NTI PodTalk with Sprout City Farms Program Manager

Today Dianne interviews Stefan Karg, the Program Manager for Sprout City Farms.

Sprout City Farms builds educational urban farms to engage communities, strengthen neighborhood resiliency, and root farmers in the city. They envision a thriving local food system supported by a network of accessible city farms which nourish, and are nourished by, their surrounding communities.

Their farms serve as a platform for education, health, food justice advocacy, ecological stewardship, community wealth building, vocational training, and neighborhood resiliency.

Stefan grew up in Lakewood and Arvada, Colorado and spent his childhood helping his mom and grandmother grow their own food and explore the wildlands of Colorado. While studying environmental communication and wildlife biology at Colorado State University, Stefan worked for a local garden center and landscape company where his love for horticulture exploded. Stefan realized that the most effective way to make change in the world is through connecting, supporting, and educating people. After college, Stefan worked for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science creating programs for their community of families, children, and teens. Since leaving the museum setting, he has been running the operations of the outdoor education and park ranger programs and overseeing the organic garden club at Red Rocks Community College. He also just became a Colorado Certified Gardener with CSU Extension!

As an educator, naturalist, and horticulturist, Stefan is excited to join Sprout City Farms as the Program Manager on the mission of creating thriving local food systems that strengthen our communities and enrich the environment. You can reach Stefan at

st****@sp*************.org

.

In this episode Stefan and Dianne discuss:

01:50 – About Stefan and what his role is with Sprout City Farms
03:15 – Where the locations of the Sprout City Farms
04:05 – Is farming under solar panels a viable option for the future?
04:43 – How Sprout City builds farms that support schools and local communities
06:40 – Using underutilized spaces to grow and learn about food
07:36 – Institutions that are near the farms use the food grown on the farms for “Farm to Cafeteria” programs to include more fresh foods in school lunches
09:25 – Mobile farm stands
10:45 – Being a part of the solution to food deserts and food apartide
16:20 – Rooting farms in urban communities
17:40 – How to get involved with Sprout City with volunteer days, farm-to-table dinners, and farm stands
19:56 – What Sprout City grows on their farms
21:00 – What the future plans are for Sprout City Farms
22:25 – Farm-to-school curriculum
26:48 – What Sprout City does with their urban farms to account for the pollution in cities
28:50 – Soil rejuvenation through low till and no-till farming
30:17 – Increasing carbon sequestering in the soil by creating ecological stewardship areas
32:45 – Recommendations to start urban farming
34:25 – How to get in touch with Sprout City
36:10 – Bonus content – Certified Organic vs. Certified Naturally Grown and more!

NTI’s PodTalk is available on all major podcast platforms! Find us by searching “NTI PodTalk” in your favorite podcast platform or by following any of the links below.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts

Other episodes of the NTI PodTalk that feature experts in the food system and food production:

Fermentation revivalist, Sandor Katz

Former NTI student and olive oil expert, Matthew Graylin

Julie Ebert, Co-owner of Ebert Family Farms

About Nutrition Therapy Institute’s Holistic Nutrition Certification

Nutrition Therapy Institute (NTI) is a leader in holistic nutrition education. Since 1999, NTI has provided students with the highest quality in nutrition training by offering comprehensive holistic nutrition courses. Offering online and in-person nutrition course options to help students achieve thriving careers as holistic nutrition therapists. Interested in starting our holistic nutrition courses and earning your holistic nutrition certification? Attend an informational webinar to learn more by signing up HERE.

Are you ready to start your journey as a Nutrition Therapist Master or Natural Food Chef?

Learn more about NTI’s Nutrition Therapist Master Certification with program information and application requirements or call 303-284-8361 to speak with our admissions team.

This discussion is not intended to provide Medical Nutrition Therapy, nor in any way imply that Nutrition Therapists who graduate from NTI are qualified to provide Medical Nutrition Therapy. The scope of practice for graduates of NTI is to deliver therapeutic nutrition guidance to our clients which helps support their natural biology to achieve optimal function in whatever wellness path they are on.