Urban Farming & Selling Microgreens

John Moore: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Mother Earth News and Friends podcast. In this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends, we’re talking about all things urban farming with Kashava Holt. Listen in to learn about some of the amazing things he’s doing at Akron Urban Agriculture and get some answers to some urban farming questions.

This is Mother Earth News.

[00:00:36] Mother Earth News Fair Ad

Jessica Mitchell: We here at Mother Earth News enjoy hosting in-person fairs, and you can see a list of upcoming locations at www.MotherEarthNewsFair.com. We are also excited to present you with the opportunity to get that self-reliant, can-do content for the whole family right from your own home.

All you have to do is go to [00:01:00] Online.MotherEarthNewsFair.com and sign up for your favorite programs. Use the code FAIRGUEST for $5 off at checkout.

John Moore: Our last fair of 2023 is coming up in West Bend, Wisconsin, September 16th to 17th, and you can see Kashava Holt there as well as many other speakers.

[00:01:22] Introducing Kashava Holt: Importance of Urban Farming and Food Access

Kenny Coogan: Good day everyone, and we appreciate you for joining us on another exciting Mother Earth News and Friends podcast. I am Kenny Cogan, and joining me today is Kashava Holt, urban farmer and educator. Kashava’s main goal has been to help residents gain access to agriculture, conservation, education, and sustainability projects to help all types of people. His purpose for urban farming is to empower residents with education, land, technical resources, and access to consistent organic fresh foods.

At Mother Earth News for 50 years and [00:02:00] counting, we have been dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources, while helping you conserve your financial resources. Today, we are going to learn about urban farming, everything from microgreens to growing in high tunnels, as well as finding better ways to filter the air, soil, and water.

Kashava Holt: Hey, how’s it going?

Kenny Coogan: We’re so excited to have you. You’ve been working in the Akron and Cleveland communities as a student and outreach specialist with the USDA. Why are you in the field of urban farming? Why are you passionate about it?

Kashava Holt: Well, I think there is a lot of things that we can visually see in the grocery stores, in regards to the consistent, fresh foods, the high prices. And in a lot of the neighborhoods that I’m working in, where people live more than a mile away from grocery stores, that’s considered a food desert. So that [00:03:00] creates a obstacle for those individuals and residents within those areas. So part of the goal that I had in mind was bridging the gap between a lot of those barriers, and showing people and encouraging them how fun and how easy it can be to grow your own foods. And just having different land spaces around the city and Akron specifically that I’m working with and that we actually own ourselves, gives people the ability to have access to that information and be able to participate in some of the demonstration sites that we have available.

But most importantly, there is a lot of health associated issues that a lot of us have been dealing with for, I would say, 10 to 20 years, if not longer. I would say maybe 50 years, based on how we process foods, how our [00:04:00] production of livestock and a lot of the dry goods and liquids that we may consume in a lot of our day-to-day cooking. So I think now as a group or as a country, a lot of us are more conscientious of what we’re putting into our bodies. And I think a lot of the stuff that happened with the pandemic and just the, the shortages and just people not being able to get access to foods and some of the limitations that were put in place that made people more oriented towards growing their own foods and being more self-sufficient.

So I think having your own food increases your opportunity to improve your health, and you can also minimize the cost that a lot of us are paying for the fruits and vegetables weekly. So having something that is a lot more affordable and accessible [00:05:00] to the community makes sense, because a lot of these cities and areas, they depend on foods coming from across the coast, like California specifically, or Arizona, different areas like that. So I think the local resiliency isn’t where it needs to be. And being able to help people awaken in terms of some of the issues that are affecting us with the compound chemicals that are in the air, soil, and water attributes to some of the different diseases that we have currently, or that some of us aren’t fully aware of.

So I think the biggest thing is educating people on the importance of having healthy foods and looking at the longevity of your health and wellness, and being able to promote that type of lifestyle. And I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life and grew up on a farm. And just [00:06:00] starting in school and seeing how some of the options that were in high school and even on campus, they weren’t accommodating for vegans or vegetarians and just understanding the model, how some of these schools make money off of these contracts with a lot of soda companies paying them in advance just to have their products there and not being fully interested in looking at the students’ future in regards to, you know, health and just creating a viable community.

Kenny Coogan: Urban farms and gardening, like you said, it can be cheaper and they’re definitely nutritious and they help with the mental and the physical health. But I really like how you said it can be fun. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard somebody advertise, like, gardening is actually fun. Of course it’s fun. Yeah, it’s enjoyable.

Kashava Holt: Yeah. It, it can be a little bit strenuous on your body, [00:07:00] but again, we all didn’t grow up in, you know, houses at a prehistoric age, and we spent a lot more time outside and connecting with the earth. And I think that there is a huge disconnect in the way that a lot of us aren’t having that ability to get access to community gardens or farms that are inviting, that gives you the opportunity to learn and to participate on some of the free foods that they may offer, or just the education that may be available, or the regenerative practices that they could apply or that they could learn from. Just some of those different components aren’t fully in place, and I think the underserved or underfunded communities are a prime example of where community gardens are mostly needed.

