There is a little bit of farmer in all of us, and now we can prove it as urban agriculture initiatives are taking root in the city.

By Jim Clark

A “Food Production and Distribution Triangle” is now in place in the City of Somerville thanks to two newly adopted initiatives that will connect the newly created Somerville Innovation Farm, a hydroponics based learning farm at the Edgerly School, the South Street Farm, and the mobile farmers market, which services food desserts and low income residents.

The city joined forces with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), Groundwork Somerville, the Somerville Public Schools, Shape Up Somerville and the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Garden Institute in implementing the program.

In an official launch ceremony conducted last week, the public was informed about how the initiatives would provide a “learn, grow, sell” model for Somerville students.

Students will be able to learn about STEM through hydroponic growing, grow fruits and vegetables with the help of the Groundwork Somerville Green Team at the South Street Farm, and sell the produce at Somerville’s mobile farmers market in one of its three locations: Mystic Housing; Clarendon Hill Housing; and the Council on Aging.

During the “ribbon cutting” event for the program, Mayor Curtatone said, “Growing up in Somerville, urban agriculture was simply neighbors sharing some of their prized tomatoes or freshly grown basil. Supporting urban agriculture today is a return to those roots. Shape Up Somerville has grown from a childhood obesity intervention study to a community-wide strategy to support and encourage opportunities for active living and healthy eating, and through our innovative urban agriculture initiative and the first-of-its-kind ordinance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we are educating even our youngest residents about the importance of understanding and connecting with the source of your foods. This is an exciting and important expansion into our public schools and beyond.”

Superintendent of Schools, Tony Pierantozzi was equally enthusiastic about the initiatives as the mayor was. “It is beneficial to all students and families that our students learn as much as possible about growing, preparing, and of course eating healthy, fresh food. Through the partnerships in this initiative we are advancing the knowledge of our students, and therefore all members of our community about healthy food choices. We are excited to build on the successful school garden program with Groundwork Somerville, and continue Somerville’s progressive policies on urban agriculture and urban farming.”

The program is also designed to build community partnerships, increase access to fresh, nutritious food for urban residents at risk for diet-related chronic diseases and promote viable farming methods and local initiatives that other cities can replicate and benefit from.

For more information on the City of Somerville’s Urban Agriculture initiative, visit  http://somervilleurbanag.tumblr.com.