This week's readings are very relatable for me right now. I am currently researching what Leon County and the City of Tallahassee are doing in terms of urban agriculture policy. There are currently a couple of joint City-NGO run farms in Tallahassee. These farms are the Dunn Street Community Garden and the South City Community Garden. The City partners with iGrow and the Tallahassee Food Network to encourage youth participation in urban agriculture. The purpose of the farms is to teach youth urban farming techniques and entrepreneurship. The farms have community work days, when anyone is invited to come help out on the farm. The farms also sell the produce that is grown there. They have options for purchase. You may purchase vegetables that have already been harvested, or you may pick your own vegetables. They also sell compost, which I think is a great idea! They will deliver you purchases to you, if you choose. The other urban farm in Tallahassee is a for-profit farm called Ripe City. This farm is significantly different than the iGrow community gardens.
In my research, I have met with two people from the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department to discuss the current status of urban agriculture within city limits, as well as the direction that urban agriculture policy-making is heading in Leon County. It turns out that there are not many ordinances that currently address urban agriculture within city limits. The one ordinance that is hindering urban agriculture is the large portion of city limits which is zoned as residential preservation. Within this zoning, one is not allowed to sell any produce that may be grown. The Planning Department is currently looking into making recommendations to the City/County Commission on how to address this.
I find it very interesting that a large portion of the city limits is zoned as residential preservation. I wonder how this would impact the efforts of the Dunn Street and South City Community Gardens since both locations are within the heart of the city limits. Knowing how much these community gardens focus on engaging the youth, as well as, providing a fresh source of food and vegetables within these communities, if this is a reason why this ordinance has not been particularly enforced in these cases.
ReplyDeleteI would just like to say that I JUST purchased compost from iGrow this weekend for my very first backyard garden! I agree that it's a great idea, because if iGrow didn't sell compost then I probably wouldn't have bought any compost at all (and who knows what shape my veggies would be in?!) In this way, I can see firsthand the impact that community gardens and urban farms have in their communities. They provide unique services and products beyond simply food production and distribution.
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