Cultivating Change

MEET TWO LEADERS WORKING TO CULTIVATE URBAN AGRICULTURE IN GREATER L.A.

Supporting urban agriculture is a key tentpole of the Los Angeles County Food Equity Roundtable’s plan for creating greater equity in our food systems. Having food grown and distributed at the community level provides multiple benefits to our most vulnerable residents – from increased food sovereignty to enhanced nutritional intake.

Despite these positives, urban agriculture faces significant challenges in greater L.A. – from the high cost of land to a thicket of regulatory hurdles. Here, equitable food systems experts Alba Velasquez and Lauren Uy share their take on how to best support local farmers. Velasquez serves as the executive director of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.  Lauren Uy manages food equity and sustainability initiatives in the public policy team at the California Community Foundation. 

When we say urban agriculture, what are we talking about?

Alba Velasquez: The California Department of Food and Agriculture defines urban agriculture as the cultivation, processing, and distribution of agricultural products in urban settings no more than 25 miles adjacent to or outside of one urbanized area, including things like in-ground small plot cultivation, raised beds, vertical production, warehouse farms, mushroom growing, urban forestry and tree care, community gardens, rooftop farms, hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic facilities, and other innovations.

The Los Angeles Food Policy Council defines urban agriculture as a transformative practice that fosters community empowerment, environmental sustainability, and food sovereignty by cultivating local food production, increasing access to fresh and culturally relevant food, and promoting social and economic resilience in urban areas.

Can you explain how more robust urban agriculture programs in greater L.A. can put a dent in our food insecurity problem?

Lauren Uy: Our food insecurity problem is beyond hunger. Folks need consistent access to healthy and culturally appropriate food. We know that locally and sustainably grown food is more nutritious. Urban agriculture presents a huge opportunity to not only connect people with healthy food, but to empower them to really take the lead in transforming our food system. Growing our own food is quite literally taking matters into our own hands.

How much food can we realistically expect to produce in such a dense metropolis? Can it really make a difference?

Velasquez: Urban farms we work with produce about ¼ pounds of produce per square foot of farm space. The average vacant lot in Los Angeles is about 5,200 square feet. If we extrapolate current LAC urban farm production rates, this would mean a vacant lot could produce about 1,300 pounds of produce weekly. Most produce distribution programs in the area provide about 5 pounds of produce to households per week, so by these standards, the vacant lot has the potential to feed about 260 families weekly.

And how do we get it into the hands of people that need it? How do we close that gap?

Uy: Given the fact that BIPOC folks are disproportionately impacted by food injustice, it’s imperative that we create space for BIPOC folks to lead our food justice efforts. In the example of urban agriculture, we should really be uplifting and supporting our local BIPOC growers.

Velasquez: Most LAC urban farms are focused on supplying fresh produce to their local surrounding communities. Some farmers do this via CSA boxes with limited distribution radiuses, and others do it by hosting an on-site farm stand. One challenge with farm stands is that on-site sales and distribution is prohibited for farms operating on R-1 residential land within the city of Los Angeles (compared to RA-1 residential agricultural land in the city of Compton which does not have this distribution restriction). A change in the R-1 zoning policy could work to close the gap between people growing food and the people who need it. Another possibility is to create cooperative farm stands across the region, such as one per supervisorial district, where farmers who do not wish to sell on-site, but want to support their immediate community, could sell their produce. These approaches have the potential to bridge the gap between food producers and those in need, ensuring equitable access to fresh food in historically disinvested communities.

What are the biggest obstacles right now to growing more of our own food locally?

Uy: One of the biggest obstacles for urban growers is land acquisition, which is no surprise given the cost of land in Los Angeles. While there is the option of operating on leased land, there are other challenges that come with that as well. And because access to land is typically the first barrier that urban growers face, it is oftentimes the most outstanding.

Velasquez: Beyond land acquisition, [the hurdles] include lack of access to vocational training      and/or ability to pay trained farmers. In a survey of 16 urban farmers across Los Angeles County, the vast majority said their major limitation is lack of funding to employ skilled workers or specialized contractors. Zoning is challenging, as is the high cost of insurance, particularly workers comp due to “farming” being associated with heavy machinery.

How can decision-makers help nurture and support urban agriculture?

Uy: Philanthropy tends to create harsh distinctions between issue-specific program areas. But the reality is that these programmatic categories almost always intersect with one another. Urban agriculture is a great example of this because it can be philanthropically categorized as food-equity, climate resiliency, workforce development, community engagement, racial justice, and more. It is nearly impossible to talk about urban agriculture without talking about all these interrelated topics. This underscores the importance of collaborative and aligned philanthropic partnerships and grantmaking. This is what we, philanthropy, are trying to do with the Roundtable.

Velasquez: The state’s Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone policy must be reexamined and potentially rewritten altogether. The policy has been underutilized by landowners, likely due to a lack of promotion. The policy also inherently benefits landowners rather than urban farmers, so there is room to amend the policy to offer support for the farmers themselves. LA County municipalities could launch a matchmaking program to help match vacant lot landowners with aspiring urban farmers. Some cities in California have even instituted an annual vacant lot fee while cross-promoting the Incentive Zone program, further incentivizing these landowners to develop their land into urban farm space.

And what can average person at home do to support urban gardens and homegrown micro-farmers in local neighborhoods?

Uy: Engage with your local community gardens and farms.  Volunteer, drop off food scraps (if there are compost operations), get to know your neighbors. It means a lot to physically show up and the experience will be mutually beneficial.

Velasquez: For people with financial means, they could pay for their produce at the higher end of the price scale, economically buffering the farmer’s lower prices for low-income customers. People can also get more involved with “locally-grown food” as much as they have capacity for. This could mean starting a garden at their own residence, harvesting your neighborhood fruit tree, or dropping off compost at your local farmers market. By participating in these actions, individuals contribute to a more equitable and inclusive local food system that benefits the entire community.

Interested in starting your own urban garden in your backyard or neighborhood? Here are some tips.