grow this year.

Our first Friday Link Roundup includes stories on creative ways to get local fresh food to kids in Richmond, New York plans to create a sustainable food system, and information on ways to get involved, and much more.