My opinion is people have access to better quality foods, they’re gonna be in a position to where they can make better decisions and help [00:08:00] enhance their way of life. But just due to the microplastics and some of the fertilizers and chemicals that we use on our lawns and just the, the tires that break down every day, our air quality and some of the things that are happening with our soil. And I’m in Ohio specifically, so we’ve just have been dealing with a lot of train derailments. And I think having to deal with the uncertainties, it’s important to prepare for the future and having things that you can have for yourself to where you’re not depending on others in case we have you know, another pandemic, or a shortage that’s unexpected, or high prices that are just too unattainable because I mean, as we can all see, the prices have been going up in every sector.

[00:08:50] Rural vs. Urban Food Deserts

Kenny Coogan: Yeah. So now listeners of the podcast are familiar with the term “food deserts,” which are areas that have limited access to affordable and nutritious food. [00:09:00] Do you see a difference between rural and urban food deserts?

Kashava Holt: Yes. I would definitely say there is a difference. In rural areas, they really don’t have to deal with too much of the recycling issue, in regards to people just dumping trash all over the place. And there isn’t as many people in a rural area versus an urban area where people are more condensed and there’s a, a higher population.

So I think that scenario presents itself a issue. Because it’s needed in both areas, but the area to where you have a lot of people coming from and then moving to, there isn’t that concept of working together and creating sustainable models, like eco villages, to where the, the focus is more on profit over community.

So I believe more in the rural areas, people are more [00:10:00] conscientious of living and they have more space. They don’t have to deal with as many people littering or as many cars driving back and forth. So the smog and the air quality isn’t really affecting them as much. And I think people in the urban areas, because they, they don’t have access to a whole lot of funding. And some neighborhoods may have funding and some other neighborhoods may not. And I think that creates a certain level of hostility within the communities because of the lack of opportunities. So what we’ve been working on is creating those opportunities through engagement and just different landscaping opportunities or odd jobs that we could have people hired for on the farm. But once we expand more with our different sites, that’s gonna require maintenance, and that’s why we’re teaching people how to create that same model.

[00:10:57] Best Soil and Water for Growing Microgreens and Sprouts

Kenny Coogan: So one problem associated [00:11:00] with urban farming is space. And microgreens and sprouts are relatively easy to grow and provide important minerals and vitamins. And so we can empower listeners right now. What are some ways that listeners can improve their soil or water quality? Just talking about sprouts and microgreens right now.

Kashava Holt: Well, if they would like to improve their soil, then if they’re able to create it themselves versus getting it from a bag inside a grocery store, just putting together a bunch of leaves or maybe some tree trimmings. You can use maybe something that is recently cut down from a tree, stump. You can use sheep manure, cow manure, horse manure if it’s from a chemical free farm. And that, that is a, a, a big issue. And a lot of these farms, they use biosolids. So a lot of those biosolids that are [00:12:00] given to the farms by the state, that creates an obstacle in some farms. They, they don’t necessarily, you know, say, hey, we’re using biosolids, or, hey, we’re using chemical fertilizers for our grass or for pest that’s on our corn, and so on. So it creates a, a certain level of complications within the food systems, because we don’t have that level of integrity. But, you know, these specific farms were to, you know, get tested, whether they’re growing microgreens or sprouts, it would affect the, the economical system.

So the water specifically, if you wanna get better water quality, I would suggest you get an air-to-water generator. And that will produce alkaline or reverse osmosis. And a lot of that water has minerals in it. So if you need more of an acidic water, then you can use lemons or cucumbers to bring it up or [00:13:00] bring it low. So having a testing tool in place, will be able to see where you’re at in regards to the soil.

And I would also say testing the pH of the soil would be helpful, because then you can see if you need to add other things to it to make it more rich and more nutrient dense. ‘Cause living soil is healthy soil.

Kenny Coogan: I have a total dissolved solid hertz per million water test with me right now. Just talking about like getting microgreens and sprouts to sprout and then you’re going to eat them pretty quickly, do you have parameters that you like to see for the soil in the water, or are you kind of judging it on how many germinate and how they look?

Kashava Holt: Well with sprouts, specifically with that process, it can be a little difficult in regards to having enough sunlight to actually dry out the [00:14:00] sprouts specifically. So I’m gonna touch on doing sprouts with water first, and then I’ll do the soil. But yeah, the only obstacle or complication with that would be just making sure that the sprouts dry out good enough to where, when you’re laying them out and they’re sprouting, they don’t have mildew that’s built up because you have too much water that’s not being aired out. So if you’re starting an operation in that area, you need to, you know, make sure that you’re doing that properly, or even if you’re consuming it for yourself. So that’s the only thing that I’ve seen. But they’re usually ready within 7 to 10 days, depending on how you would like to consume it and, you know, what size that you like.

Now, growing sprouts in soil, because first it’s seed, sprout, and then microgreen, and then plant. So through those different stages in soil, it has a different taste [00:15:00] to it than if you’re growing it in water. So depending on the type of soil that you have, if you construct those layers properly, or if you’re doing it indoors versus outdoors, just make sure that you don’t have too much of a, a clay-like soil or just basic dirt, because that’s definitely gonna affect the taste and your water source, where you’re getting your water and how you’re watering it, that’s gonna affect just the growth and the amount of nutrients that you have within the actual plant. ‘Cause the plant can’t filter contaminants. It, it, it can for some, but it’s, it’s extremely important for you to be able to know your water quality and get the best possible water source that you can get available.

