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The University of the District of Columbia showcases an urban food hub at the East Capitol Urban Farm and helps address food security issues.
Food security will continue to be a challenge as the climate changes. The East Capitol Urban Farm is located on a once vacant lot in Ward 7 of the District of Columbia (DC). The farm is run by the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). The site now serves as an urban food hub, a concept that is being applied in many densely populated areas of DC to address food shortage issues. This is the first of many food hubs that UDC hopes to establish to reach their goal of at least one hub in each of the eight DC Wards. Many federal, district, and local organizations are partnering with UDC to help address food security.
Activities at the East Capitol Urban Farm demonstrate the four parts of a food hub: food production, preparation, distribution, and recycling. Area residents grow their own vegetables, and tilapia is produced as part of the aquaponics system on the farm. UDC staff and other partners teach classes on how to prepare and preserve food. This helps people who may not have much experience using fresh produce. On weekends, area growers come to the Farmers Market to give out their local produce to members of the community. The site also takes steps to reduce their impact on the environment by producing as little waste as possible. Water and nutrients are recycled on site, and green space at the urban farm helps to lower the urban heat island effect. As the climate continues to change, food security will likely remain an issue. Urban food hubs like the East Capitol Urban Farm can help mitigate the effects of warming temperatures and precipitation extremes.
“The urban heat island effect simply says that in this city where we have lots of buildings, lots of apartment buildings, even really right here in this neighborhood the temperatures tend to be much warmer in the city than outside of the city. So, how we think this fits into that is that if we can increase the amount of trees, increase the amount of greenery here, we think that will help to keep this area cool in this neighborhood. ”
- Dr. Elgloria Harrison
Dr. Elgloria Harrison is with the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). Today she introduces us to the East Capitol Urban Farm. This urban farm is part of a food hub—a concept designed to address food security issues. Food security will likely continue to be a problem as climate conditions change.
In Ward 7 of Washington D.C. there are only four full-service grocery stores for 71,000 residents. To help improve access to food for those living in Ward 7, UDC partnered with the DC Housing Authority. In 2015, they started the East Capitol Urban Farm. Soon after many other federal, district, and local organizations got involved, and the number of community connections and partnerships multiplied. To learn about all the organizations involved, read this fact sheet.
Distribution is one of the components of the food hub. On market days, this parking lot is filled with tents. Both growers at our East Capitol Urban Farm and other farmers from within a 200-mile radius sell their fresh produce here. In addition, the CAUSES food truck hosts demonstrations on how to use and prepare fresh produce.
UDC CAUSES and its partners offer training on a variety of topics from Farming 101 (what to plant and when) to more technical subjects (like aquaponics). In addition, teachers demonstrate ways to prepare healthy and delicious dishes and offer tips on how to preserve food. Production and preparation are two of the four components of a food hub.
Hard surfaces such as buildings and roads absorb more solar energy than plants. Energy use also creates heat, and a lot of energy is used in cities because they are densely populated. These factors create what is known as a heat island, where temperatures within the city are warmer than surrounding rural areas. As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, the heat island effect will intensify. This becomes a health concern when people do not have ways to escape the extreme temperatures. Integrating vegetated areas into cities, like this urban farm, surrounding open space, and nature trail, can help to counter the urban heat island effect by providing shade and cooling.
Dr. Elgloria Harrison from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) talks about the heat effect unique to urban settings.
The community garden plots are instrumental in the fight against food insecurity. The garden plots serve as a great outdoor space for productive recreation for anyone with a green thumb. The plots are maintained by UDC staff and members of the Ward 7 community. At the farm, crops are planted in raised beds to reduce exposure to possibly contaminated soils on the site and to eliminate the cost of replacing or fixing the ground soils. This EPA fact sheet on urban gardening shows how the use of raised beds can limit exposure to potential toxins. It also provides other tips and best practices for urban gardening. Raised beds can help conserve soil moisture, prevent soil erosion, and build organic matter.
In addition, a community compost bin was built by members of the Ward 7. Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Adding compost to soil improves its fertility, stimulates healthy root development in plants, and increases the capacity of a soil to hold water and nutrients. This results in improved conditions for plant growth.
