The Intersection of Planning, Urban Agriculture, and Food Justice: A Review of the Literature

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

“…Horst et al [33] would argue no; rather, an explicit commitment to food justice and an "equity lens" is needed for policymakers and planners to create UA spaces that benefit low income and minority communities equally if not more than already advantaged groups [33]. Due to the current landscape of "disparities in representation, leadership and funding, and insecure land tenure," unless these problems are explicitly addressed, "even the most well-intentioned initiatives will perpetuate or even reinforce the injustices that practitioners and supporters aim to address" [33]. This sentiment is echoed in Morales' chapter in Cultivating Food Justice [7], which calls for "applied research to discover and advance policy objectives related to the antiracist and economic objectives espoused by the Growing Food and Justice Initiative" [111].…”

“…This can place a double burden on struggling households to find the time, money, land and expertise to feed themselves without city support: "the emphasis on 'grow your own' reinforces self-help and government austerity arguments, absolving government of the responsibility to address the structural and institutional causes of food insecurity" [33]. Urban agriculture is part of the solutions portfolio to improve food justice and food access, but must be complemented and reinforced by other policy, planning and civic engagement efforts to provide affordable, healthy food through neighborhood groceries, food hubs, cooperative markets, culinary and nutrition education programs, farm to school programs or other means of addressing structural causes of food insecurity (e.g., poverty and job access).…”

“…According to Horst et al [33], expanding urban agriculture operations across cities "does not guarantee that people experiencing food insecurity will access that food . .…”

“…Theoretical work such as this is important to advance ideas of what is possible and motivate efforts to make change, although it must constantly stay in dialogue with what is happening in practice and expand beyond a production-specific focus on local food systems. Urban farms are, after all, producing a lot more than food, and "increasing food production in cities does not guarantee that people experiencing food insecurity will access that food" [33]. As such, urban farms can be valued as a secondary food source for large populations, but primary forces for social integration, food-related education, and environmental justice [118].…”

“…They question, "who really benefits, and who loses in specific efforts to promote urban farms in the 'sustainable city' landscape?" [24,33,34] and, "how can white food activists reframe their work so as not to fuel displacement of residents of color?" [34].…”