[00:15:50] Where to Sell Microgreens

Kenny Coogan: So you just talked about a microgreen or sprout operation, and I imagine it’s a relatively quick way to get income. It’s like a [00:16:00] low investment. You have a possibility of a high return on investment, ’cause you really just need seeds and water and maybe a tray. Do you have some tips on how to sell microgreens to make money?

Kashava Holt: Yeah. Well, you utilize your community face boards that you have within the stores. Libraries put up post, flyers, stuff like that. They have a lot of community groups on Facebook. They have neighborhood apps that you can be a part of. And I think just the visibility. Once people are able to see what you can do and what you can provide, that builds momentum. And from there, everything just basically takes off because you’ll have interest. And then as you’re building clientele with those individuals, people may wanna get subscriptions, like monthly subscriptions or biweekly depending on their consumption rate. And you just have to keep in [00:17:00] mind that, you know, you wanna make profit, but at the same time, you want to be able to keep in mind the amount of orders that you may receive. So if you’re not growing enough microgreens, or if you’re not keeping in mind the turnover rate in terms of how long it’s gonna take to sprout, then you’re definitely gonna get a little overwhelmed with wanting to fulfill the desires and orders of your uh, new customers or existing customers.

And then also, I believe having sustainable packaging for your microgreens and sprouts or fruits and vegetables on the farm, I think that is extremely important. What I would also suggest is having something that’s more plant-based to where you’re not using plastic that eventually break down the environment and that have a lot of PFAS. So that is a, a highly toxic chemical. So in order to minimize your intake, ’cause there’s microplastics in our clothes, there’s microplastics in a lot of stuff that we wear every day that breaks down. So just doing whatever you can. And you can get plant-based clothing that doesn’t break down like that. So there is other options, but just what you know, generally available for everyone, those are some of the steps that you can keep in mind.

And then also, testing the air quality inside your enclosed space or growing area, I think [00:01:00] is important. So you wanna make sure that the humidity and the temperature is where it needs to be so you don’t have any type of buildup with mold or anything like that. But other than that, that is a pretty simplified process. But you definitely have to be able to make sure that you’re concentrating on, you know, what works in regards to the watering process. ‘Cause for some of the trays, you may need to water it with an actual watering container. And then once it reaches a certain height, you may wanna use like a spray bottle. So it really depends on, you know, your actual setup. If you have like a five foot rack, or six foot rack, or a three foot, so depending on your layout, that’s really gonna determine what’s gonna, you know, be easy for you. Or you may wanna get a step ladder for some of those larger or taller racks.

Kenny Coogan: Because you’re harvesting microgreens or sprouts in 7 to 10 days, do you need to provide them any [00:02:00] supplemental lighting?

Kashava Holt: I mean, if you’re gonna do it outside, you can, you know, during the spring or summer, it’d be okay. Sometimes in the wintertime, if you have like a low tunnel, they’ll grow or even a high tunnel.

I think the biggest thing is just making sure that you’re paying attention to what type of environment you’re in, and just making sure that you have the right team around you to help you stay focused with what, whatever you’re doing. So if you don’t put all the pressure on yourself, it’ll make it a lot more easier for you.

Kenny Coogan: And this is adjacent to the microgreens. Many years ago, I visited a homesteader in England, who started selling bread, like homemade bread, from like Facebook on Thursdays. She would take orders and then she would make it on Friday and then sell it on Saturday. And then she didn’t become overwhelmed, but she had so many orders, she had to enlist a friend. And then maybe after [00:03:00] like a year or two, they were both able to quit their normal desk job and just do the bread. And then they diversified into offering chicken keeping classes and then beekeeping classes, and it kind of snowballed from there. And obviously this is something they’re passionate about and they’re able to do it in their urban townhouse.

Kashava Holt: Yeah. And then also with the microgreens and sprouts, you can make a jerky. You can make powder, like a protein powder, so you could always dehydrate it, dry it up. Because a lot of times, sometimes when you have unfulfilled orders or if you grow a bunch of microgreens, you don’t know what to do with it, keeping that in mind I think would, would be helpful to add another layer of nutrients that you could actually put put back into the soil to make the plants more enriched, if you have some things that are in question with the soil or the water.

[00:04:00] Selling Microgreens in Sustainable Packaging

Kenny Coogan: I’m glad that you mentioned when you’re selling these items, it’s important to think about the packaging. [00:04:00] I just wrote an article for a Backyard Poultry magazine, which is a baby of Mother Earth News. In the article, it mentions how there’s microplastics in a lot of the meat that people are eating, and a microplastic is a piece of plastic that’s 5 millimeters or smaller, so it’s very hard to detect. And what they were noticing, what this report from 2023 said, was that when they were cutting meat on a plastic cutting board, that had more microplastics than if you were to ground meat or cut meat on a bamboo cutting board. And people kind of switched over to plastic, I don’t know, 20 years ago, because they didn’t want like salmonella or contamination on their wooden utensils. But the researchers argue that you can microwave wooden things to sterilize it, or [00:05:00] you can sand it down. And then bamboo products are actually less porous than plastic. So we do have to think about all those food items that interact with styrofoam, plastic, and things that could harm us.

