DUFi : Distributed Urban Farming Initiative

Ruthie, who are you, where are you?

I'm Ruthie. I am currently in my fifth year at Texas A&M University studying Dietetics. I am also the Project Coordinator for DUFi. I live in Bryan, Texas. Historic Downtown Bryan is a pocket of History and culture nestled in the monoculture of this college town. Bryan has been a model for heritage preservation, community and economic development for many other communities around the US. This has made it the perfect environment to incubate DUFi. 

 

I work for AdventGX, which is a company that specializes in sustainable community and economic development. They are experts at using technology to develop the private sectors of small towns in a way that restores heritage and local autonomy. The Distributed Urban Farming Initiative in one of the newest development projects that we are showcasing here in Bryan with the intention of replicating in other communities.

 

Our project is still in its infancy. We began brainstorming in April, 2012 by seeking advise from a group of advisors. Since I am not a agricultural expert we quickly added another intern to the team that has extensive experience in organic farming and community agriculture. After defining objectives for the program we set out to create a "Pilot Garden." This showcase garden is part of the reverse incubation method that AdventGX employs with almost every business and program they develop. Our Pilot Garden officially opened to the public in the beginning of November during one of Downtown Bryan's First Fridays. We partnered with other agricultural initiatives and local farmers to create "Artist Harvest" and had the pleasure of hosting a dance in the garden. 
Since November we have had a series of events and field trips hosted in our Pilot Garden. By having an accessible symbol of our project, we have received substantial community support. In the month of December we launched a Kickstarter Campaign which is a crowd fundraising platform. Though we did not successfully meet out fundraising goal the campaign served as a very dynamic marketing tool and gained the attention of local media. 

 

The City of Bryan has been an incredible partner to our program. Bold leadership within our city government has been the driving force in the revitalization of Bryan thus far and DUFi has been supported as part of those revitalization efforts. The city has graciously given us access to the vacant lots that will become our urban farms as well as offered us expertise in any and all areas involved with navigating the process of implementation.

 

In 2013 we will be making big steps forward in our project. We will begin to develop the vacant lots in and around downtown, we will begin working with Beautiful Abilities to maintain the operations of our gardens, we will start educational programs and events, and finally, we will begin selling our produce to local restaurants.

 

I discovered Seedbomb via email invitation. I was excited to see a network for initiatives similar to ours, and see a huge potential to learn from each other. 

 

To me, the term BiodiverCity implies the protection, incorporation or representation of a regions unique ecosystem within the city where it is often forgotten.