Fleet Farming
Fleet Farming is an urban agriculture initiative led by the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, IDEAS For Us, located in Orlando, Florida. The Fleet Farming program has expressed a goal to change the cycle of food distribution by turning front lawns into farms, grown with low impact agricultural practices such as low-drip irrigation, natural Integrated Pest Management, crop rotations, and companion planting.[1]. Overall, the program is said to have a goal of creating a sustainable food system[2].
The produce is farmed by volunteers on bicycles and then taken to farmer’s markets and local restaurants[1]. Fleet Farming also offers other services for a fee, such as Edible Landscapes, a garden installation service that installs raised beds gardens in Orlando[3]
Mission[edit]
Fleet Farming has identified three major challenges facing the American agricultural system: social, economic, and environmental.
Social[edit]
Fleet Farming attempts to make communities better by increasing interaction and social capital. Fleet Farming accomplishes this by hosting free community events and encouraging neighbors to meet each other to learn to cultivate their own food. Bi-monthly SWARM Rides (further described in the Activities and Services section) also attempt to foster interest and interaction among neighbors.
Economic[edit]
Fleet Farming pays its farmers a livable wage from produce sales and other revenue streams, as well as offers local businesses farm-to-table food service. Additionally, Fleet Farming notes that the average age of the U.S. farmer is 58 years old[4]. The organization believes that training younger farmers will assist in economic development and job creation[3].
Environmental[edit]
This challenge is to cited be due to the fossil fuels emitted into the atmosphere during the 1,500 miles food must travel to reach its respective destination[5]. Mowers alone emit 11 times the amount of pollution than a new car running for the same length of time[6]. Fleet Farming works to neutralize these effects by contributing locally grown produce to the food system that originated from within its respective community.
Parent Organization and History[edit]
Fleet Farming is one of three programs led by IDEAS For Us, the other two being the Hive and the Solutions Fund.
Launching in the spring of 2014, the concept that soon became Fleet Farming originated at a monthly meeting of the IDEAS For Us think-and-do-tank, the Hive[7]. Conceptually, the hyper-local food system originally conceived was meant to address the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution created by en masse food production.
After its launch, the program began to combat food insecurity in the central Florida region, better known as food deserts[8]. The food grown at in suburban farmlettes are sold at various locations in the region to assist in bridging the gap between health and food access.
Activities and Services[edit]
Farmlette Program[edit]
Fleet Farming grow their produce on donated lawns in communities within biking distance of the Audubon Park headquarters in Orlando, FL.[9]. Front lawns are cultivated in Farmlettes that grow fruits and vegetables for distribution to participating, SNAP Certified markets as well as restaurants in the area[10]. The homeowner may keep a portion of the produce for their own consumption as a form of sharecropping[9][3]
In order to donate a lawn, homeowners must have at least 500 square-feet that has been free of chemical sprays for two-years. The land must receive eight hours of sunlight a day as well as access to a water source.
Swarm Rides[edit]
Swarm Rides take place 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month and involve a group of volunteers on bicycles (depending on location) who meet a centralized location and then ride to each farmlette to harvest the ready crops for distribution. Volunteering for Swarm Rides are open to members of the community.[3]
Farmers Market Promotions Program Grant[edit]
On October 17, 2016 the City of Orlando was granted $250,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Farmer’s Market Promotion Program (FMPP)::[11]. Fleet Farming received $50,000 to expand its initiative in west Orlando, an area known as a food desert. The grant encompasses three goals[11]
- Creating 10-15 “farmlettes” in resident front yards, creating a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program based on the Fleet Farming model
- Launching a Farmer’s Market at Orlando City Soccer Club’s new stadium in Parramore which will feature foods locally grown in the area
- Teaching neighborhood residents about nutrition and healthy cooking in partnership with Hebni Nutrition
The primary areas of focus are in the Holden Heights and Parramore communities of Orlando.
Edible Landscapes[edit]
Fleet Farming builds and installs Raised Garden Beds for the purpose of sustainable food growth for the participant for a price set by the organization. Included in this program are the installation of Food Forests for perennial vegetables, fruiting trees, and long-term crops. The program also offers education benefits for participants, including students and children.
This program was created as a result of multiple inquiries from individuals outside of the normal biking range for Fleet Farming and works as part of the organization's revenue stream.
Education[edit]
Fleet Farming provides hour-long seminars for the purpose of educating the public on urban agriculture, as well as private events for more detailed instruction.
A newly launched education program expands Fleet Farming's outreach through monthly workshops and education programs for schools, universities, assisted living facilities and local garden clubs[3]. There is also the option of "Private Swarm Rides" aiming to support corporate wellness initiatives. This involves hosting smaller Swarm Rides in exchange for a donation from corporate organizations.
Locations[edit]
Fleet Farming has locations in both the Audobon Park and West Orlando neighborhoods of central Florida. Farmlettes are within biking distance of the Fleet Farming headquarters.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "An All-Volunteer Squad Of Farmers Is Turning Florida Lawns Into Food". www.worldwatch.org. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
- ↑ "Fleet Farming Is Transforming Neglected Lawns Into Functional Produce Gardens - Garden Collage Magazine". Garden Collage Magazine. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Fleet Farming - Changing the Cycle of Food | Urban Agriculture Non-Profit". Fleet Farming. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
- ↑ Kurtzleben, Danielle. "The Rapidly Aging Farmer".
- ↑ "Globetrotting Food Will Travel Farther Than Ever This Thanksgiving | Worldwatch Institute". www.worldwatch.org. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ↑ Luxton, Jennifer. "Comic: Why You Should Turn Your Yard Into a Mini-Farm". YES! Magazine. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
- ↑ "A Band of Biking Farmers in Florida Reinvents Sharecropping". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
- ↑ Santich, Kate. "Turning west side's 'food deserts' into healthy micro-farms for residents". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "An All-Volunteer Squad Of Farmers Is Turning Florida Lawns Into Food". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ↑ "Can Small Farmers Make a Profit at Farmers' Markets?". seedstock.com. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "City of Orlando Receives Grant from USDA to Expand Local Food Access in West Orlando". City of Orlando News. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
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