Food: A Pathway to Local Prosperity

Across North America municipalities are struggling to maintain a crumbling urban infrastructure. Roads, sidewalks, recreational services and housing are all suffering. There is a way that we can reverse this trend and build strong and vibrant communities.

That way is based upon another trend the growing local food movement. People are seeking foods that are safe and fresh. If we combine the need to stop the urban decline with the rising urban populations and the demand for fresh, healthy food, we have a solution.

The solution is the creation of urban agricultural enterprises which will create economic opportunities, green neighbourhoods and renew urban infrastructure.

There are three elements that are essential for the successful establishment of urban agriculture enterprises. The first two elements, land and water will be examined in some detail. The third which is a business and financial infrastructure which will assist the enterprises to thrive speaks for itself.

One: Access to land.

Municipally owned land and unused buildings could be ideal sites for urban agricultural enterprises. Cities ands towns often have vacant land that is not slated for urban development and these sites could be developed as urban agricultural enterprises.

When I was living in Thunder Bay, Ontario, an organization, that I was working with, on a volunteer basis, leased the land for our community garden, from the City. The lease was only fourty dollars per year.

It is possible that when the municipal government understands the advantages of this type of exchange that a similar arrangement could be made for a community business.

Cities, from time to time, have to confiscate urban properties for failure to pay taxes and this property could be made available by lease, for example, for the creation of a community business.

Appropriate bylaws will need to be passed and urban planners will need to be encouraged to support urban agricultural enterprises as an appropriate and legitimate land use.