Politico reports that "The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending. Roughly $660 million that schools and child care facilities were counting on to purchase food from nearby farms through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program in 2025 has been canceled, according to the School Nutrition Association.
"Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, castigated the administration for the decision, noting that her state would lose $12 million it planned to dole out to school districts.
“'Donald Trump and Elon Musk have declared that feeding children and supporting local farmers are no longer priorities, and it’s just the latest terrible cut with real impact on families across Massachusetts,' Healey said in a statement."
Garden of Eden Urban Farming
Promoting better diet, nutrition and economies for families and communities.
Training & Gardening
- We work with local affiliates to create training programs for technicians, managers and entrepreneurs with hands-on and classroom experience in soil-free gardening.
- We expose growers and students to a wide range of crops, equipment and media.
- We explore how to make crop choices based on market research.
- We encourage and support multiple methods of hydroponic cultivation; we do not focus on specific methodologies or advocate for particular products.
- Our current emphasis is on microgreens, the highly nutritious early stage of various vegetables.
Project Development
- We develop urban vertical gardening projects in cooperation with non-profits, churches, schools and small businesses.
- Our comprehensive planning tool helps new and experienced farmers avoid pitfalls that come from insufficient understanding of the business of indoor farming.
- We cultivate new economic engines in disadvantaged communities.
- We provide guidance regarding capital formation, equipment, logistics, training, production, distribution and management skills. Each local producer provides space, personnel and local transportation and networking.
Why?
- We are motivated by social issues stemming from the challenges of so-called urban food deserts, consisting of communities that are poorly served by the 20th Century model of food distribution and marketing system with its vicious circle of decreasing nutrition and economic decline. Many of these issues can be addressed, at least in part, by replacing industrial farming, long-distance transportation, and expensive storage with more eco-friendly, sustainable models that keep the food fresh and the money local. (Another Take)
- We strive to build awareness and acceptance of healthy diets and local production.
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© 2025 GOE Urban Farming Inc