Thursday, March 25, 2010

From Harvard Yard to East Point's urban farm

Creative Loafing profiled the man behind the urban farm on Washington Road. 
That'd be K. Rashid Nuri.

Here's what was said:
Boston-born and Harvard-educated K. Rashid Nuri’s love of agriculture has taken him around the world. The 62-year-old urban farmer — and former Clinton appointee to the U.S. Agriculture Department — operates Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms, a network of organic metro Atlanta farms that offers fresh food and teaches how crops can enrich lives and build communities.
What made you dedicate your life to farming?
I’m a child of the 1960s. Back then, we were talking about nation building. In order to build a nation, you’ve got to be able to feed, clothe, and shelter your people. So I decided that I wanted to learn everything about food, from the seed to the table.
What caused people to lose their connection with the land and food?
We are an urban society. That’s taking us away from our soil. Atlanta’s a cleaner city by virtue of open space and trees, but it’s also one of the most toxic. The best way to mitigate this toxicity and reduce our carbon footprint is to grow our own food. This is because the food isn’t traveling. It cuts out that energy expense by more than half.

Read more:

Truly Living Well Urban Farm's Website: http://trulylivingwell.com/index.html

Classes at the farm start April 3.  If interested, call 404.520.8331