The first Sustainable Sandhills Urban Farm Tour will be held Saturday, April 11.

"This is your chance to see what local people are growing in their own front and backyards to secure a healthier and more sustainable future," says a spokesman.

Self-guided tours can begin any time between: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Aberdeen Elementary School Gardens in Moore County or 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens in Cumberland County.

Visitors will see urban homeowners, much like themselves, giving demonstrations on bee-keeping, the use of native plantings and edible landscapes, rain-harvesting, raising chickens as laying hens, vermi-composting (worms!), shade gardens, certified wildlife habitat, growing fresh-cut flowers and more. During the tour, participants will be able to see firsthand how practices such as tilling-in cover crops, composting and building raised beds can improve soil quality and increase yields.

During the 1940s, they were called "Victory Gardens." Fruit, vegetable, and herb gardens planted in yards across America served to reduce the pressure on the public food supply and boost morale at home during the war effort. Today, a similar movement is growing across America, but for different reasons.

The "urban farming" movement is exploding across the nation as individuals choose to grow their own produce and buy locally as a way to demand healthier food and higher environmental standards. A key goal of the tour is to show participants how to take urban farming concepts and make them work in their own yards.

According to Community Action Team champion and tour planner, Jan Leitschuh, "The tours will show participants how local urban farmers weave rural elements seamlessly into town and suburban life -- all without annoying their neighbors!"

This event is sponsored by the Public Works Commission of Fayetteville; Sustainable Fort Bragg; Gulley's Garden Center; Farm up the Street; Aberdeen Supply Company; Carthage Farm Supply; Sweet Fi's Cakes; J&L Sustainability Consultants; Play it Again Sports; The Squire's Pub; Botanical Garden Club; Southern Landscaping Group and Moore County Cooperative Extension.

To volunteer, sponsor, become a member or find out more information about Sustainable Sandhills programs and events, visit http://sustainablesandhills.org or call 910-484-9098.