Speakers at Seedstock’s “Grow Riverside” Conference to Examine Opportunities for Urban and Local Ag

December 3, 2013 | Robert Puro

Riverside, CA – How can cities leverage unused agricultural land to increase the supply of locally available and create new jobs and farmers? What small scale urban agriculture solutions are bearing fruit? Is it possible to create an economically viable farming business on one or two acres of land? How can the USDA help? What are innovators in the sustainable urban agriculture space doing? What policy needs to be put into place to facilitate an active agricultural economy in a city and on its fringes?

These and other questions will be the focus of Seedstock’s upcoming Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond! conference, which is set to take place on March 19 – 20 at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, CA. The event will feature urban agriculture innovators, key policy makers, nutrition experts, and investors, who will partake in a two-day, outcomes-based conference to examine solutions to help cities, Riverside in this particular case, to galvanize their citizens, growers, advocates, government officials and other major stakeholders around the economic opportunities that can result from employing sustainable urban agriculture.

Some of the innovators and noteworthy presenters who will address these issues include:

Pierre Sleiman is a young entrepreneur who has become involved in the mission of accelerating the movement towards local and sustainable farming and fostering interest in youth to choose agriculture as an exciting career. Pierre is the founder and CEO of Go Green Agriculture, a local farming business that grows local, high-quality leafy greens. He has been named as one of the “50 People to Watch in 2013” by San Diego Magazine and has been featured in over two-dozen other publications and live news broadcasts. He holds a Masters degree in Business from UC San Diego and a double Computer Science/Business bachelor’s degree from UC Riverside. Pierre was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the San Diego Farm Bureau. Read More

“Grow Riverside” Conference to Examine Economic, Community Benefits of Local Sustainable Agriculture

November 21, 2013 | seedstock

News Release: Riverside, CA – November 21, 2013 – Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond!, slated for Wednesday and Thursday, March 19-20, 2014, will reconnect the City of Riverside to its agricultural roots as well as provide a template for other cities interested in identifying the economic and community advantages of local sustainable farming.

The objectives of the conference, to be held at the Riverside Convention Center, will define opportunities for food production within Riverside’s environs, explore solutions to sustainably increase local food in an economically viable manner, and develop practical next steps to leverage the area’s rich agricultural assets.

“One of society’s burgeoning challenges is the need to establish local, sustainable food sources,” said Seedstock co-founder and Grow Riverside event organizer, Robert Puro. “The conference seeks to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in sustainable agriculture by uniting citizens, growers, advocates, government officials, and other major stakeholders to forge new partnerships and, ultimately, develop creative solutions to building and expanding local urban agriculture.”

Keynote addresses and panel discussions will afford conference attendees the opportunity to explore a variety of topics, including: Building a Local Agriculture Future; Developing Economically Viable Small-scale Farming Solutions; Health and Community Benefits of Local Food; Funding the Future of Farming; Citrus and Beyond; The Local Food Landscape; Urban Farming; and, Forming a Local Food Alliance.

“Our conference, although designed with the city of Riverside in mind, can be a model for any and all cities looking to enhance local agriculture and assist growers and farmers in their success,” said Councilmember Chris MacArthur, who represents Riverside’s historic greenbelt area. “We encourage farmers, entrepreneurs, food service businesses, city planners and all other interested parties to join us and share their innovative ideas at the conference.”

To purchase early bird tickets, please visit http://growriverside.eventbrite.com.

About Seedstock

Seedstock is a social venture focused on innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Through the use of a variety of tools, including the news and information blog Seedstock (http://www.Seedstock.com) and live events, the company promotes agricultural startup companies, university research, urban agriculture initiatives, and farmers employing innovative new techniques and approaches.

About the City of Riverside

The City of Riverside made the navel orange a symbol of bounty and a household staple in California, and today the City maintains more than 1,000 acres of citrus groves. As Riverside continues to grow, so does local pride for the City’s rich agricultural history and consumer demand for healthful local foods. A full 11 percent of the total acreage of the city is designated for agricultural use, unparalleled for a Southern California city of its size. Riverside’s growers, local government officials, and residents are eager to be at the forefront of innovation as a city devoted to sustainable local agriculture.