How do we strengthen Tulsa’s rich sense of community? What if . . . Using urban agriculture, we can establish Tulsa as a nationally recognized food system innovation district combining the existing initiatives of farm to table, buy fresh, buy local, urban farming, new urbanism, intentional communities, and STEM? Create entrepreneurial opportunities while providing education […]
Category Archives: Urban Food Systems
Corporate Compliance The biggest challenge with corporate compliance is the potential operational drag on the organization. In the bigger picture, management needs to ensure any proposed control either maintains or improves operational efficiencies. Subject matter experts (SME) don’t always think from the perspective of executive management. The executive management team is concerned with profit, growth, […]
Diversity Focuses on Differences and not Commonalities I don’t like the word diversity. I like the word unity better. Merriam Webster defines diversity plural diversities 1 : the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety; especially : the inclusion of different types of people (such as people of different races or cultures) […]
The Business Case What if you could . . . . Working together on 100 acres of land in you could create a food system innovation district generating $10,000,000 in annual revenue and 220 jobs and over $100,000,000 and 2,200 jobs over the next 10 years? Provide access to fresh produce to your congregations? Provide […]
Why Incubate? Nonprofit organizations are considering worker-owned business development as a tool for community economic development. Worker-owned businesses and cooperatives often align with the mission of the nonprofit organizations that are seeking to build economic empowerment and opportunity. For more information about the ins and outs of using a non-profit cooperative as the sponsoring organization […]
Community A community of poverty, as previously discussed is comprised of a series of broken relationships. The key to solving an equation is finding the common denominator. The common denominator works in math and life relationships. For a system of poverty, community is the common denominator. Merriam-Webster defines “community” as “1 :a unified body of […]
There is an old saying around the farm “The chicken may be committed to making breakfast, but the pig, well he’s dedicated.” The point is to be successful farming, one has to be dedicated, not just committed. Passion for Lifestyle Emily’s second observation has been that not everyone has a passion for farming. That’s okay, […]
Regarding barriers to entry, the big buckets that act as barriers to becoming a farmer include equipment costs, land costs, transportation costs, knowledge, and passion. I met with Emily Oakley of Three Springs Farm yesterday. Emily acknowledged the equipment and transportation barriers and went further stating two barriers often overlooked. Need for Knowledge Emily acknowledged […]
Poverty is a System Merriam Webster roughly defines a system as a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. Examples may include a group of interacting bodies under the influence of related forces such as a gravitational system. Another example is an assemblage of substances that is in, or tends to […]
Why Urban Agriculture A few months ago, I watched a Simon Sinek Ted Talk about “Why?” ( Why?). His argument is that great change leaders start with answering the question of “Why?” His argument “why is what motivates change.” And that made me think: How do we solve poverty issues in Tulsa? Why urban agriculture? […]