Kashava Holt: Yeah. I’m slowly seeing more microgreen producers in some of the grocery stores in our areas, but I think that those foods aren’t, like, accessible and readily available in those neighborhoods. And you know, people that may not have a car or may be handicapped or may be a veteran that is dealing with some sort of issue. And that can, you know, disallow them from being able to participate in the farmers markets or just being able to go to the grocery store. So I want to be able to bridge that gap.

And then also in a lot of the, the elderly homes and hospitals, I think that they serve a, [00:06:00] a huge role in being able to make that transformation in regards to health and wellness and how we’re all actually healing ourselves rather than dealing with a, an ongoing situation that isn’t beneficial for the future.

[00:06:15] Urban Gardening in High Tunnels

Kenny Coogan: Now, earlier you mentioned low tunnels and high tunnels, and you have built over 100 high tunnels while working with the USDA. Can you just remind listeners what a high tunnel is?

Kashava Holt: A high tunnel is a polyethylene metal structure. It can vary from as small as 400 to 500 square feet to as big as 7,200 feet, if not bigger. So there is really, really no limits on the high tunnel sizes, but it really just depends on your budget. But generally they’re within that size span. With the high tunnel, it allows you to grow all seasons during the summer, spring, winter, and fall. [00:07:00] And a lot of times, a lot of farmers aren’t really focused on growing in the winter, and that’s really difficult for some people that are in areas where there’s a lot of snow, like Ohio, Michigan, Alaska, Antarctica, just different places like that.

Kenny Coogan: I’m from Buffalo, New York, so I understand.

Kashava Holt: So the winter gets really, really tough and it’s hard to drive. It’s hard to navigate. People aren’t as motivated. We get the lake effect if you’re near a lake. So it gets extremely cold.

Kenny Coogan: So I was gonna ask you, what are some budget friendly ways to insulate these high tunnels?

Kashava Holt: Right. So, a lot of times where people have these structures, the funding is a big key component for being able to remediate a lot of those setbacks. So if you have a buildup of different types of compost, you can layer it up towards the side if you have the funding in place. And you can get like a thermal blanket that can go over your high [00:08:00] tunnel, or you can have heaters inside, or you can have geothermal system installed underground. So it actually has heaters that come up from underground and heats the inside. It just depends on your budget and what type of funding you have in place in order to really focus on being able to produce food. And I think that’s one of the goals that I wanted to be able to motivate people towards is getting excited about, you know, it being cold and being able to grow food and have different types of variety of vegetables or fruits that can be accessible. ‘Cause I know during the winter time, we, we don’t have as many vegetables that we see in the grocery store, and a lot of that is due to the local farmers not farming as much or as focused as they could. And you know, again, there’s a lot of complications that come with the winter. There’s a lot of traffic and accidents that happen on the highway that prevents people from getting to and from. So I think just the whole [00:09:00] stress about knowing that you have to walk in the snow. And it’s a little bit harder when it’s snowing versus it being, you know, a nice day out or warm. So I get it, but at the same time, being able to plan ahead and think about the future and having consistent nutrient dense foods is what, what it’s all about. That’s the new wave. And, the more that we embrace that, then we can have a, a healthier community. We can have a healthier state. We can have a healthier country. So we’re just promoting healthier living one community at a time.

Kenny Coogan: So of those ways to insulate the building, would geothermal be the most expensive, or would it depend on what’s underneath your farm?

Kashava Holt: Well, yeah, for sure. It’s definitely gonna be more expensive depending on if you have some engineers or welders in house that could help you with the process. But generally, yeah, it’s gonna be more, more of a complicated process because you have to involve the city to [00:10:00] figure out what type of things that may be underground that you may not be aware of once you’re, you know, digging a certain depth in the ground.

Kenny Coogan: Yeah. So what do you think is like the most budget friendly? Piling up compost on the outside?

Kashava Holt: Yeah. Piling up, compost along the side as high as you can. And just making sure your high tunnel’s well insulated. And you can actually bring stuff inside the high tunnel and layer it on the inside of the wall, so that’ll be able to help you retain that, that heat. And a lot of times when you see manure, it retains that heat that has a steam in it. You can put a lot of that inside your high tunnel and then put leaves over it, layer it, and then that will help add that insulation or added heat to increase the R value within your actual structure.

Kenny Coogan: And the higher the r value, the greater the insulating power.

Kashava Holt: Correct.

Kenny Coogan: And do you actually need to know what the R value is as a farmer? Or, [00:11:00] or is this just some number that you’re thinking in the back of your head or you’re like, oh, it’s cold, it’s not working.