Ethnic and specialty produce presents a significant opportunity for mid-Atlantic farmers as high-value alternative crops and an excellent source of income. East Capitol Urban Farm offers ethnic crops such as avuvo, jute leaf, gboma, mixed hot peppers and much more.
Would you consider an urban garden or farm in your own backyard? Urban farming has many benefits but also some challenges. Check out the Urban Agriculture Toolkit prepared by USDA to learn about the technical and financial help that is available to city farmers and gardeners.
Aquaponics is a system that combines aquaculture (fish production) and hydroponics (growing vegetables in water). In urban food hubs, aquaponics usually includes a fish loop and a plant loop. These two loops can be connected or may operate independently depending on the water demands of the plants being grown. The water from the fish production is rich in nutrients from the fish waste and can be used to irrigate and fertilize the plants. This means that a large amount of vegetables can be produced without the need for ongoing fertilization. Because of the steady nutrient supply and greenhouse conditions, plants grow faster than those in a field setting. Faster production means a more reliable food source in an area lacking a consistent food supply.
Aquaponics can help to improve food security, protect natural resources, and provide jobs. These systems are more resilient to the impacts of climate change when compared to the more traditional methods of outdoor aquaculture.
Dr. Elgloria Harrison from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) explains how tilapia fish are raised on the urban farm.
To keep both fish and plants healthy, aquaponics systems consist of several pieces of equipment that treat the water. An ultraviolet screen is used to kill bacteria that could be harmful to the fish. An aeration device adds oxygen to the water so that levels are sufficient for fish survival. In addition, a waste filter separates solid waste from liquid waste, and a bio-filter helps to convert nitrogen into forms that are less toxic to fish and can be used by plants.
Did you know that aquaponics systems use only 10 percent of the water needed to grow plants in soil? That is a 90 percent savings in water use! As the climate changes, drought conditions are likely to intensify during the growing season in this region. Efficient use of water is an excellent strategy to reduce demand and conserve water resources.
Recycling, one of the four components of a food hub, contributes to the sustainability of the urban farm operation. In the aquaponics system, a filter separates out the solid fish waste, which is used to fertilize the soil-based vegetables on the farm. Most of the water that moves through the filter systems is returned to the fish tanks. This results in only a minimal amount of waste leaving the facility.
Dr. Elgloria Harrison is from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). She explains how UDC explores crop growth on their main campus “green roof” to determine which crops grow best at which temperatures. They use this knowledge at the Urban Farm to educate the community.
A hoop house (or tunnel house) is a series of large hoops covered with greenhouse plastic that create a tunnel in which food can be grown. A hoop house protects plants, extends the harvest, and jump-starts overwintered vegetables. The hoop house at East Capitol Urban Farm houses an aquaponics system, which grows fish and plants together in one sustainable, integrated system.
Bioretention systems, are a good way to manage stormwater. Storm runoff is first captured and stored in the retention pond. As the runoff passes through a special mixture of soil, sand, and organic material, pollutants are filtered out of the water. The system can also include plants that are able to withstand very wet and very dry conditions and use the water as a source of nutrients.
Dr. Elgloria Harrison from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) talks about flooding during heavy rain events in Washington, DC. Retention ponds can help to prevent flooding and add beauty to a neighborhood.
Creating and decorating rain barrels is one of the educational activities school groups take part in here at the East Capitol Urban Farm. Rain barrels are used to capture roof-top rain water from down spouts. This helps to decrease stormwater runoff, which is increasing with more heavy rainfall. The collected rainwater can be reused for watering potted non-edible plants and gardens but should not be used for drinking. When irrigating plants, be sure to disperse the water near the roots. Contact with edible produce is not recommended because water collected off of roofs and other surfaces may contain chemicals or toxins. Consider testing collected water for heavy metals and coliform bacteria.
Along the outer rim of the farm is a trail that meanders through some newly planted trees. This shortcut through the garden lets people connect with nature. The trees also provide some shade and cooling and capture carbon from the atmosphere. Buffers of vegetation like this along agricultural fields filter runoff and reduce the impact of heavy rains and other extreme weather. Buffer tools can be used to design layouts that maximize the effectiveness of vegetation buffers.