UC Cooperative Extension helps farming sprout in the city

Abstract

Research news UC Cooperative Extension helps farming sprout in the city A MIke Poe Urban agriculture is undergoing a revival in California, and research shows that community gardens increase consumption of fresh produce, provide nutrition education and build community. s the sustainable food movement grows, farming is taking root in California cities from San Francisco to San Diego. Urbanites are asking for — and receiving — municipal ap- proval to plant vegetable gardens in empty lots and under power lines, and to raise backyard chickens and bees. To help the state’s urban agriculture thrive, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) research- ers are working to boost resources and programs for city growers. “People are passionate about keeping bees, growing their own food, and distributing it to the community,” says Rachel Surls, who recently be- came the first Sustainable Food Systems advisor in UCCE Los Angeles County and is also a member of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, which pro- motes local agriculture, sustainability and healthy food for underserved communities. But passion isn’t enough, and Surls soon learned that reliable information on city farming is lacking. “It became clear that while many people are enthu- siastic, we don’t know much about the needs of ur- ban agriculture or even what it looks like,” she says. To help find out, she was the client for a UCLA study of urban agriculture in Los Angeles County (see sidebar on page 202). In addition, she as- sembled a team that was awarded a 2-year UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) grant to identify proven benefits of urban farming and to assess ANR’s current urban agricultural services as well as needs for the future. The 15-member team includes experts in urban agriculture, small-scale farming, sustainable agriculture, integrated pest management and urban planning. “Issues like food safety and pest management are important for small, urban growers just as they are for large, rural ones,” Surls says. “Who bet- ter than UC ANR and UCCE to say, ‘Here are the best practices’?” Historical ups and downs While today’s upswing in urban agriculture is new to most of us, the United States has a long his- tory of growing food in the city. Industrial cities in the Northeast used farming to build skills among unemployed workers in the 1890s; the federal gov- ernment funded subsistence gardens during the Great Depression; and Victory Gardens helped people get enough to eat during the world wars. But as the post-World War II economy boomed, suburbs spread into farmland, and cities set new zoning codes to keep the two land uses separate. Fast forward to today, and the boundary be- tween cities and farming is beginning to blur again. The 2010s have seen a resurgence of legal urban agriculture in California, including farms and on-site sales of produce and eggs in San Francisco and Berkeley, chickens in Sacramento, and bees and miniature goats in San Diego. In addition, Los Angeles is poised to allow growing food plants in sidewalk strips. Health and social benefits These changes in municipal codes are driven by people who embrace green living under local, sustainable and slow food movements as well as by local governments seeking to tap urban agricul- ture’s social benefits. Advocates tout city farming as a remedy for obesity, poverty and other woes. However, these complex issues have many causes. “There’s a lot of hype about the health and social benefits,” Surls says. “We wanted to see the data.” Her team reviewed studies of urban agriculture nationwide and found that, hype aside, there are plenty of well-documented direct benefits that make a strong case for cities to welcome and sup- port farming within their limits. Community gar- dens boost consumption of fresh produce, can save participants hundreds of dollars per season in food costs, and, along with farmers markets, provide nutrition education that increases healthy cooking and eating. Farming also builds community in cities. People gather at farmers markets, and come to consen- sus when planning and working in community http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.edu • OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2013 199