Urban Agriculture: New References and Websites

Urban Agriculture

Urban Agriculture and Land Use Planning

Agricultural Urbanism is an approach to urban planning and development that foregrounds all elements of the food system across all parts of a city. It’s about reconnecting those who live in cities to all the elements in the system that grows, processes, packages, distributes, sells, delivers, cooks, celebrates and educates about the food they eat – by integrating the food system visibly into every element of the city, and thereby creating a more vibrant and prosperous city as well as a more resilient and culturally rich food system. Agricultural Urbanism reaches far beyond foodie-trends and works to build a deep, robust, and prosperous food system in a city.

Quon, S. (1999). Planning for urban agriculture: A review of tools and strategies for urban planners. Cities feeding people series; rept. 28.

Urban Agriculture in Alberta

Alberta Food Matters! (Operating as GFSA) focuses on food security/food sovereignty using an asset based community development approach.

The Edmonton Food Council was created in 2013, as a Strategic Direction in line with fresh: Edmonton’s Food and Urban Agriculture Strategy, with a mandate to advise and act on the implementation of the strategy. The Food Council is made up of 15 citizen volunteers who are actively involved in food systems work. The Edmonton Food Council aims to engage with the community on relevant and timely issues related to food and urban agriculture.

fresh - Edmonton's Food and Urban Agriculture Strategy (2012) is a high level strategy that will help guide Edmonton towards the vision of “a resilient food and agriculture system that contributes to the local economy and the overall cultural, financial, social and environmental sustainability of the city.” Using the food system as a guide, the Advisory Committee identified five goals that would serve as a foundation for the Strategy.

A stronger, more vibrant local economy
A healthier, more food secure community
Healthier ecosystems
Less energy, emissions and waste

· More vibrant, attractive and unique places

Edmonton’s Edible Fruit Tree Map is part of a larger food asset-mapping project underway by the Edmonton Food Council. In addition to publicly accessible fruit trees, the final map will contain community gardens, beehives, and chicken coops per neighborhood, markets, etc.

Grow Calgary is Canada’s largest urban community farm. They are a nonprofit organization that grows fresh produce for social agencies in Calgary with food access programs.

Urban Agriculture in Canada

Food Secure Canada is a pan-Canadian alliance of organizations and individuals working together to advance food security and food sovereignty through three inter-locking goals: zero hunger, healthy and safe food, and sustainable food systems.

Other Urban Agriculture Links

Biointensive Self-Teaching Handbook by Margo Royer-Miller, a former Ecology Action Apprentice and Field Coordinator

Ecology Action's goal is to enable as many people as possible, in all the food-growing climates and soils around the world, to begin growing food and soil with a scientifically tested, biologically-intensive, organic food raising approach: the GROW BIOINTENSIVE® method.

A Farmer’s Handbook in English:(~12MB PDF)*

Mini-manuel du cultivateur, traduction Française/
A Farmer's Handbook in French (~3MB)

For an enhanced version of the English-language Farmer's Handbook with full-color teaching posters, and for a selection of our self-teaching mini-series booklets in electronic format, click here.

Ecology Action also announces the release of a mini-series of 40 self-teaching eBooklets. These booklets were written by John Jeavons, Ecology Action staff and apprentices, and contain basic information for learning GROW BIOINTENSIVE method and other techniques.

Great Tools to help Plan Your Garden

Check out their online garden planning tools to make the most of your gardening spaces!

The Urban Farmer explains that it has only been in recent decades (since the post-World War II era), and particularly in most North American cities, that the division between urban and rural has been more sharply defined and upheld. Urban planning and regulatory practices of the last half century in North America have attempted to sever the natural ties between cities and food production, urban and rural, metropolis and farm.

Urban Agriculture Notes by City Farmer - Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture