The Growing Attraction of Agrihoods
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Imagine if you could step out your front door every day and be delighted with the sight of a small farm right at your doorstep?
A growing number of urban/rural communities are developing this kind of co-operative, food-friendly approach. Instead of building a residential development around a swimming pool, a tennis court or some kind of hard landscaping, more innovative developers are creating “agrihoods”.
Vegetable fields at the Agritopia Farm. Photo: Agritopia Farm
So what is an agrihood?
An agrihood is a neighbourhood with a farm as the central focus. It’s a local food devotee’s favourite dream – community shared agriculture right in the neighbourhood. For residents, the benefits are numerous. It can mean less shared cost than the traditional approach - landscaping or pool maintenance for instance. It also means that fresh produce is literally at their door step. It brings the connection to nature – so important for our mental health – right to the door. Living in a community agrihood provides many educational opportunities for both adults and children to be able to see where their food comes from. It also might provide an opportunity for residents to participate in the planting, upkeep and harvesting of the food crops planted there. What a great hands-on tool for teaching kids.
Community gardens, community-shared agriculture (CSA) programs and urban food production are not new concepts, but the idea behind agrihood developments bring them all together for the shared experience of the owners/tenants. Many new home buyers are more interested in a farm amenity than a golf course or a recreation centre.
Harvest and planting at Earthworks Urban Farm in Detroit. Photo: Sam Beebe (CC BY 2.0)
As our climate changes, and people migrate more into cities and away from traditional agriculture, urban food growing is taking on a greater importance. The distance food travels has increased substantially in the last 20 years, which in turn has put pressure on food distribution networks, increased costs and raised the need and desirability of local food sources. Green roof-based urban agriculture is part of the answer for those seeking fresh, local food.
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What started as an idea to revitalize a community in Detroit, has now spread across North America. There are approximately 200 other agrihood communities in the US and Canada, either fully functioning or under development. Each has a unique business model, but all of them involve some degree of participation of the community in farming practices. Here are a few examples:
Detroit, MI
Detroit is home to over 1,400 community gardens and farms, including the “the first sustainable urban agrihood” in the United States. The 50,000 lbs of produce grown annually is available for free to about 2,000 households within two square miles of the farm. The rest of the food is supplied to local restaurants, markets and other food centres. In Detroit, the two-acre farm, initiated by the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI), has helped turn a food desert into a much healthier community. A little over five years ago, MUFI bought a long-abandoned early 20th century building to serve as a community centre in Detroit’s north end and planted the farm. Over 300 different organic vegetables are grown, alongside a 200-tree fruit orchard and a child’s sensory garden. More sustainability initiatives are being planned including adding solar PV and adding a water retention pond. Work on the community centre continues with the help of corporate and community support. No plans have been mentioned to use the roof of the community centre as a supplemental growing area.
A community garden on an abandoned lot in Detroit, maintained by a nearby church organization. Photo: University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (CC BY 2.0).
Serenbe, GA
Serenbe is situated in central Georgia, not far from the city of Atlanta. Its main feature is a 25-acre organic farm, which has spawned a weekly farmer’s market, a thriving CSA program and lots of edible fruit landscaping including blueberry bushes which line the community’s paths and sidewalks. Over 300 organic fruits and vegetables are grown here. In addition, the community boasts three restaurants that attract visitors from elsewhere.
Fruit trees at Joe’s Farm Grill in Agritopia. Photo: Jennifer Hubbert (CC BY 2.0).
What started in 2004 with the first house, has now blossomed into a community of over 650 residents. The residential community was designed to look like old English villages and developed based on sustainability principles, including the use of geothermal, solar and net zero buildings; as well as water conservation and land preservation measures. Over 70 per cent of Serenbe’s land is protected green space for all the residents to enjoy.
Agritopia, Gilbert, AZ
Agritopia is a neighbourhood in Gilbert, Arizona, in Phoenix’s sprawling metropolitan area. Originally a family farm owned by the Johnston’s, its transformation began in the 1990s away from the single-family farm to a community with farming at the centre. Now comprising 450 various sized homes within the total area of 160 acres, the centrepiece - an 11-acre farm is dedicated to growing organic fruits and vegetables.
The community also has a restaurant, a café and an assisted living/independent living centre for seniors. There is also an artisan workshop and a series of new retail spaces planned.
Carrots being harvested at the Agritopia Farm. Photo: Agritopia Farm
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Prairie Crossing
A vegetable field in Prairie Crossing. Photo: Liberty Prairie Foundation
Prairie Crossing is a 677-acre property situated in Grayslake, Illinois and owned by the Liberty Prairie Foundation. The farm, central to the community, is 100 acres and has been operating since 1993. The farm itself is not owned by the residents but rather is sustained by fee-for-service contracts, a transfer fee on the sale of each home within the neighbourhood, tipping fees from the local landfill and by grants. The residents who live in 359 single-family homes or in one of 36 condominium units, do benefit from the proximity to local food and to the overall experience of living in a farm community. Additionally, the community has established a farm business development centre to help launch the next generation of farmers interested in sustainable agriculture. Other programs include offerings for kids, educational tours and community garden plots.
Harvesting radishes in Prairie Crossing. Photo: Liberty Prairie Foundation
Southlands, BC
Southlands is a 537-acre community in Tsawassen about 30 minutes south of Vancouver, British Columbia. This project has a long and complicated history as the parcel of land was originally removed from the BC Agricultural Land Reserve in the 1980s and there’s been conflict ever since on the kind of development appropriate to the site. As part of the accord to move forward, the developers – the Century Group – agreed in 2016 to give back 430 acres to the city of Delta, BC. Of that, the Century Group is leasing 50 acres from Delta to create the Southlands farm, which is being managed by farming professionals. Three hundred acres in total are zoned agricultural with both conventional crops such as barley and potatoes being grown, as well as market garden crops. In addition, there are community garden plots and other amenity spaces including planned retail. The 950 residential properties surrounding the farm are of various types from small cottages and townhomes to apartments and single-family dwellings. The added bonus at Southlands is that all roads and trails lead to the beautiful beach at Boundary Bay.
Agrihoods are having their day in the sun as people continue to seek true connections to nature, to farm to table food and to green space. It will be interesting to observe whether this type of planned community will also embrace green roofs and green walls as a means of additional growing space and recreational opportunities in the future.
Joyce McLean is an environmental consultant and editor of the Living Architecture Monitor.