Kashava Holt: It’s, it’s, the R value isn’t as important unless you’re building a greenhouse versus a high tunnel. But I think being conscientious of that model and how encapsulating your structure in a way with a thermal blanket or with a built up wall with a compost manure or sand, dirt, just something compiled to where it retains heat. That will be helpful with your operation, but you still have to be able to keep in mind that a lot of this stuff is gonna take time. So the sooner you get it done in season, the less work that you’ll have to do. So just start piling it up towards the beginning of spring. ‘Cause you know winter’s gonna be here eventually. And I think just doing everything all at once, you’re gonna be able to save some time, yes. But on the other hand, you won’t be able to [00:12:00] have that retained heat as you’re doing it step by step over time. That gives the, the soil, the ground, a chance to just absorb all those different nutrients, and soil won’t be as loose. It’ll be more in place.

[00:12:15] Tips for Finding Funding for Urban Agriculture

Kenny Coogan: You also mentioned finding funding to help keep your high tunnel warm in the winter. Do you have any tips on how to source funding, which you would have to pay back through the sales of your produce? Or finding maybe like forgiveness grants where they’re actually just like giving you money to start a business?

Kashava Holt: Well, they do have some grants on www.Grants.Gov. And just keeping aware of some of your agriculture, conservation, and sustainability networks that are here available, like SARE, and like your Department of Energy or the Department of Agriculture for your state. They have things that they could make you aware of, or just contacting your [00:13:00] local representative, like a state senator or rep, state representative for your area. They can help you with that process. But you can also just contact other organizations that are doing the same thing and figure out where they, you know, applied for stuff, or just joining boards and just seeing how that work. Then you’ll be able to see where some of these funding projects are really originated and the support that people get from the local community foundations and some of the private donors. Because at a lot of times people may just, you know, really like what you do and they just, you know, want to give you money. Those, you know, opportunities are definitely available.

And I think just being able to raise money on social media. Instagram, Facebook. If you have a, a good network or if you’re advertising, hey, I’m raising money for this cause and so on. That, that’s helpful. [00:14:00] And then as I was somewhat sharing, when you’re joining an agricultural network with others, then they can make you aware of some of the things that are available, just contacting or reaching out with people from different areas of the states. So then you can be able to see the type of national grants and funding that are available. ‘Cause your state may not be, you know, where wherever you are may not be that focused on urban agriculture or regenerative practices. So contacting your local conservation NRCS offices, they may have some information available because they’re working with other farmers that they could potentially put you in contact with. So then you can start learning, you know, from them and some of the funding that they may have in place. But I think joining a board will definitely show you how an actual business is structured, and some of the bigger [00:15:00] organizations that give large sums or quantities of money for projects oriented in that space. And then just reaching out to those individuals and seeing if they know other people that can give grants or know what, what grants would be available around different seasons. And then some of your hospitals that are in their areas, and FirstEnergy, and a lot of these major corporations, they all donate money towards projects that they feel are in line with their goals.

 So, keeping that in mind, there’s, there’s always more ways to skin a cat, as some say.

Kenny Coogan: But, and I’ll just add that you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. So once you get in those board rooms and you find out who is willing to donate, you might as well ask, or else you never gonna get it.

All right. We’re gonna take a quick break in our conversation to hear a word from our sponsor, and [00:16:00] when we return, we will learn better ways to filter air, soil, and water.

[00:16:00] Mother Earth News Fair Ad

Jessica Mitchell: We here at Mother Earth News enjoy hosting in-person fairs. And you can see a list of upcoming locations at www.MotherEarthNewsFair.com. We are also excited to present you with the opportunity to get that self-reliant, can-do content for the whole family right from your own home. All you have to do is go to Online.MotherEarthNewsFair.com and sign up for your favorite programs. Use the code FAIRGUEST for $5 off at checkout.

John Moore: Our last fair of 2023 is coming up in West Bend, Wisconsin, September 16th to 17th, and you can see Kashava Holt there as well as many other speakers.

And now back to our conversation with Kashava.

[00:16:55] Urban Gardening and Community Support

Kenny Coogan: We are back with Kashava Holt, urban farmer and [00:17:00] educator. On the Mother Earth News Instagram, Deep Roots Community Farm asks, “what gardening challenges are unique to urban settings?”

Kashava Holt: Well, I would say the land availability. Because in a lot of these areas, they’re vacant lots. And at times a lot of people don’t have the funds to actually purchase the lots or to do the maintenance that’s required.

A lot of those areas you’re dealing with vagabonds, homeless folks, and that creates a certain element within itself, depending on, you know, where your lots are. But a lot of our lots we’re, we’re in those areas. So we’re creating different ways to engage with people in the community to where they can understand what we can help them be a part of. So paying some people to pick up trash every other week or here and there, whenever. So making people feel more part of the project, I [00:18:00] think is helpful to deter people destroying your fences or camping out in your lot.

And I have another example that with our particular farm where it’s located across the street, we actually bought one of our sites to provide support for someone that had a high tunnel structure that was newly built and someone actually had lit it on fire. It was just doing different things to destroy the structure. So we felt just with our organization, getting property and just supporting other urban farmers in those areas will help minimize people just not really appreciating what we have in the environment. And then we had a local beekeeper that actually had some of his stuff destroyed. But it wasn’t anything that was really expensive. So I think when you’re dealing with neighborhoods that have a certain level of distrust and don’t really understand [00:19:00] the bigger picture of how having free foods can enhance their way of life and can provide them the ability to participate, get a job, or, or work with the farm, or to have an opportunity to enhance their career. Just the resources, mainly just having soil that is good for growing and….

