If you like Facebook farming, you’re going to love this.
The third annual Open Space Urban Farm and Harvest Festival is taking place Saturday at the Open Space Visitor Center.
Kent Swanson, the co-organizer for the event, said the event gives agricultural enthusiasts networking opportunities.
“With this event, we want to bring attention and celebrate the land that the Open Space Division manages as agricultural properties,” he said. “With the growing movement to preserve local agriculture, it is a great time to make the public aware of the land that the city manages.”
He said that the Open Space Division manages 366 acres of local land. This land is used for growing and also acts as wildlife preserves.
Local farmers and businesses will man booths at the event. The festival promotes urban farming, or farming that takes place in a metropolitan area, Swanson said.
“I have a 5-year-old son. I take him to the local farms here,” he said. “I want the next generation to be conscious and aware of where their food comes from.”
The festival will offer events for children this year as well as a seed exchange, allowing gardeners to share seeds with each other.
“It is important for our community to buy local and support the agriculture that we have,” Swanson said. “What we have now is wonderful, and without support, we will lose more and more land.”
Swanson works alongside Kim Selving, a co-organizer who has been planning this event for six months.
“It is rewarding to see how hard people work to farm and to create products for us to enjoy,” she said. “The enthusiasm really builds when we all get together.”
Selving said many college students find it hard to stop and be healthy because they lack the resources. She said the event promotes learning about healthy and local products.
“This event is personal to me because Albuquerque is unique in having farmland so close to where we live,” she said. “Having this event is crucial for the community because it will give people a range of options of where to buy
food locally.”
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