An initiative to establish a North American Urban and Periurban Agriculture Alliance was launched in October 2006 in Vancouver BC at a workshop during the joint Community Food Security Coalition – Food Secure Canada conference.  A year later, the Cedar Tree Foundation of Boston awarded the Alliance seed funding to support its proposed slate of activities during 2007-2008.  A retreat to flesh out the mission, vision and strategic plan for the Alliance will take place in March in Washington, and an inaugural conference will follow in October in Philadelphia.

An extensive but disjointed urban and periurban agriculture movement is emerging in North America. The founders of this initiative have identified this fragmentation as a major hindrance to the development of urban farming in the region. They are thus prioritizing the need for a new initiative that can bridge several divides: geographical (the US, Canada, and ultimately Mexico and the Caribbean), thematic (comprising, beyond community food security, everything from farmland preservation to climate-change prevention), professional (across several disciplines and areas of specialization). 

The aim of the Alliance is thus to bring together a wide and culturally diverse range of actors and stakeholders involved in urban and periurban agriculture in North America, to share knowledge and best practices amongst them and to foster linkages externally, so as to give voice to its advocates and recognition and legitimacy to its activities.

The initiative is based in Toronto and Madison (Wisconsin).  To see the Founding Statement and additional details on the Alliance, please go to http://www.foodsecurity.org/. or contact one of the coordinators: Martin Bailkey (bailkey@sbcglobal.net), James Kuhns (jkuhns@sympatico.ca) or Joe Nasr (joenasr@sympatico.ca).