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Maurice Small is an independent consultant with 25 years of experience in urban food systems development, youth entrepreneurship training, and soil creation. Maurice Small inherited his profound respect & love for the earth from his parents. This love for natural process and growth nurtures his strong desire to build community as he teaches & cultivates a regional vision for sustainable agriculture, healthy lifestyles in
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Articles by Maurice Small at I-Open:
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underserved communities & urban/rural collaboration between growers & vendors. His work to address the development of a more sustainable regional food system in Northeast Ohio began in 1988 with vacant lot reclamation, community garden creation, work with local after-school programs and volunteering with organizations to cultivate urban local food production.
Small co-founded the City Fresh initiative and served as its first on-the-ground coordinator in 2004. City Fresh was a strategic project that focused on improving urban market access for rural farmers while improving food access in urban neighborhoods in Cleveland. City Fresh has evolved into a regional initiative that includes farmers and urban neighborhoods from six counties. In his work with City Fresh, Small supports neighborhoods as they organize Fresh Stop food centers which combine nutrition education and local food distribution. Small was part of the team that launched the City Fresh market garden training program in 2005 in collaboration with Ohio State University Extension to train urban farmers to utilize vacant land to grow food for market. In 2006, Small completed the permaculture training intensives offered by the Agrarian Learning Network with renowned international permaculture designer Darren Doherty. Small was also featured in several digital media projects which culminated in two feature length documentary films, including the Real Low Calorie Diet (2007) and PolyCultures: Food Where We Live (2009). |
Maurice Small UrbanAg Service Area Map
Above: Click on the red map pins for the city identification. Maurice serves 1,692 miles and 143, 723 square miles.
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PolyCultures was a featured selection of the Cleveland International Film Festival and has since played at five other film festivals across the globe. Maurice has also been heard on radio stations WCPN 90.3FM, WRUW 91.1FM, WCSB 89.3FM & on Mississippi public radio (MPB). He’s been featured in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Magazine, The News & Observer & internet blogs. Mr. Small’s photographic work was published in the 2008 publication of Instructions from The Cook: Recipes for New Conversations, by George Nemeth & Jack Ricchiuto.
Small’s current work allows him to support neighborhoods, cities, counties and regions that are committed to improving urban food systems. In Youngstown Ohio, Small’s work with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation yielded 15 acres of active urban food systems including composting, urban worms, healthy, naturally grown food, and greenhouse projects. In partnership with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, Small developed a for-profit educational initiative with four urban community gardeners in addition to developing farmers markets in the city, creating soil in urban settings, cultivating corner store fresh produce supply, and training youth in entrepreneurship. Small also served as Education Director for Goodness Grows, an organization dedicated to food justice and access in the Mahoning Valley (Ohio), where he supported the development staff in securing funding for projects, trained farming staff in growing techniques and planning for the farm and assisted with the opening of City Fresh Mahoning Valley in August, 2010. In Summit and Mahoning Counties, including Akron, and Youngstown, Ohio, Small created a for-profit business model to supply the cities of Akron and Youngstown with fresh local food.
Small is the Chief Compost Officer for Spencer’s Boy, an urban agro-tech consulting enterprise. Through his work with Spencer’s Boy, Small trains communities to start and maintain compost routes. This includes training for garden creation, vermi-composting, bee keeping, herbology, micro-business creation, and community activism through organizing.
Small’s education includes direct praxis-driven experience in an urban environment, study and intensive collaborations with experts and elders in the field and consistent research and exploration into both ancient and cutting edge methods, techniques and rituals. Small is currently working on projects that incorporate multiple levels of knowledge and implementation across the United States.
Small’s current work allows him to support neighborhoods, cities, counties and regions that are committed to improving urban food systems. In Youngstown Ohio, Small’s work with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation yielded 15 acres of active urban food systems including composting, urban worms, healthy, naturally grown food, and greenhouse projects. In partnership with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, Small developed a for-profit educational initiative with four urban community gardeners in addition to developing farmers markets in the city, creating soil in urban settings, cultivating corner store fresh produce supply, and training youth in entrepreneurship. Small also served as Education Director for Goodness Grows, an organization dedicated to food justice and access in the Mahoning Valley (Ohio), where he supported the development staff in securing funding for projects, trained farming staff in growing techniques and planning for the farm and assisted with the opening of City Fresh Mahoning Valley in August, 2010. In Summit and Mahoning Counties, including Akron, and Youngstown, Ohio, Small created a for-profit business model to supply the cities of Akron and Youngstown with fresh local food.
Small is the Chief Compost Officer for Spencer’s Boy, an urban agro-tech consulting enterprise. Through his work with Spencer’s Boy, Small trains communities to start and maintain compost routes. This includes training for garden creation, vermi-composting, bee keeping, herbology, micro-business creation, and community activism through organizing.
Small’s education includes direct praxis-driven experience in an urban environment, study and intensive collaborations with experts and elders in the field and consistent research and exploration into both ancient and cutting edge methods, techniques and rituals. Small is currently working on projects that incorporate multiple levels of knowledge and implementation across the United States.
Below: Maurice Small Resume (PDF Download)
| mauricesmallresume112015.pdf |
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To learn more follow Maurice Small on the web:
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