Berea Urban Farm
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Berea Urban Farm is a 1.4 acre farm located along Adams Street in Berea, Kentucky. The farm was developed and established by the Sustainable Berea group in 2015 in an effort to combat fears that climate change would lead to a food shortage. The farm produces fruits, vegetables, honey, dairy products, and meat. The goods produced by the farm are sold to local businesses, allowing them to be self-sustainable.
Images
The original plan for the farm
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
In the fall of 2005, a group of residents in Berea, Kentucky held a community meeting at the town's main church, where they shared their fears for the future of both the town and the rest of the world. These fears centered on environmental threats, specifically those caused by climate change and the rapidly growing global population. These concerns included environmental degradation as well as the national debt, all of which the residents feared could potentially lead to resource depletion and leave the town of Berea without enough food for everyone.
In light of these concerns, the group of people who attended this meeting formed a task group, called Sustainable Berea, with the goal of making the town more self-sustaining. In their efforts to do so, the members of Sustainable Berea ultimately decided that the primary focus of their efforts should be on preparing the town for a potential food shortage. With this goal in mind, the group turned to a series of three land purchases which had been made by Berea in the summer of 2013 along Adams Street in a suburb of Berea. Totally around 1.4 acres, the land was transformed into a community farm by Sustainable Berea and other members of the community.
The farm, now known as the Berea Urban Farm, grows fruit and vegetables, produces its own honey and dairy products, and butchers its own meat. The food is sold to local businesses in the community, including independently owned coffee shops, grocery stores, and delis. Consequently, the Berea Urban Farm ensures that the majority of the town is self- sustainable, relying on its own resources rather than those they would have to get from the outside world. The farm also takes care to ensure they do not contribute to pollution in addition to employing local students of Berea College to help them pay for their tuition.
In light of these concerns, the group of people who attended this meeting formed a task group, called Sustainable Berea, with the goal of making the town more self-sustaining. In their efforts to do so, the members of Sustainable Berea ultimately decided that the primary focus of their efforts should be on preparing the town for a potential food shortage. With this goal in mind, the group turned to a series of three land purchases which had been made by Berea in the summer of 2013 along Adams Street in a suburb of Berea. Totally around 1.4 acres, the land was transformed into a community farm by Sustainable Berea and other members of the community.
The farm, now known as the Berea Urban Farm, grows fruit and vegetables, produces its own honey and dairy products, and butchers its own meat. The food is sold to local businesses in the community, including independently owned coffee shops, grocery stores, and delis. Consequently, the Berea Urban Farm ensures that the majority of the town is self- sustainable, relying on its own resources rather than those they would have to get from the outside world. The farm also takes care to ensure they do not contribute to pollution in addition to employing local students of Berea College to help them pay for their tuition.
Sources
About The Farm. bereaurbanfarm.org. . Accessed July 15, 2019. http://www.bereaurbanfarm.org/about.html.
History of Berea Urban Farm. Visit Berea. Accessed July 15, 2019. https://www.visitberea.com/history/history-of-berea-urban-farm.
History of Berea Urban Farm. Visit Berea. Accessed July 15, 2019. https://www.visitberea.com/history/history-of-berea-urban-farm.