Sydney Callahan Of Urban Roots: Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture; Why It’s Important and Why You Should Get Involved

An Interview With Martita Mestey

Martita Mestey
Authority Magazine
10 min readMay 19, 2022

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… Failures happen. Joining a CSA means you are committed to that farm or group of farms, so if a crop fails, you are in it for the long haul.

The recent growth of Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has been a modern revolution in the agriculture sector. What exactly are the benefits of Urban and Community Farming? How is this better for the environment or our health? What are the drawbacks? How can one get involved? To address these questions, we are talking to leaders of Urban and Community Agriculture who can share insights based on their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Sydney Callahan.

Sydney grew up in a tiny town in Massachusetts where soapbox derbies and corn shucking races are normal. She discovered her love for teaching while living in Belize where she taught nutrition to elementary school students in Mayan villages. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Community Health, she moved to Reno, Nevada to work at Urban Roots, a nonprofit organization that works to change the way communities eat and learn through garden based education. Sydney is a Certified Health Education Specialist, currently working on her Master of Science in Applied Nutrition, and for the past seven years, she has been helping change the way kids eat and learn in northern Nevada as Urban Roots’ Farm to School Educator, Farm Camp Director, Education Director, and now Executive Director of Programs & Staff. Life-long gymnast, artist, and avid celebrator of all holidays, Sydney is a die-hard Red Sox fan, lover of potatoes, and the most accident-prone person you will ever meet.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

When I started my undergraduate education, I wanted to become a nurse. The summer after my freshman year, I volunteered in the emergency department of a local hospital. After a while I noticed that there were many repeat patients. When a man came in with high blood pressure, the doctor prescribed a pill, and he was sent home. A month later, the same patient had a heart attack. He luckily survived, but perhaps it could have been prevented. When the patient first arrived, instead of only prescribing a pill to decrease high blood pressure, the doctor could have also talked to him about how to change his lifestyle habits to decrease his blood pressure and referred him to a dietician for additional help and education. From this experience, I decided I did not want to focus on treatment of illness, but on prevention and education. Medicine is extremely important and some illnesses cannot be prevented, but I have developed the belief that education and nutrition is the key to helping treat and perhaps prevent many physical and mental illnesses.

As of currently I am serving as the co-executive director for Urban Roots, a Reno-based nonprofit organization that works to change the way communities eat and learn through garden based education. In 2009, our founder recognized the potential of using the garden as a vehicle for teaching. Since then, we have cultivated an urban oasis in the middle of downtown Reno to open up the world of gardening to our fellow community members.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?

During our summer camp one year we did a plant dissection activity where we had to kill one of our tomato plants in order to investigate it and help the kids learn more about it. They were so sad about it that they went as far as naming it and making a gravestone to remember the plant by. It felt silly, but then I took a step back and saw the amazing appreciation these kids had for living things and how I wished all adults felt the same. Children can teach us beautiful things.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

  1. Patience and the ability to pivot. Working in the nonprofit sector brings a world of rewards, but it also brings loads of stress and unpredictability. There are many instances where plans have gone astray and we needed to put on our thinking caps. In those situations I try to think outside of the box, especially after riding out the pandemic. Knowing everyone else was pivoting and solutions didn’t need to be constrained by how past solutions looked and felt was liberating.
  2. Fluid communication. Maintaining an open line of communication was paramount during the peak of the pandemic, but it remains critical now. Whether we have the answers or not, it’s important for minimizing ambiguity and drawing team members and constituencies closer.
  3. Listening. Listening to what our staff needs in order to be successful and thrive in the work they do, while also listening to what the community needs from our organization, have both been critical pieces to being a successful leader.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Earth is the one thing we all have in common.” In every action I take, I think about how I can leave the smallest impact on the earth. I love my job because I am able to instill excitement, love and appreciation for the environment within the next generation. My hope is that if we can leave a lasting impression on our youth, the future of our planet will be sparked with promise.

Can you share something about your work that makes you most proud? Is there a particular story or incident that you found most uplifting?

One of my favorite parts about working with individuals of all ages is watching them become curious about growing produce. Children are notoriously tricky when it comes to eating nutritious things, but when you get them curious about the process of growing, they become interested in exploring so much more about the food world. We have had hundreds of students go from eating only baby carrots or bananas as the only fruit or vegetable in their diet, to eating arugula flowers, cherry tomato after cherry tomato right off the vine and kale pesto made straight from our kitchen.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. Can you help explain to our readers what Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture is?

