Gearing up to support urban farming in California: Preliminary results of a needs assessment

Abstract

According to the United States Census, California is the most urban state in the nation. Although there are many outstanding examples of urban farms in California, in general, urban agriculture (UA) has been slower to gain momentum here than in some other states with large urban populations. Over the past several years, urban agriculture's popularity in California has begun to escalate, with strong emerging interest in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, San Diego, Los Angeles and other metropolitan communities. One challenge for urban farmers and municipal decision makers engaged with UA in California has been limited availability of relevant information and technical assistance. A new project team at the University of California Cooperative Extension, part of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) is working to develop web-based educational resources that will be grounded in a needs assessment that is currently underway. The needs assessment includes a literature review, an internal survey of UC ANR personnel, and community clientele interviews. This paper will report on preliminary findings and analyses of the needs assessment, particularly how UC ANR personnel are engaged with UA, and what tools they think would best serve urban farmers. We suggest implications for those involved with UA, such as personnel of land-grant universities, local governments and non-profits seeking to address the needs of urban farmers in an environment of constrained resources.

Plant damage in urban agroecosystems varies with local and landscape factors

“…Compared to rural agroecosystems, little is known about crop pests in urban agriculture (Surls et al. ). This is problematic because over 60% of urban farmers report pest‐related challenges (Oberholtzer et al.…”

“…Consequently, research‐informed pest management training and educational materials for urban agriculture are needed (Surls et al. ). Unique biotic and abiotic characteristics of cities alter bottom‐up and top‐down forces with potential consequences for herbivore and disease regulation.…”

Chapter 8. Bending the Curve and Closing the Gap: Climate Justice and Public Health

“…A team of seven University of California (UC) researchers recently published the results of a needs assessment examining the status of UA throughout California. They cite the following definition of UA: "Urban and peri-UA refers to the production, distribution and marketing of food and other products within the cores of metropolitan areas (comprising community and school gardens; backyard and rooftop horticulture; and innovative food-production methods that maximize production in a small area) and at their edges (including farms supplying urban farmers markets, community supported agriculture and family farms located in metropolitan green belts)" [78]. Food Justice has emerged as a critical framework underpinning progressive approaches to UA, including interconnected efforts "to ensure that the benefits and risks of where, what, and how food is grown, produced, transported, distributed, accessed and eaten are shared fairly" [79].…”

Agroecological Pest Management in the City: Experiences from California and Chiapas

“…Understanding the relationships underlying biological pest management is especially critical for urban gardens, given that the alternative-the use of chemical pesticides-may be especially damaging or risky for human populations living in close proximity. Urban farmers in the United States recognize that pests can be a problem in their gardens and that they do not have the knowledge to manage them [5]. However, urban gardens may serve as a refuge for a high diversity of biological control agents such as ladybeetles, parasitic wasps, carabids, spiders, ants and syrphid flies [6,7].…”