urban agriculture legislation
MODERN INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE & THE
URBAN RISE OF THE FARMING MOVEMENT
During the mid-1800s, mechanized production in both factories
and farms largely eliminated human skill-sets involved with
artisanal trades and cottage industries. The global population
largely sacrificed its multi-faceted aptitudes in self-sufficiency
for singularly focused jobs, and human populaces drifted toward
city centers for employment.
It follows that in the modern era, there are drastic disparities
between rural geographies and heavily populated urban centers
in our food production model. With this system, a majority of the
country’s produce is grown by a tiny fraction of its population in
the Midwestern grain belt and California’s Sacramento Valley.
Cityscapes, on the other hand, contain the bulk of the US popula-
tion and consume a clear majority of the nation’s produce while
growing almost none of it. For most people to procure fresh food,
it must be shipped from agricultural centers—some of which
lie outside of the US border. The current industrial agriculture
model makes it difficult to eat quality produce and to know
where that produce comes from.
The growth of the urban agriculture movement has come about
due to a rising interest in the production of fresh produce in
urban centers. According to the website Urban Ag News, urban
agriculture is gaining mainstream popularity for the follow-
ing reasons: “Year-round controlled-environment jobs and local
economic growth, more fresh food to improve our diets and lower
healthcare costs; less waste from food spoilage and transport;
and better food security.” With urban agriculture, city dwell-
ers young and old are again learning how to cultivate their
own foods while simultaneously providing fresh, sustainably
managed produce for local populaces. Looking at it from both
historical and contemporary perspectives, the rise in popularity
of locally produced food represents a paradigm shift from the
entrenched industrial agriculture system.
Thus far, urban agriculturists have supported themselves and
one another via grassroots efforts and coalitions such as The
Aquaponics Association, The National Sustainable Agriculture
Coalition, The American Association of Urban Farmers, and
The Association for Vertical Farming. Before Senator Stabenow
introduced the Urban Agriculture Act, this patchwork of coali-
tions has been on its own in developing technology, regulation,
process, and procedure concerning urban farming. While these
forward-thinking groups have made great strides in spreading
awareness about the societal benefits of urban agriculture, they
don’t have the financial backing and political power of the USDA.
THE OFFICE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE
& THE URBAN AGRICULTURE ACT
The introduction of Senator Stabenow’s Urban Agriculture Act
comes with the creation of an Office of Urban Agriculture within
the USDA. The intention is to give urban farmers similar protec-
tions and benefits as seen with traditional agriculture. “Urban
agriculture is steadily growing in cities and towns across
Michigan and across our country, creating new economic oppor-
tunities and safer, healthier environments,” Stabenow said upon
introducing the legislation. “The Urban Agriculture Act will
continue this momentum by helping urban farmers get started
and expand their business so they can sell more products and
supply more healthy food for their neighbors.”
Perhaps the most noteworthy element of the Urban Agriculture
Act is the idea that the US government is willing to both study
and fund an agricultural movement that has long existed on
the fringes of society. From its origins in both indoor gardening
technology and community programs that raise crops in impov-
erished neighborhoods, urban agriculture has always existed
directly in the hands of the people. Many of these individuals
have had little-to-no voice concerning government affairs.
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“With this hands-on
approach to tutelage,
legislators hope that more
people will be attracted to the
urban farming sector, in time
turning it into an established
community of well-informed
business professionals.”