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GEORGE KENNEDY: Urban Agriculture on the Rise in Columbia

Missouri School of Journalism

I make it a practice never to turn down free food and drink, so when Jeff Chinn invited me to a program this week at the new Barred Owl restaurant, I accepted instantly.

It turned out that, along with the exotic nourishment, the 100 or so of us in attendance got a useful reminder that “urban agriculture” is not the oxymoron it might appear to be.

Instead, what that term means for Columbia is, at the moment, a 1.3-acre mid-city cooperative garden and, just over the horizon, an ambitious Agriculture Park on the old fairgrounds next to the Activity and Recreation Center and the Columbia Farmers Market.

Monday night’s gathering was the quiet launch of what will be a three-stage, $5 million fund drive with the goal of creating a 5-acre garden and outdoor classroom...

Read the complete column at the Missourian.