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

This event allows participants to see what local residents are growing in their own front and backyards, to secure a healthier and more sustainable future. These self-guided tours can begin any time between:

- 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Aberdeen Elementary School Gardens in Moore County.

- 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens in Cumberland County.

Visitors will see urban home owners giving demonstrations on beekeeping, 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 group said in a news release.

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 news release said.

A key goal of the tour is to show participants how to take Urban Farming concepts and make them work in their own yards.

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

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 and Moore County Cooperative Extension.

Anyone interested in volunteering, being a sponsor, becoming a member or learning more about Sustainable Sandhills programs and events can visit http://sustainablesandhills.org or call 484-9098.

Sustainable Sandhills is a nonprofit organization with a focus in the eight-county region surrounding Fort Bragg.

It is committed to raising awareness of not only the environment, but also the economy and quality of life through programs ranging from recycling to green business to eco-tourism.