Although the local food movement is hardly a new concept, we’re seeing applications and online networks popping up to connect farmers and eaters everywhere.
Locavore is an application for the iPhone that answers the question “when is fill-in-the-blank vegetable going to be in season near me?” It offers an easy interface that asks users to enter their city information and then it does the rest of the work, providing an updated list of what is being grown and sold in your area.
Ning is a site that allows users to create their own social networks around anything – from writing to grilling – to connect with others that share similar interests and passions. Within this larger community, Treehugger points us to Ooooby – “Out of our own backyards” – a group based in New Zealand that already boasts of nearly one thousand members. Their goal is to bring anyone growing food – from full fledged farmers to weekend weeders – together with hungry locals to sell, swap or share their efforts. The Ooooby page also includes a link encouraging like minded individuals in the US and UK to start their own “opods” or local groups in their own cities and towns.
Portland-based VeggieTrader is an online marketplace that wants to extend the reach of your vegetable patch by connecting neighbors looking to transform some of their bumper crop of cucumbers into tomatoes or simply trade some gardening advice. The recently launched free service acts like a classified section that allows members to post listings and is searchable by zip code.
Treehugger:Social Network “Ooooby” Connects Locavores & Food Growers
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Check out Channel 4’s http://landshare.channel4.com/ too – for people who want to find land to grow their own, or people who have land which they’re willing to offer for use.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Hey folks – We also have hyperlocavore.com a free yard sharing community, come on by, we have members from all over the place, both seeking gardeners and seeking yards!
April 16th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Great article. It’s exciting to see communities mobilizing to expand urban gardens and help get fresh, healthy food to all. Our web-based platform, FarmsReach.com, also works in this vein – connecting farmers and ranchers with wholesale buyers like restaurants. If you’re in the SF Bay Area, please check it out! We’ll soon be expanding to other regions as well.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:51 pm