Beyond feeding the city: The multifunctionality of urban farming in Vancouver, BC

Abstract

This article explores the development of municipal policy and planning processes related to urban agriculture, and more specifically to urban farming in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We examine the extent to which Vancouver's food and sustainability-related policies align with the commitments of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, a set of commitments and action framework that emerged as a key legacy from the 2015 World Expo: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. The article highlights the challenges and policy constraints of urban farming as a market-based food security and sustainability mechanism through a comparison of four urban farming organizations in Vancouver. This study contributes to the development of emerging value frameworks that move beyond market-based and supply-oriented rural replacement models for urban farming. We conclude by calling attention to issues of food literacy, equity, and inclusion within municipal food system policy and planning, and the opportunity to frame support for urban farming as a mechanism to orient urban citizens towards issues of peri-urban and rural food production.