Summary
Natural Urban Farming, or nurbaculture, is the practice of recovering broken cultural connections to the land, increasing food security, and providing economic opportunities in farming by using ecologically sustainable farming techniques to cultivate, process, and distribute food in or around villages, towns, cities or other concentrations of population.
As the concept and practice of urban farming and gardening has become increasingly popular, thousands of people throughout the US, and especially in California, have taken organic agriculture and permaculture certification courses and begun growing food in their backyards and neighborhoods. Others also want to put their newfound skills to work in earning a living independently, raising their family income, or contributing to economically productive farming enterprises.
The PUENTES’ Nurbaculture Apprentice Training Program aspires to provide technical training in nurbaculture techniques and practices, as well as management and business skills training, in order to transform participants into urban farmers.
Commitment
The program will run for one year, whereupon participants will graduate with a Certificate in Natural Urban Farming (nurbaculture) and become eligible for continuing participation as a nurbaculture practitioner in the incubation project. Apprentices must make the following commitments to the program:
Apprentices will be responsible for managing and farming a ½-acre plot under the direction of the Training Coordinator.
Apprentices will put in at least 10 hours per week on this plot. Apprentices will attend a weekly class one evening per week for 2 hours. This class is tentatively scheduled on Mondays from 6-8pm.
Apprentices must attend 80% of the program hours to graduate.
How to apply
To request an application, please email Jeremy Terhune at:
and include “NURBIE APPLICATION” in the subject line.