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51 CONNECTING FARMS & CITIES Can farms and cities live happily ever after? An AFT conference says yes. By Valerie Berton hirty years ago, farmers in and around Dane County, Wisconsin, began trucking fruit, vegetables and meat to a new farmers' market that offered them access to an affluent urban population in the capital of Madison. In the decades that followed, more and more residents came, sales soared, and today the market is touted as one of the country's best. On an average Saturday, about 300 vendors provide goods to close to 18,000 people. The farmers earn much - needed capital, while city residents enjoy, literally, the flavors of the country. "The people of Dane County care about preserving our quality of life in light of a growing population and urban sprawl," says Kathleen Falk, the executive of Dane County, which is in the area ranked by American Farmland Trust as the nation's third most threatened agricultural region. Falk was elected on a "slow growth" platform and is the creator of the county's ambitious "Farms and Neighborhoods" program that combines initiatives to both protect farmland and reinvigorate the city of Madison. "One of the most important parts of our good quality of life are our neat villages surrounded by productive farmland," says Falk. "We want to keep it that way." Across Lake Michigan, the city of Grand Rapids and sur- rounding jurisdictions in the Grand Valley are seeking to emu- late some of Dane County's initiatives to protect. Michigan farmland —and revive the city at the same time. The "Fruit Ridge," an apple - growing region warmed by a micro - climate, makes for productive farmland. But those same hills and val- leys that produce winning apples also appeal to city residents who have the financial resources to build mansions on former farmland. The challenge for Grand Valley officials is to realize their vision of urban areas and countryside peacefully co- existing. Their "United Growth for Kent County" project aims to do just that by improving economic opportunities for farmers, adopting regional growth management strategies to protect farmland and revitalizing Grand Rapids. Planners in these two areas of the country are working to achieve a type of symbiotic relationship that strengthens both city and country. Their work thus far demonstrates that both a vibrant city and a thriving bloc of farmland can co- exist —and be mutually beneficial— within 10 miles of each other. This type of farm -city connection, as well as others, will be explored in American Farmland Trust's national "Farming on the Edge: Conservation, Community and Commerce" conference set for November 12 -14 in St. Charles, Illinois: The conference will offer a variety of model programs to consider, and will include dozens of sessions featuring successful strategies and proven tools to stop sprawl, rebuild cities and strengthen agriculture. "We need to integrate agriculture into our increasingly urban society," says Julia Freedgood, director of AFT's Farmland Advisory Services, and a conference planner. "The way to do this is through land use policies that not only protect urban-edge agriculture, but that revitalize cities as well. If we do it right, with an environment that supports both a rural cul- ture and a city that offers diverse occupations for people, then both will flourish." Two years ago, AFT forged a partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to work on this goal of simultaneously protecting farmland and revitalizing cities —each in support of the other. "We recognize the vital link between the health of our cities and conservation of the working lands that-surround and sup- port them," says AFT President Ralph Grossi. To aid in the process, the partnership began holding "farm - city forums" around the country; four have been held thus far: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Charlotte, North Carolina; Rochester, New York; and a session at the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Detroit in late June. Additional forums are planned in Idaho and Washington state. Attendees include mayors, county officials, farm leaders and conservation/envi- ronmental leaders. FOR DANE COUNTY FARMERS, having Madison residents inter- ested in locally produced food is a godsend. The farmers' mar- ket gives them significant cash — thousands of dollars changes hands each week —and provides ample opportunity to promote other direct marketing strategies such as selling to restaurants and community supported agriculture (CSA). CSA farms sell seasonal shares to "members" who join their farms in exchange for weekly portions of the harvest and other benefits. The farmers' market also is an opportunity for them to pro- 18 AMERICAN FARMLAND SUMMER 2001