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Cities Developing Urban Agriculture Codes

Urban agriculture has become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to deal with vacant properties, revitalize neighborhoods, and provide job skills and nutrition to local residents struggling with poverty and a lack of access to fresh produce.

In Austin, Texas, a working group of the Sustainable Food Policy Board is meeting to clarify and update city code related to urban farms, livestock, size of farm, employees and dwellings, according to the Austin Chronicle.

The working group has been holding public sessions to gather input from urban farmers and community members about pending updates to the urban farm ordinance.

In April 2013, the Flint Farmers' Market reported that the Detroit City Council adopted the city's first urban agriculture zoning ordinance recognizing agriculture as a legitimate land use and setting standards for it.

Other cities working to update or create urban agriculture codes include Boston, Massachusetts;
Fort Collins, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon.

For more information, see USDA's National Ag Library webpage on Urban Agriculture.

News Release

Home » AgMRC Blog

For the Record: 2012 Census of Agriculture

December 4, 2012

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service plans to begin mailing materials for the 2012 Census of Agriculture in late December. Conducted every five years, the Census of Agriculture is a complete count of all U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The Census looks at land use and...

USDA Rural Development and Small Business Administration Work Together to Foster Business Growth

June 10, 2010

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Small Business (SBA) Administrator Karen G. Mills announced that the two agencies have signed an agreement to encourage sustainable growth and development of rural small businesses. The announcement was made during the National Summit of Rural America, which gathered agricultural leaders, farmers, ranchers, community...

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