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Improved test scores; education of how food grows

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Farming and gardening will be considered the same for the purpose of this paper.

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Perceived Benefits to Human Well-being of Urban Gardens

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Abstract

Domestic gardens provide a significant component of urban green infrastructure but their relative contribution to eco-system service provision remains largely un-quantified. 'Green infrastructure' itself is often ill-defined, posing problems for planners to ascertain what types of green infrastructure provide greatest benefit and under what circumstances. Within this context the relative merits of gardens are unclear; however, at a time of greater urbanization where private gardens are increasingly seen as a 'luxury', it is important to define their role precisely. Hence, the nature of this review is to interpret existing information pertaining to gardens/gardening per se, identify where they may have a unique role to play and to highlight where further research is warranted. The review suggests that there are significant differences in both form and management of domestic gardens which radically influence the benefits. Nevertheless, gardens can play a strong role in improving the environmental impact of the domestic curtilage, e.g. by insulating houses against temperature extremes they can reduce domestic energy use. Gardens also improve localized air cooling, help mitigate flooding and provide a haven for wildlife. Less favourable aspects include contributions of gardens and gardening to greenhouse gas emissions, misuse of fertilizers and pesticides, and introduction of alien plant species. Due to the close proximity to the home and hence accessibility for many, possibly the greatest benefit of the domestic garden is on human health and well-being, but further work is required to define this clearly within the wider context of green infrastructure.

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The domestic garden - Its contribution to urban green infrastructure

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JavaScript is disabled on your browser. Please enable JavaScript to use all the features on this page. Domestic gardens provide a significant component of urban green infrastructure but their relative contribution to eco-system service provision remains largely un-quantified. 'Green infrastructure' itself is often ill-defined, posing problems for planners to ascertain what types of green infrastructure provide greatest benefit and under what circumstances.

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Wortman, S. E., & Lovell, S. T. (2013). Environmental Challenges Threatening the Growth of Urban Agriculture in the United States. Journal of Environment Quality, 42 (5), 1283. doi:10.2134/jeq2013.01.003

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An urban farming "agrihood" in Detroit's North End has received a deluge of attention - both positive and negative.

The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative, or MUFI, is a nonprofit that proposed what they called " America's first sustainable urban agrihood " around their two acre farm in the North End neighborhood of Detroit.

An agrihood is a neighborhood that grows around a farm, often created in a rural area - but MUFI's proposal is for an agriculture-centered community in the middle of an urban neighborhood.

"It's no secret that the north end is facing a lot of development pressure right now, and how we choose to implement that is going to have profound impact on the people here and the people that are moving here," said MUFI's co-founder and president, Tyson Gersh. "We truly think that the way we are approaching this is going to be inclusive. Everybody is going to be able to win together."
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MUFI grows an average of more than 20,000 pounds of produce each year, with a large portion of that produce going to local food pantries and households. The farm also gives away free produce on Saturdays.

"Over the last four years, we've grown from an urban garden that provides fresh produce for our residents to a diverse, agricultural campus that has helped sustain the neighborhood, attracted new residents and area investment," said Gersh.

Not everyone is thrilled about MUFI's model for urban farming, however. The Oakland Avenue Farmers' Market, which is open in the North End on Saturdays, has to compete with MUFI's offer of free food, which risks undermining the neighborhood market, which has worked to supply fresh produce and food education to a historically underserved community.

Food justice consultant Shane Bernardo argued that MUFI's free food initiative was combatting the symptoms of food insecurity, rather than the root issues of poverty.

Bryan Debus / Flickr

"Neocolonial projects like MUFI demonstrate that well-intent is not enough to address the systemic issues around food security and poverty. Food security and poverty have less to do with access and more to do with structural and historical disparities around power," said Bernardo.

"That's what sets charity programs like MUFI apart from more grassroots, self-determined models like Oakland Avenue, D-Town Farms, and Feedom Freedom," he added. "As long as we only address the symptoms of food security and poverty, we also perpetuate the disparities of power that create them."

Some from the neighborhood had concerns about the "colonialist" nature of MUFI's initiatives in the North End.

"I'm not in favor of putting a wall around the North End and not letting any white people in, but people need to come here in a way that shows a humility and respect for those who live here already," said a property owner from the North End about newcomers to the 90-percent black neighborhood.
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The future of current residents of the North End is unclear, with some fearing higher rent prices that could price out longtime residents if MUFI's agrihood plan is successful.

Gersh responded to concerns by saying he would like to see Detroit implement rent control to protect the current North End residents. The nonprofit is also building 320-square-foot "tiny homes" from shipping containers and other materials donated by General Motors to place in the neighborhood's empty lots as affordable housing options.