Community Supported Agriculture is a model wherein consumers purchase produce directly from farmers and essentially sign up for a year subscription. For example, a local farmer named Jim will cultivate produce for the 150 families in your community. Each family will purchase a “share” from Jim at the beginning of each season which will give Jim everything he needs to grow and cultivate crops throughout the year. Each week, your family will receive a box from Jim containing fresh produce from the farm. This process allows Jim to receive adequate funding to maintain his business while providing you with fresh produce weekly.

Simply put, Urban Farming is the practice of growing food in an urban setting where space is constrained. This looks differently for everyone. Some people may grow food on their apartment building’s rooftops or may share a community garden amongst hundreds of fellow gardeners. At Urban Roots, our urban oasis consists of three 30’ x 72’ high tunnels that allow for year-round growing and education programs using farm fresh produce. However, whatever it may look like, the principle remains that urban farming seeks to reinstate knowledge and excitement behind where our food comes from and what it takes to grow it.

Can you help articulate a few reasons why Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture is better for the environment?

Growing your own food can be a powerful way to minimize your carbon footprint. Estimates claim it takes about 1500 miles for some food products to make it from seed to American consumers’ plates, which is… a lot. Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions make up 29% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. By growing your own crops or buying local produce, this helps to virtually eliminate your part in gas emissions while saving time and gas it takes to go to the grocery store to purchase the produce.

Urban farming also utilizes open space in a constructive way so as to avoid the practice of dumping and excessive pollution. An open lot may fall victim to someone dumping away a grimy couch with other types of trash versus if it were to be converted into a space for gardening.

We are unfortunately at a time where bee populations are severely declining, especially in urban populations. We’re lucky that the City of Reno just moved forward to become part of “Bee City USA.” But you can do your part by planting greenery and flowers to boost these populations as pollinators affect 35% of global agricultural land and play into the production of 87 of the leading crops worldwide.

Can you help articulate a few reasons why Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture is better for our health?

Knowing where our food comes from is huge when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. After produce travels such lengths, the nutrient density drops significantly and consumers are left with produce that is considerably less nutritious than if it were to be cultivated nearby. In the same vein, the process of planting and harvesting can be quite laborious which helps to improve physical wellbeing. Research shows direct contact with soil, specifically the microbiome Mycobacterium vaccae, has been proven to produce serotonin. That means that just weeding can put folks in a better mental state. Eating freshly ripe food not only is better for your physical and psychological health, it tastes a whole lot better.

Keeping “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture that people should think more deeply about? What can be done to address that?

While there are many pros backing urban farming, one drawback that is worth noting is the unpredictability of city settings affecting soil quality. The average passenger vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year which has a direct effect on the air quality. City garden soils are also posed with the potential of lead contamination during the time where lead ran rampant in paint and gasoline. While lead is no longer used in these materials, the after effects remain residual in large cities.

Where should someone start if they would like to “get into” urban farming?

If this is your first go around with gardening, start small so as to not over inundate yourself with the complexities of gardening. The perfect way to do that is through container gardening where you can grow a couple fresh herbs and veggies from the comfort of your window sill. You can use virtually anything for a container (I recommend the bottom of a plastic water bottle); once you nail the basics of container gardening, easing into more advanced techniques will become easier and more manageable!

How does inflation affect Urban Farming? What steps have you taken to keep costs down?

Like any other industry that has been hit by the supply chain disruptions, gardens have also fallen victim to the surged prices of materials. At Urban Roots we pride ourselves on sustainable practices and relish in the joys of upcycling old/used materials for our gardens. We typically use donated gardening tools from members in our community, such as shovels and hos, along with repurposing household items for garden crafts.

But also, inflation can have an improved impact on at-home gardening. The cost of growing, freighting and marketing produce to consumers goes up — which may encourage so many consumers to try their hand at gardening at home.

Can you please share your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Got Involved With Urban Farming and Community Supported Agriculture”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.

  1. It is hard work. Since urban farming is done in a smaller space, many people think it will be easier, but that is not the case.
  2. Community partners are essential. Going at it alone will never work. The community wants to help, so embrace that.
  3. Failures happen. Joining a CSA means you are committed to that farm or group of farms, so if a crop fails, you are in it for the long haul.
  4. Eating in season and locally is actually cheaper. Many people believe it is the opposite, but in the middle of summer when tomatoes are in abundance, they are a lot cheaper than in the dead of winter.
  5. It is so rewarding. Despite the hard work and possible failures along the way, the joy and contentment you feel when you produce a good harvest, while also inspiring others to garden, is incomparable.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Alice Waters. She is one of the leaders in the farm to table movement and started the Edible Schoolyard program which has been at the backbone of garden education in the U.S.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can learn more about Urban Roots by visiting www.urgc.org or follow us on social media at @urbanrootsnv.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

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