[00:19:25] Is Soil Testing Important for Urban Gardening?

Kenny Coogan: And that’s what the next question is. Deep Roots Community Farm also asked, “what do you recommend for soil testing? Do urban soils need to be tested for lead, arsenic, or anything else based on historical land use? Excited to hear this episode.”

Kashava Holt: Yeah, well, I mean, they have local universities that may want to participate in the process. They have certain national organizations that would be willing to help with that. Some local organizations, it, it shouldn’t really be a process that’s expensive, but what I [00:20:00] would suggest is testing in quadrants to get an accurate reading, and that will be able to help you identify some of those different elements. And I think what also be beneficial is maybe getting a in-house testing kit. They have different kits online, like Amazon or even at Home Depot, to where it may not test for everything. So you may have to have a couple different things that you have in place. Just also remediating the soil, it’s, it’s a process within itself. And they do have certain nanotech out there that, depending on your budget, can actually consume a lot of those chemicals that are in the soil. And that’s gonna be more budget friendly here very soon. But as of now, it’s a little expensive. So there is different things that are in place, but if you model your business or your organization more towards a research purpose, then a lot of those things that are high priced, they, they’ll be readily available for [00:21:00] you.

Kenny Coogan: Can you remind listeners what nanotech is?

Kashava Holt: Well, nanotechnology is similar to microplastics, but it’s almost like a miniature robot that can be controlled. And it’s in a lot of the foods that we consume to bring out flavor, to have the foods look a certain color or to give it a a, a certain type of feel. So there’s nanotech in glasses, there’s nanotech in the clothing, some of the clothing that we wear in, in, in terms of the manufacturing process. They use it in the medical system as well for identifying different diseases that people may have within the body if they’re dealing with different ailments. Also it’s used in construction and some of our day-to-day lives. Some may see it in like, shampoos, lotions, different things of that nature, just depending on which products you’re actually using.

Kenny Coogan: But you see nanotech for the good of agriculture and [00:22:00] urban farming is gonna be in the near future, or not necessarily the good?

Kashava Holt: Well, because we have so many chemicals embedded in our soil, I think having a biodegradable nanotechnology that we could implement into these different phases to start cleaning our air in our soil and our water, because we do have a lot of contaminants that are being I would say released into a lot of our waterways and watersheds. And, you know, you can look up a lot of the corporations that are in your area and see where they’re manufacturing and so on to kind of see what you may be near if you’re interested in taking your project to the next level. And then kind of seeing what’s going on with, with that. And then you can tell what type of chemicals you may need to test for.

[00:22:58] Urban Gardening: Contaminants in Air, Soil, and Water

Kenny Coogan: At the top of the podcast you [00:23:00] mentioned tires, but could you briefly talk a little bit more about how we get contaminants from the environment into our air, soil, and water?

Kashava Holt: Well, we do a lot of cloud seeding, and that’s a chemical, so that affects the air drastically and the weather and, and so on, as well as the plant life. Just with the fertilizers that we all use on our, on our lawns, it, it’s a compounded effect. So that is something that’s contributing to the air quality. And then as you briefly mentioned about the microplastics, and there’s a lot of microplastics in the ocean that, that have been built up. Large, large piles. And a lot of those piles or debris or pieces of particulates from those microplastics, they’re getting into the air from brushing against the water on the beaches and so on. So it’s, it’s very small [00:24:00] to actually see and and understand the, the breakdown rate of a lot of these different chemicals as they’re all building up into these different environments over time.

So there is different studies that are out there. Chemists and environmentalists, they’re, they’re working in ways to improve what, you know, we have in front of us. But I think raising people’s awareness on a grassroots and community basis is one of the biggest ways that we can actually build a collective effort to address a lot of those uncertain things that we shouldn’t actually be utilizing for our day-to-day working habits.

And I think just the modernization of farming is associated with just this topic of discussion. Because there’s a lot of outdated practices that we do as gardeners and farmers, like catching rain and just the filtration [00:25:00] process of that, there’s a disconnect. And I think having an air to water generator systems that are, you know, feasible, affordable, that is the next level in regards to us building a a better future for us all. Because, you know, we can’t say that we can be the best that we can be and, you know, if we’re not practicing what we preach. So I think just being able to have more appreciation for our environment and for our people that live on it and the animals that encompass it. I think that that is extremely important.

Being able to evaluate some of the impacts from drilling and just the way that we may extinguish fires, some of the chemicals that are released with within that process, or just driving every day the type of cars that we use. There’s a lot of microplastics in the materials, and I think [00:26:00] as we drive cars, as much as we all are, those, those tires, they break down over time and a lot of that goes into the environment.

So I think having a tire that is more sustainable for the environment, I think is a good step in the direction. Even if we are, you know, making Teslas, I mean that’s a, a, a good, you know, option, but I think there is more things that we need to create in order for us to look at the long term situation for us all.

