Practices and Barriers to Sustainable Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Louisville, Kentucky

Abstract

As urban populations increase, there is growing interest in developing innovative technologies, sustainable urban farming practices, policy measures, and other strategies to address key barriers in urban agriculture that impede improved food security and sustained urban livelihoods. We surveyed forty urban farmers and gardeners (growers) in Louisville, Kentucky, for base-level information to assess their agricultural practices and the various factors or key barriers that could influence such practices. Secondary objectives were identifying areas where practices could be improved, and identifying opportunities for research, outreach, and incentives for urban growers to transition to more sustainable and higher-yielding practices. The majority of these urban growers were white females, were more diverse than Kentucky farmers, and attained a higher degree of education than Kentucky residents as a whole. Most were engaged in urban agriculture for non-commercial reasons, and 11% were full-time urban growers operating farms for profit. Smaller farms were less likely to be operated for profit or have farm certifications than medium-sized or larger farms (Chi-squared = 14.459, p = 0.042). We found no significant differences among farm sizes in terms of whether growers rented or owned the land they were on (Chi-squared = 9.094, p = 0.168). The most common sustainable practices recorded were composting (60%), crop rotation (54%), polyculture (54%), organic farming (49%), and low or no-till (46%). The least common practices were alley cropping (5%), plasticulture (3%), and hydroponics (3%). Small farms were less likely to use crop rotation than medium-sized or large farms (Chi-squared = 13.548, p = 0.003), and farms responding to the survey in the latter part of the data collection were less likely to use compost than expected based on responses from the early part of data collection (Chi-shared = 5.972, p = 0.014). Challenges faced by these growers included limited space, accessibility to farm certification, presence of pests and diseases, and lack of record keeping and soil testing for fertility and contamination. Our study documents the need for more farm certification, education, outreach, training, research, investment, innovative ideas and solutions, collaboration among stakeholders, and better access to land through favorable urban policies and local support.

Food production and resource use of urban farms and gardens: a five-country study

“…Despite the potential for non-potable water (e.g., stormwater runoff and wastewater) to irrigate gardens and farms, we found that the most common source of irrigation water in our sample of farms and gardens was municipal drinking water. In fact, municipalities provided almost all the irrigation water used on more than a third of case farms, similar to other studies (Csortan et al 2020 ; Whittinghill and Sarr 2021 ). This is of note, especially for cities with water scarcity or carbon intensive municipal water supplies (Dorr et al 2021 ).…”

“…There is insufficient data on the quantity of irrigation water typically used by UA to make broad comparisons to our results. Pollard et al ( 2018a ) pointed out that there are not many articles focusing on the measurement of irrigation water consumption in UA, and Whittinghill and Sarr ( 2021 ) found that irrigation was the least-recorded practice among urban farmers and gardeners surveyed. Our results are largely consistent with the largest known survey to-date, a study of 163 allotment plots in the UK (Dobson et al 2021 ).…”

“…Our results are largely consistent with the existing literature on inputs in UA. Numerous surveys of UA have found that compost is the main input and compost production is the main practice, often followed by the use of manure or other organic amendments, with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used less frequently (Guitart et al 2012 ; Dewaelheyns et al 2013 ; Gregory et al 2016 ; Kirkpatrick and Davison 2018 ; Pollard et al 2018b ; Wielemaker et al 2019 ; Edmondson et al 2020 ; Nicholls et al 2020 ; Dobson et al 2021 ; Whittinghill and Sarr 2021 ). While it is helpful to understand the types of inputs used by UA, there is a clear gap in the literature when it comes to quantifying the amount of input used on urban farms and gardens.…”

“…Data on resources used by urban farms are rarely collected because it is time consuming and often not standard farming practice (Whittinghill and Sarr 2021 ). Only a handful of studies provide detailed accounts of farm inputs, yields, and environmental impacts.…”

How Much Margin Is Left for Degrading Agricultural Soils? The Coming Soil Crises

“…Yet, it is only recently that the seriousness of the issue has become apparent in force. Although many acknowledge the shift was inevitable and has been occurring for some time, government agencies, agricultural academic, and research institutions have been slow to adapt to the changing face and needs of their clientele [103].…”