WHAT IS MONTGOMERY COUNTY DOING ?
The new county Office of Food Systems Resilience is creating a strategic plan to address many of the issues noted in this article . bit . ly / OFSR-Bill-20-22
Montgomery County Farm to Food Bank Program is a partnership between the Montgomery County Food Council , Manna Food Center , the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture , and the Montgomery County Food Security Task Force . www . mannafood . org / programs / farm-to-food-bank /
Montgomery Countryside Alliance ’ s Land Link Montgomery connects beginner and experienced farmers with available land and farms within the County and the Greater D . C . Region . www . mocolandlink . org
Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming ( CKC ) has protected an iconic urban farm in downtown Silver Spring . CKC is now working to help establish comparable sites in other parts of the County . www . ckcfarming . org
Montgomery Parks ’ Community Gardens Program offers residents parkland for local food production . montgomeryparks . org / community-gardens
The Montgomery County Food Council , in partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection ( DEP ), hosted an event this past May at Brookside Gardens to promote “ Climate Victory Gardens ” to encourage residents to produce food . mocofoodcouncil . org / climatevictorygardens
Community FarmShare exists to build a connected , thriving , local food system by increasing access to nutritious local foods , building farmer capacity , and improving the health and nutrition of our local communities . Participating farmers are those who care deeply about growing healthy food using organic , regenerative farming methods that benefit all eaters and our planet . www . communityfarmshare . org
Grown @ Pope is a project dedicated to increasing the availability of fresh local produce for food insecure households . montgomeryparks . org / parks-and-trails / pope-farm-nursery
Montgomery County Master Gardeners educate residents about safe , effective , and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens , landscapes , and communities . They also support gleaning efforts , a great volunteer opportunity . extension . umd . edu / locations / montgomery-county / home-gardening
HarvestShare is a nonprofit that collects locally grown food mostly by residents and redistributes it to food insecure communities . harvestsharemd . org farms using regenerative and organic farming practices can grow more food and increase biodiversity . For example , regenerative practices that improve soil health are a win-win : sequestering organic carbon helps the soil better retain water and allows plants to access water more readily — increasing resilience to both drought and floods ! It also provides more nutrients without requiring as much chemical fertilizer — which is a major source of emissions and run-off into the Chesapeake Bay ( not to mention saving farmers the cost of wasted chemical fertilizers ). Reducing tillage ( turning and disturbing the soil ) reduces carbon and soil loss , and using cover crops enriches the soil , rebuilds soil health , and reduces runoff .
Some research indicates that food grown with regenerative practices is more nutrient dense — something that matters to all of us but is even more important to those who are food insecure and have less access to fresh food . Several independent comparisons indicate these farming practices enhance the nutritional profiles of crops and livestock .
A recent study paired farms across the United States which use conventional ( synthetically fertilized and herbicide-treated ) and regenerative practices . ( no-till , cover crops , and diverse rotations ). The regenerative farms produced crops with higher soil organic matter levels , soil health scores , and higher levels of certain vitamins , minerals , and phytochemicals . Crop by crop comparisons show differences in micronutrient and phytochemical concentrations that suggest soil health is an underappreciated influence on nutrient density ( including for the phytochemicals that are relevant to