There are few upsides to the U.S. recession that left people
across the country without jobs, and in some cases, homes. But
if we had to pick one good thing that emerged from the economic
mess, it would be the vacant land that is now being used to
create a new urban agriculture revolution. In a new report,
PolicyLink highlights the projects and policies around the
country that are bringing urban agriculture to lower-income
communities of color–and some of the big challenges that they’re
dealing with. When done well, urban agriculture initiatives can
offer access to healthy food in areas that formerly had little,
provide jobs and skills development, and provide a sense of
community. Getting to the point where that’s possible isn’t
easy, however. Among the hurdles that nascent urban agriculture
projects have to overcome: water access, land use issues,
inadequate business training, and insufficient income
generation.