Urban agriculture: connecting producers with consumers

Abstract

Purpose – Urban farming is becoming more common in the USA, as food-based entrepreneurs seek to make money farming in the city. Yet many urban farms are concerned with other factors in addition to food production, and thus have incorporated social goals into their missions. The purpose of this paper is to identify the social missions of urban farms in the USA, their extent, and explores differences and similarities among farms with varying missions. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use primary data collected from a 2012 national survey of urban farmers in the USA. In total, 35 questions, covering the 2012 farm year, targeted production and marketing practices, risks and challenges, information and technical assistance needs, farm size and location, age of primary farmer, and farm characteristics. A multinomial logistic model was used to analyze the social missions of urban farms in the sample. Findings – The authors find that food production is an essential part of the mission for all urban farms. Some farms have social missions, as well, which the survey results indicate are related to food security, education, and community building. The authors find 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. 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 with lower median income are more likely to have social goals related to building community or improving security food security. Originality/value – Urban agriculture is becoming more prevalent in many developed nations. At the same time, social entrepreneurship is gaining traction. 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. This paper provides insight into a new phenomenon, and uses new data to provide insight into size, types of farms, and farmer well-being and address the social missions of urban farms in the USA.

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

“…Urban farms report diffi culties paying decent wages and rely heavily on unpaid labor (Biewener, 2016 ;Cohen & Reynolds, 2015 ). A 2012 survey of 370 urban farmers working in or around the United States found that roughly two-thirds were failing to make a living, reporting sales of less than $10,000 per year (Dimitri, Oberholtzer, & Pressman, 2016 ). The study authors note that many urban farms rely on grant funding, donations, and off-farm income to support their farm ventures.…”

Marketing Channels and Competitiveness of Maize in Serbia

“…Marketing channels in the cereals sector are a dynamic category to be viewed through the lens of structural changes occurring among agri-producers themselves, as well as among wholesalers and retailers as key players in the food supply system (Dimitri et al, 2016).…”

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

“…Previous survey work in the Bay Area recorded high yielding production systems that provides further evidence for the important contributions of urban farms to local food security [23]. Many UA organizations dedicated to educational and food security objectives are also deeply tied to food justice initiatives, reflecting associations to important regional social movements [10][11][12].…”

“…These farms operate with different organizational patterns and structures, including farms that are collectively managed and harvests equitably distributed; allotment style farms where each farmer has their own plot; production-based operations; or a hybrid of these schemas. Operations are often dependent on outside funding as sales commonly do not generate enough income to be self-sufficient [12]. With little funding and support, UA is expected to meet ambitious social goals while being financially sustainable [13].…”