LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) welcomed the release of the Community Gardens Task Force final report to the Nebraska Legislature.
The report was the result of a year and one-half effort to examine and evaluate community gardens in the state in order to encourage government agencies to work to expand them and to develop recommendations to be passed on to the Legislature to carry out. The task force included Matt Gregory, NeFU’s former office manager and Gus Von Roenn, President of the Douglas County Farmers Union.
Over the course of their work, the Task Force focused on three areas:
- Identifying policy barriers and innovations that can support community gardens
- Creating an initial inventory of community gardens in Nebraska, and
- Updating an existing community garden toolkit as a statewide educational resource.
The Nebraska task force report calls for a rewrite of land-use laws so that gardeners have more places to plant, policies that make it easier and more affordable to access water, tax incentives that will encourage landowners to allow gardens on their property, and an educational campaign focused on “food and agricultural literacy.” Members also recommended appointing a central contact person in state government to help community gardeners communicate.
Local foods and expanded urban agriculture are issues that Nebraska Farmers Union has long championed. NeFU President John Hansen said “This report recognizes the under-utilized potential of community gardens that can turn often vacant eyesores into beautiful community building centers, produce low cost high quality foods, make garden space available to citizens who want to garden, and helps provide a positive and educational activity at a minimum of oversight or cost. It is always a positive thing when people can spend time with their hands in the soil growing food.”
The report concluded that “Nebraska is fortunate to have a large land base, favorable climate for food production, and a strong agricultural heritage. While Nebraska is already a leader in rural agriculture, these strengths position the state to become a national leader in new and renewed small-scale and urban approaches to food production, including community gardens.”
The preliminary task force was issued December 15, 2015 and the final report on December 15, 2016.
The work of the Task Force – including the toolkit – will be available soon on the NE Department of Agriculture’s site at http://ourbesttoyou.nebraska.gov/
Nebraska Farmers Union is a general farm organization with 4,000 farm and ranch family members dedicated to protecting and enhancing the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers and ranchers, and their rural communities. Since 1913, Nebraska Farmers Union has helped organize over 445 cooperatives.
— Nebraska Farmers Union
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