Indicators of Land Insecurity for Urban Farms: Institutional Affiliation, Investment, and Location

Abstract

Abstract:As urban agriculture (UA) continues to expand in the United States, many practitioners question its continuation in cities with high property values and increased economic incentives for development. Frequently, these pressures make urban farmers anxious about investing resources, time, and energy in land suitable for food production if tenure is insecure. Despite these concerns, UA continues to persist in areas experiencing increased property values and rent-seeking. Based on surveys with over 56 urban farm managers in California, we identify possible indicators of land tenure insecurity for urban farms. Our analysis finds that urban farms with greater land security have more financial and institutional support, and are located in census tracts with higher economic opportunity.

Connecting resourcefulness and social innovation: exploring conditions and processes in community gardens in the Netherlands

“…However, the ways in which social innovations materialise are not exclusively positive, thus, it is important to heed to the unintended consequences of such projects (Sveiby, Gripenberg, and Segercrantz 2012). For example, this could include urban community gardens contributing to an increase in property values and gentrification, potentially reinforcing inequalities they intended to counteract (Arnold and Rogé 2018;Checker 2011;Voicu and Been 2008).…”

Promoting Urban Agriculture and Its Opportunities and Challenges—A Global Review

“…Land security is the most frequently recorded challenge that can directly influence the long-term sustainability of urban agriculture, which has been proven by many previous studies [87][88][89]. Land insecurity can incentivize rent-seeking behavior, and therefore, urban agriculture is at risk of highest and best use developments [90].…”

“…The reviewed articles depict this support as mainly including support given by municipal councils or local governments and policies to integrate agriculture into urban planning. High financial and institutional support can make urban agriculture activities more secure in cities [87]. However, the attention on government initiatives in academic literature is limited and significantly less in developing countries.…”

Does Urban Agriculture Improve Food Security? Examining the Nexus of Food Access and Distribution of Urban Produced Foods in the United States: A Systematic Review

“…Land tenure insecurity directly contributes to lack of access as many urban farms formerly serving minority and immigrant populations have been forcibly closed due to development priorities for privately owned lots (i.e., La Finquita in Philadelphia, PA; South Central Farm serving predominantly Latino households in L.A.; Free Farm in San Francisco; Brooklyn Community Farm in NYC). A recent article on land security indicators among California urban farmers showed that farms with higher land security also had "more financial and institutional support, and are located in census tracts with higher economic opportunity" [71]. This highlights the necessity of devoting publicly owned lands to urban agriculture in low income and minority neighborhoods, as private lands are highly vulnerable to development pressures, thus jeopardizing any gains realized by social justice oriented urban farms (explored further in Section 5.2 below).…”

“…Strategic public land grants (or land provided by land trusts) have potential to redress historic exclusions of minority farmers from land access, resources, legal expertise, and opportunities for wealth accumulation. By publicly confronting land insecurity and tenure arrangements, policymakers can directly respond to research on UA's uneven development [1,25,71]. Overall, there are multifaceted criteria in creating a balanced, equitable city food system (See [127] for consideration of justice and sustainability at all scales and the mix of solutions needed for food system reform).…”