Not everyone is convinced, however. Bernardo argued that the companies that were backing MUFI should instead "invest into work that actually shifts power and creates long-term structural change."
Lead Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
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Detroit "Agrihood" Sparks Discussion On Urban Farming - One Green Planet

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An urban farming "agrihood" in Detroit's North End has received a deluge of attention - both positive and negative. The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative, or MUFI, is a nonprofit that proposed what they called " America's first sustainable urban agrihood " around their two acre farm in the North End neighborhood of Detroit.

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State-of-the-art analysis of the environmental benefits of green roofs

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Green roofs have been proposed for sustainable buildings in many countries with different climatic conditions. A state-of-the-art review of green roof...

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Community gardens can have multiple positive affects on a community, but are not meant to be the ultimate solution in a neighborhood.

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The soil can be treated with the use of phosphorous based fertilizers.

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Decreases the urban heat island effect.
Reduces the amount of runoff

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Fill in areas that are not being used within the city.

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Left over food can be made into compost.
Less plastic is involved in moving food from place to place.

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Youth in the area have experience in gardening.

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Sell to restaurants,

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Community watch; increased interest in the neighborhood; working with non-profits; decreased crime rates

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Healthy food becomes available.
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Two thirds of urban farmers have a social mission that goes beyond food production and profits, finds new research led by NYU Steinhardt.

The study, published in the British Food Journal, shows that three of the four top reasons farmers grow in urban areas - food security, education, community building, and producing food for the market - have social motivations.

As urban populations grow in the United States, farming in cities is becoming more common. While food entrepreneurs seek to make money through urban farming, many urban farms are concerned with factors beyond food production, and have incorporated social goals into their missions. These missions align with a larger social movement in food - the "good food movement" - that focuses on where food comes from, who grows it, and how it's grown.

"Given the limited ability of urban farms in terms of food production, the social mission of urban farms arises as a possible explanation for the recent growth," said study author Carolyn Dimitri, associate professor of food studies at NYU Steinhardt.

In their study, Dimitri and her colleagues identified and analyzed the social missions of urban farms in the United States, and explored differences and similarities among farms with varying missions.

They analyzed data collected from a national survey of 370 urban farmers. Thirty-five questions, covering the 2012 farm year, addressed food production and marketing practices, risks and challenges, information and technical assistance needs, farm size and location, age of primary farmer, and farm characteristics.

The researchers found that food production is an essential part of the mission for all urban farms, but approximately two thirds of farmers surveyed also expressed a social mission. These social missions are primarily related to food security, education, and community building.

"The mission statements also indicate a blurring of the profit motive and social goals, suggesting many farms are a form of social entrepreneurship," said Dimitri. "For urban agriculture business, food is the vehicle used to attain the social goals of improving life for communities, residents, and consumers."

The survey showed that all urban farms, regardless of their mission, are relatively small and face similar challenges in terms of providing the primary farmer with a living. The bulk of the farms, regardless of their mission, have sales below $10,000 per year, and annual sales are not necessarily aligned with the farm's profit-drive or socially-motivated mission.

In addition, the survey found that farms with explicit social missions, relative to those with a strict market orientation, donate a higher share of food from their farm and are less likely to own farmland. Urban farms located in lower income areas are more likely to have social goals related to building community or improving security food security.

One third of urban farmers surveyed operate farms as nonprofits, shifting the farmers' financial focus from food sales to finding donations and grants.

"The non-profit model may be an ideal business model for long-term economic stability of socially-minded urban farms," Dimitri said. "Even if they operate at a loss while scaling up production and providing affordable food to local residents, grants may make it possible to cover shortfalls until farms are self-sufficient."

The researchers concluded that the long-term viability of urban farming is related to three factors: whether farmers can earn high enough incomes to maintain urban lifestyles; whether farms can develop business models that produce long-term economic sustainability; and how successful socially-minded urban farms are in meeting their social goals.

In addition to Dimitri, study authors include Lydia Oberholtzer of Penn State University and Andy Pressman of the National Center for Appropriate Technology's National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA). The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Steinhardt Study Defines Social Motivations of Urban Farms |

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Two thirds of urban farmers have a social mission that goes beyond food production and profits, finds new research led by NYU Steinhardt. The study, published in the British Food Journal, shows that three of the four top reasons farmers grow in urban areas - food security, education, community building, and producing food for the market - have social motivations.

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Urban agriculture is not intended as a solution to solve poverty

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Urban soil is exposed to more pollution than rural areas, and many critics use this to argue against urban agriculture

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Urban agriculture affects the area it is in; bringing the community closer together, providing economic benefits, and helping the environment as a whole.

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There are social benefits to urban agriculture.

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I am researching the impact of urban gardens on a community to find out what social, economic, and environmental changes are undergone.  My readers will understand how urban agriculture effects the structure of the area.