And then, you know, also a lot of people that have some of these larger farms, you know, they have to use tractors in, in their eyes just to be able to create the, the profit or reduce the amount of workloads that they have on, you know, a day-to-day or monthly basis. If you have a, a large plot of land that needs to be plowed, you know, a tractor’s definitely gonna help versus you doing it by [00:27:00] yourself. But I think a lot of the reasons why a lot of large scale farmers use heavy machinery is there’s, there’s the lack of people that are readily available to help. So being able to have a volunteer force in place that can, you know, show up and understand what the mission is and what the importance of having local, organic nutrient rich foods, chemical free, I think that would be able to start creating a movement. But there’s definitely some things that need to be addressed.

[00:27:35] The Future of Farming and Urban Agriculture

Kenny Coogan: So you’ve been talking about modernizing farming. You talked a little bit about air to water systems and then maybe reducing heavy machinery, and instead of them maybe hiring people. Do you have any other forecasts of what the future will bring?

Kashava Holt: Well, I think it really just depends on[00:28:00] how serious people are about just the life that we’re living every day. And I think the more that we have podcasts like this and having the ability to travel around the country and speak to people about some of these things that are happening, that gives not only me the opportunity to interact and raise people’s consciousness, but it, it also gives people the, the know-how.

Because I think a lot of times people may not have the energy or they may not have the support group. They may not have the technical resources or they may not know how to write a grant. And that’s some of the different things that I actually help with or our organization helps with. And we bridge that gap. So sometimes it takes just having annual meetings just to be able to raise the consciousness level.

So there definitely is hope. I think things are improving. You just have to know where to look. And I think the biggest thing [00:29:00] is just knowing the process on where you’re getting your food and holding a lot of those farmers accountable for just being chemical free. Or if they’re gonna advertise organic, they need to, you know, say at least what, what type of chemicals are, they’re, they’re utilizing for their, their grass, their weeds. And if they’re near, you know, other neighbors that may be using chemicals, ’cause you have chemical drift. And chemical drift, you, you, you can drift hundreds and hundreds of miles. You only need about 1 to 10 miles per hour of wind speed. So you don’t need a whole lot of wind speed in order for the chemicals to drift into different atmospheres and different elevations. So I think keeping that in mind is helpful.

And then also to reduce some of the microplastics and contaminants that are in the air. You can actually do windbreaks, like install trees along your [00:30:00] fence just to minimize some of the things that may be passing by in the air. And then also to protect a lot of your livestock or if you’re wanting to keep everything at a, a certain type of temperature, reducing that wind coming back and forth would be helpful.

But also putting fabric, something that’s plant-based specifically, on your fence, whether it’s on the inside or outside. And you may want to think about replacing it every so often. I would say maybe six, six months, every six months you could do a year. It just really depends on how it looks. You know, if you have a whole lot of cars that are driving by, you have a whole lot of activity. Whether it’s agritourism, new construction, that’s some of the factors that you have to keep in mind. And then, you know, visually you can see if it needs to be replaced. So I think that would be a good preventative option for people to put in place. You know, again, there is some budget friendly options that are [00:31:00] out there. You just have to do a little bit of research. You know, keep in mind that a lot of these companies that are selling these products, they’re manufactured from somewhere else. So as long as you figure out like where the source is, then you can, you know, reduce your initial cost or just have some way to build a, a partnership or a relationship with those individuals.

[00:31:22] About Akron Urban Agriculture

Kenny Coogan: Now you mentioned your organization and you’re the executive director of the Akron Urban Agriculture. Can you share with us some of your future goals?

Kashava Holt: Well, right now we’re focusing on research and showing the importance of using alkaline or reverse osmosis on your microgreens or sprouts specifically. I think that’s an important step. A lot of people are just using tap water. So I think reverse osmosis definitely works. I think it would be beneficial depending on your area. ‘Cause I know in a lot of areas like Michigan [00:32:00] and I would say Texas, where they have dealt with water issues, you know, in regards to hurricanes and natural disasters and so on, are just being connected to the grid and things happening. So I think having that in mind and knowing that your pipes may not be newly replaced and some of the things that are associated with the buildup. I, I think that’s something to definitely be conscientious of.

Most importantly, we’re just focusing on raising people’s consciousness in regards to the information. We’re not in competition with other farms. We’re teaching farms how to modernize their practices and how to prepare for water shortages or how to help ’em get into the farmers markets in a way to where they’re not just wasting a whole lot of money, driving back and forth and not selling vegetables and fruits. And then just being visual in a way and having us have access to these different land [00:33:00] sites to where people can come and learn, come and help out, help us clear land, being in a situation to where they can participate on some of the things that are happening. And just having a timeline online to where people can say, oh, okay, well, this is how they started. This is the process in regards to, you know, dealing with the land bank or dealing with city, because in different areas they don’t, people don’t always have land banks. I know that’s generalized, depending on the area that you’re in, but building a relationship with the city I think can be helpful. Or the council person in your area. Then you can expedite a lot of setbacks that may be unforeseen in regards to some of the zoning. Or some of the building permits that may be associated with a compost toilet or a high tunnel or just having a living structure on your farm. There’s a lot of things that you have to be aware of instead of just building.

