Moving forward...

Farming in the City

Synopsis
Introducing Urban Farm to Las Vegas Valley by raising awareness about available, but unused resources and exploring possibilities to promote biodiversity within cityscape, educate residents how to use what is available locally to improve their well being and facilitate community and to create identity for their community and the city.

Position Statement
The land in the Las Vegas Valley has a lot to offer, including resources for farming, but such resource has not been explored for nearly hundred of years since population rely on their neighborhoods’ grocery stores to provide them with produce and products that have been brought from all over the world. I would like to raise awareness about available resources and show residents how they could use what is available locally to better their lives by reconnecting to local agriculture and providing access to healthy, nutritious and locally grown foods. Knowledge about possibilities will connect population to the land by their eagerness to learn more and willingness to work collectively to improve their well being, change their lifestyle and to create communities and identity for themselves.

Project Description
I would like to explore what would be the best way to engage and encourage people to work collectively and raise awareness about possibilities that could ultimately change lifestyle and improve way of living in Las Vegas Valley. The site at the Water District in Henderson has a lot to offer, yet just as farming itself, has been neglected and is in need for attention. I am therefore seeking to revitalize the site and reconnect people with the site and land. The experience would be evoking sense of community while space would be providing tools for people to learn, teach and share ideas with each other. Learning is an important aspect for Urban Farm to be successful; therefore, I propose to build an educational center which would become part of overall farming experience. As it is important for people to be part of the community and feel the sense of belonging, I would like for educational center to part of and belong to farmland itself as one entity where people would come together for learning as well as for any other type of activities.