International Gardening Expert to Present on Creating Organic Edible Landscapes

PRLog (Press Release) - Feb 16, 2009 -
With concerns about food safety and quality on the rise, Rashid Nuri of Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms has a solution: buy local and grow your own.

"[L]ocal food production...minimizes costs while maximizing the freshness, quality, and vitality of the food," Nuri explains in a recent interview. "[This] growing trend toward locally produced food...allows consumers to know where food comes from and who actually grows it.”

This logical premise is the framework for Nuri's thriving urban farming business. On 4 acres in Atlanta proper and in two outlying locations, Truly Living Well provides fresh, pesticide-free fruits, vegetables and herbs to Atlanta-area families through its community supported agriculture program. TLW supplies local markets and restaurants, as well.

Nuri is also committed to helping people learn about gardening and teaching them to become more self-sufficient. "We will teach you to grow your own food at home," Nuri says. "Through edible landscaping we can transform existing flower beds at homes, churches, schools and public parks into sources of beauty and nutrition."

Edible landscaping is what is on the agenda for a free-to-the-public teleclass 2 pm CST Wednesday, hosted by Phoebe King, aka FarmerPhoebe. It is the latest installment of the FarmerPhoebe Organic Gardening Speaker Series, which recently switched to a weekly schedule. Everyone with an interest in gardening and creating edible landscapes among their roses and petunias is encouraged to sign up for this event by going to http://www.askfarmerphoebe.com. Registration is free; the only potential cost is for a long-distance telephone call. The teleconference service is accessible via Skype.

Nuri is eminently qualified to talk about just about anything related to agriculture. He brings almost 40 years of agricultural and management experience to TLW. He has managed public, private and community-based food and agriculture businesses in over 30 countries, which included 3 years in Southeast Asia, 5 years in Nigeria and almost 2 years in Ghana. His travels have given Rashid a unique perspective in observing local food economies around the world. As founder of TLW he brings that perspective—and global experience—to urban areas where good health and nutrition are lacking. Rashid also served four years as a Senior Executive in the Clinton administration, including Deputy Administrator of the Farm Service Agency and Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has a Master of Science degree in plant and soil science from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Harvard University.

"Especially considering how busy he is, I am honored to have Mr. Nuri as a guest," says teleclass host King. "I'm sure he's forgotten more about organic gardening than I will ever know. This is a great opportunity to learn from one of the best."

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/10183114/1