About the Conference

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conference is now structured as five educational and interactive conference sessions hosted live on zoom with recordings available through the end of 2022.

For more information and to register to attend, please click below.

Hosted by WSU Clark County Extension, and supported by a grant from the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) program, the first Farming on the Urban Edge Conference is an exciting opportunity to bring together members of the Peri-Urban Agriculture community together to engage in cross-regional and cross-disciplinary information exchange on topics including (but not limited to):

  • access to land/capital/resources for emerging farmers

  • farmland conservation strategies

  • understanding planning, policy and land use regulation

  • fostering community partnerships and

  • food and labor justice

  • premium markets

  • farm transfer strategies

  • diversified and novel business structures

  • farmer association development

  • diverse innovative strategies to promote, preserve, and protect the economic and cultural vitality of agricultural livelihoods in areas experiencing pressures of expanding urban land use

Conferences offer farmers and other food systems leaders who don’t often have a chance to come together given their busy schedules an intentional time and space to exchange ideas, learn, grow, and spur innovative thinking across sectors (while networking and having fun at the same time!) The conference will consist of presentations, discussions, breakout sessions and workshops, keynote address, and a social networking reception on a variety of topics relevant to Peri-Urban Agriculture.

Additional pre-conference events including field trips and a local dinning experience will be available for conference-goers and the general public alike - stay tuned for more details!

The conference will be hosted in Clark County, WA which serves as a prime case study as it is a peri-urban agriculture region with extreme urbanization pressures.

Who should attend?

Farming in an Urbanizing World aims to create an inclusive and collaborative space to unite groups and individuals working on food and farming issues to spur innovative thinking and encourage collaborative approaches to maintaining the vitality of agriculture in communities located along the urban-rural interface. This includes actors such as:

  • emerging/aspirational farmers

  • small-to-mid-sized farms looking to expand or diversify their operations

  • well-established farmers looking towards retirement and farm transition planning

  • regional non-profit organizations

  • university researchers and educators

  • students

  • representatives of local, state, and national governmental agencies

  • private business

Program

The schedule for future in person Peri-Urban Agriculture conferences are in the process of being developed. Please check back for updates in 2022! Until then, join us for our five educational and interactive conference session presented virtually through WSU’s Food Systems YouTube page.

The conference will be divided into four main tracks geared towards the needs of various stakeholders. The tracks will be

  1. Beginning

  2. Growing

  3. Established

  4. Community and Economic Development

 
If you have ideas for speakers, workshops, or breakout sessions or would like to host a tour of your peri-urban agriculture project for conference attendees, please contact us to submit a proposal.

The official conference language will be in English.

Accessibility information about the event venue will be available as soon as possible.

Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and special needs who contact the office at least two weeks prior to the event. WSU programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local WSU office.