Mission:
The Mission of Oakland Spring Rising is to support existing community groups and new urban farmers to grow as much nutritious food in an urban setting as possible.
Goals:
To grow 100 pounds of healthy, organic produce for 400,000 people per year using available vacant land in Oakland. In order to achieve this, Oakland Spring Rising was formed to be a hub for material & knowledge transfer between those who have grown plants & mushrooms, who have kept bees & chickens & goats, and those who want to. Oakland Spring Rising first initiative will be to initiate 40 Farms in 40 days, beginning May 1st, 2015.
Years
2015 - Oakland Spring Rising Projects and Efforts
2016 - May 1-June10 - Join in!
Vision:
In order to achieve the Mission, we will offer resources to all community members who wish to receive assistance. Oakland Spring Rising acknowledges that urban agriculture and nutrition exist within ongoing struggles against private property and gentrification in Oakland. With this in mind, we support food insecure communities that want to grow healthy food and medicine. Amidst catastrophic weather instability, Oakland Spring Rising acknowledges that the healthier a community’s food, the healthier their decisions.
Oakland Spring Rising has the following as its primary methods of enabling community resiliency
Soil Testing - nearly all urban soils have some degree of toxicity. Oakland Spring Rising seeks to develop community based strategies for testing and treating toxic & damaged soils using plants, beneficial soil bacteria & mushrooms. Methods for dealing with many toxins are new, and Oakland Spring Rising seeks to make Oakland the largest and most successful urban soil remediation on the planet.
Food - In areas where the soil is appropriate for growing food, Oakland Spring Rising will offer free plants & compost to communities wishing to farm. In areas where the soil needs repair, Oakland Spring Rising will offer suggestions for soil remediation, along with materials for raised beds, free plants & compost, in order to ensure that community members wishing to grow food will still be able to. Where possible, Oakland Spring Rising will use hugelkuulture beds, to encourage water retention.
Animals - Most animal products consumed by people in the United States are laden with toxins. Oakland Spring Rising seeks to provide 100% local & organic eggs to any site wishing to raise chickens. Where appropriate, Oakland Spring Rising will offer workshops and education on tending goats in an urban setting, with an intention towards getting more goats into the community.
Medicine - The modern medical system is a system of disempowerment. Oakland Spring Rising will provide herbal plant medicines to assist community members with all aspects of health.
BioChar - Where appropriate, Oakland Spring Rising will provide Biochar to community farms. Biochar assists in soil fertility and soil microbial life and is available at little to no cost, aside from transportation, as an industrial byproduct.
Mushrooms - Oakland Spring Rising seeks to transport spent mushroom logs to community members who are interested in growing culinary and medicinal mushrooms in Oakland, as well as using mycelium for mycoremediation & soil restoration. Oakland Spring Rising will also serve as a knowledge conduit for any knowledge transfer that community members request.