And then I think the insurances [00:34:00] that are involved with selling food, whether it’s packaged, bottled, I think that’s definitely something to consider. And you know, if you’re not, doing things the right way, then your farm could be tested. And if everything’s not in place, you can get some fines. So you wanna make sure that you’re doing everything in your power to make it as sustainable and as chemical free and as healthy as possible. ‘Cause you wouldn’t want anyone to, you know, get sick or anything off your food, your microgreens, sprouts, whatever that may be. So, I would suggest if you’re, if you’re gonna grow anything, you should probably sell to people that you know, like family, friends, you know, within that group. People like what you’re doing. Then, you know, expand out towards Facebook marketplace or just advertising on social media, those, those different outlets. You have to utilize that to your abilities because that’s one of the biggest ways to where you can reach millions, millions of people, like within one day if [00:35:00] you go viral. So, yeah.

Kenny Coogan: Well, thank you so much Kashava for speaking with us and providing all your tips. Our conversation on urban farming has been very educational.

Kashava Holt: Oh, one more thing. I’m available for speaking engagements, if you would like for me to help you with some consulting or, I’m also a published writer for Mother Earth, just like you. I don’t know if we mentioned that at. Also, I have a couple articles that I’ve worked on recently in regards to chemical drift and beekeeping. So we do have a honey flow system at our site. ’cause we, the sites that we have, we’re making them more like demonstration sites. So we have just different ways that people can grow in a raised garden or that can beekeep, whether they have a solid frame or honey flow frame.

So yeah, if you are interested in learning more about that, just get in contact with me at www.UrbanAgriculture.com and you can Google us at [00:36:00] Akron Urban Farms. So that’s www.AkronUrbanAgriculture.com. We do have an inquiry page to where you can get some information if you’re interested.

And I would like to thank Mother Earth News for having this podcast and being able to share this informative information.

Kenny Coogan: Very good, and all of those links and email addresses will be in the show notes of this podcast.

Kashava Holt: Sounds good. Thanks everybody for listening.

Kenny Coogan: We thank you, the listener, for joining our podcast and encourage you to share it with your friends, colleagues, and family. To listen to more podcasts, visit our website, www.MotherEarthNews.com. You can also follow our social media platforms from that link and ask questions for future podcasts. And remember, no matter how brown your thumb is, you can always cultivate kindness.

[00:36:54] Podcast Credits

John Moore: You’ve just heard our episode about urban farming with Kashava Holt.

You can [00:37:00] reach us at Podcast@OgdenPubs.com with any comments or suggestions.

Our podcast production team includes Jessica Mitchell, John Moore, and Kenny Coogan.

Music for this episode is “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw.

This Mother Earth News and Friends podcast is a production of Ogden Publications. Learn more about us at www.MotherEarthNews.com.

Jessica Mitchell: We here at Mother Earth News enjoy hosting in-person fairs, and you can see a list of upcoming locations at www.MotherEarthNewsFair.com. We are also excited to present you with the opportunity to get that self-reliant, can do content for the whole family right from your own home. All you have to do is go to Online.MotherEarthNewsFair.com and sign up for your favorite programs. Use the code FAIRGUEST for $5 [00:38:00] off at checkout.

John Moore: Our last fair of 2023 is coming up in West Bend, Wisconsin, September 16th to 17th, and you can see Kashava Holt there as well as many other speakers.

Until next time, don’t forget to love your Mother.

Meet Kashava Holt

Kashava Holt grew up in Solon, Ohio, and attended the University of Akron in 2012 and studied Construction Engineering and Fire Protection Technology. As a student, he also received the STEM scholar award and other scholarships while attending UA. While attending school in 2015, he created a student organization called Urban Agriculture on campus to increase organic food access for faculty, staff, and students. Eventually, in 2018, he was hired by the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and Natural Resource and Conservation Service, USDA, to perform outreach for Akron High Tunnel Initiative. In 2020, he started the nonprofit Akron Urban Agriculture to further assist residents in food deserts with agriculture, conservation, and sustainability efforts. In addition, he received the Congressional Black Caucus award for the exceptional work he’s doing in the Akron community in food deserts specifically. Currently, he has an organic farm in Akron, Ohio, called Kalki Community Farm, and they are currently implementing beekeeping, composting, conservation practices, demonstration sites, farm tours, research, and volunteering opportunities to enrich the community in Akron.

Additional Resources for Urban Gardening and Farming

Find Kashava at our Wisconsin Mother Earth News Fair, September 16 to 17! Learn more and buy your tickets here!

Connect with Kashava at Akron Urban Agriculture

Our Podcast Team:

Jessica Mitchell, John Moore, Kenny Coogan, and Alyssa Warner
Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw

Listen to more podcasts at MOTHER EARTH NEWS PODCAST.

Check out the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Bookstore for more resources that may interest you.

Go to the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Fair page for an opportunity to see some of our podcast guests live.

The Mother Earth News and Friends podcasts are a production of Ogden Publications.