The Coalition applauds the Great Park Board’s unanimous vote to transfer operation of the Farm + Food Lab to Solutions for Urban Agriculture. The Board approved the transfer at their Nov. 27, 2018 meeting and also voted to “transfer $76,872 from existing appropriations to contract services for the operation and maintenance of agricultural amenities at the Orange County Great Park for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018-19.” We are thrilled to see this worthwhile project receiving the support it deserves. For many of us in the Coalition, Farm + Food Lab is a special place within the Great Park. We are happy to see it grow.
Farm & Food Lab is a demonstration garden at the Orange County Great Park created in 2009 by the City of Irvine in partnership with University of California Master Gardeners. See ‘faqs’ sheet attached. Read more about Farm + Food Lab.
Solutions for Urban Agriculture is a non-profit founded by A.G. Kawamura, former Secretary of Agriculture for California. He is also the head of Orange County Produce, a multi-generation farming company/family. Read more about Solutions for Urban Agriculture
Coalition President Teena Spindler in her volunteer role as a Master Gardener is the lead for a new display garden at the Farm + Food Lab. She connected with reps from All American Selections, a national organization which tests and endorses the best new seed introductions each year, at the June 2018 APGA conference at Disneyland Hotel. Local participants will start seeds sent by AAS, grow to transplant size, transplant in Edible Bed at Farm + Food Lab, and care for the bed. We see this cross-organizational activity as a win-win for everyone, including, of course, visitors to the Great Park.
