Through Studio Farmer, Dan Scott has been working to eliminate food deserts and clean up blighted properties in the city.
Now he can embark on another aspect of his nonprofit program – providing job training and helping Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) who receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet their work requirements.
MORE: Studio Farmer Helps Augusta Grow
“The labor component is so important when it comes to urban farming,” said Scott, who through Studio Farmer oversees several parcels of land that are designated as farming tracts in the city.
Scott has developed an apprenticeship program, and he hopes to open it up to ABAWDS on April 1. He will be revealing details at a Community Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 at a Community Resource Fair at Project Life on Gordon Highway.
Besides offering job training, he can also help those adults set up their own urban gardens.
Over the past couple of years, Scott has cleaned up a blighted property on Cook Road as well as waded through government regulations to understand the ins and outs of receiving federal grants to erect seasonal high tunnels or hoop houses.
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Hoop houses aren’t greenhouses. They don’t have added environmental controls that greenhouses often do. Hoop houses are covered structures that extend the growing season, he said.
Grants are available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to set up the structures, but it’s important to know how local zoning ordinances can affect the hoop house.
Scott said the NRCS might approve a larger square footage than the city’s zoning ordinances allow.
MORE: Hephzibah Farmer Enjoys Teaching People About Food
That’s a problem he encountered with a property on Prince Road that will be used to help train people. The NRCS grant allotted for a larger space than the city had allowed. He’s currently going through the process of getting a variance on the site to allow for the larger hoop house.
Scott can guide people through the entire process and keep them from the pitfalls.
To learn more about Studio Farmer, visit facebook.com/Farm726Tract926.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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