Reminder: Fri, Apr 8th, SARE Visioning Sessions (1-5 pm) at Sarasota County Extension: Join the discussion!

Hello.  This email has been sent to you due to your past participation in and support for sustainable agriculture in SW Florida.  Here’s your friendly reminder of an important opportunity to add your voice to the discussion about the future of the Sustainable Agriculture and Education (SARE) program for FL and the Southern region – see attachment.

 

As preparation for this workshop, I highly recommend that you visit the website http://www.sare.org/coreinfo/ceprogram.htm to review some concepts and applications of sustainable agriculture.

 

Here’s the information of this workshop:

 

Location:  Sarasota County Extension Office

            6700 Clark Road

            Twin Lakes Park

            Sarasota, FL 34241

            941-861-5000

Date:   April 8,

Time:   1:00 – 5:00pm

Agenda:

VISIONING SESSION TOPICS

v  WATER: Fifty-three percent of fresh water withdrawals are for agricultural purposes, mostly irrigation.

 

v  HEALTH OUTCOMES: Access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food is a need in some communities, especially fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

v  FOOD INSECURITY: In 2007, 12.4% of all households in Florida were considered potentially food insecure.

 

v  ENERGY: Urban food systems will depend more on protected production systems than conventional agricultural production.

 

v  DIRECT MARKETING: There are 98 farmers’ markets in Florida and 27 counties participating in farm to school programs.

 

v  ECONOMIC MULTIPLIER EFFECTS: Agriculture and natural resources account for approximately 8% of Florida’s total employment.

 

v  FARM SIZE: The average size of Florida farms was reduced by 17% from 2002 to 2007 while the average market value of products sold increased by 16%.

 

v  FOOD SAFETY: The cost of foodborne illness to the nation is estimated from $1 billion to $10 billion annually.

 

v  NON-FOOD AGRICULTURE: Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod accounted for 27% of all agricultural sales in 2007.

For more detailed information regarding these topics which will be discussed at our Visioning Sessions please refer to the “Visioning Frame”. To find out more about SARE or the Visioning Sessions contact Kelly Monaghan at kmon913@ufl.edu or by phone, 352-273-3508.

 

Thanks,

 

Robert

 

Robert A. Kluson, Ph.D.

AG/NR Extension Agent

UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension

6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL  34241

(941) 232-3090; FAX (941) 861-9886

http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu