Agritourism Resource Centers and Small Farm Centers

a national information resource for value-added agriculture

Contact
Us

Directories &
State Resources

Renewable
Energy

Business
Development

Markets
& Industries

Commodities
& Products

Browse

Announcements

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.

Home » Commodities & Products » Agritourism » Organizations Supporting Agritourism » Agritourism Resource Centers and Small Farm Centers

Agricultural Tourism, University of California Small Farm Center, University of California, Davis – This site provides information on managing an operation, a review of agritourism in Great Britain and New England, and a database of agritourism operations.
Agri-Tourism Resources, University of Minnesota Tourism Center – This site provides an extensive set of resources specifically addressing agritourism as well as other tourism topics.
Cornell University's Small Farms Program – This program responds directly to the needs of farmers, researchers, organizations, farm advisers and consumers by providing research results, publications and educational programs on small farm topics.
Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, Utah State University – This site provides resources, publications and outreach.
The Missouri Alternatives Center, University of Missouri-Columbia – From agri-tourism to verimculture, the MAC LinkList covers hundreds of alternative agriculture topics.
The Natural Resource Enterprises (NRE), Mississippi State University (MSU) – This program was established in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Cooperative Extension Service at MSU to educate NIP landowners in the Southeast about sustainable natural resource enterprises and compatible habitat management practices. The Natural Resource Enterprises Program is focused on effectively delivering information to landowners and community leaders that will encourage informed decision-making regarding the management of land and enterprises.
Tennessee Agri-tourism Initiative, Center for Profitable Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Tennessee Agritourism Initiative: Turning Small Farms into Big Opportunities, USDA Rural Development and TDA Market Development 2003-2005.
Vermont Tourism Data Center Resources – This site provides agritourism resources, trends data and fact sheets.
Tourism and Community Development: Resources and Applied Research Clearinghouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension – This site provides useful resources and publication sections on agritourism.
Texas A & M University Extension Recreation, Tourism and Parks Deapartment – This Web site provides access to numerous e-tools, publications and resources (publications and videos) about nature/eco-tourism. Our goal is to assist people who are interested in nature tourism as a potential business enterprise or community development program.

Links checked May 2012.

Partially Funded by USDA Rural Development
...and justice for all.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964.

The names, words, symbols, and graphics representing Iowa State University are trademarks and copyrights of the university, protected by trademark and copyright laws of the U.S. and other countries.