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SubjectsParks and Recreation › Urban Agriculture - Community Gardening
Updated 02/2012

Urban Agriculture - Community Gardening

Contents

Introduction

The focus of this page is to provide background resources for Washington local government policy makers on opportunities to enhance sustainability by encouraging gardening in urban settings. Resources selected present links to information on the topics of sustainability, food resources and health communities. The page includes examples of community gardening and youth gardening programs, and land use policies.

About Urban Agriculture and Community Gardening

According to the USDA, around 15 percent of the world's food is now grown in urban areas. City and suburban agriculture takes the form of backyard, roof-top and balcony gardening, community gardening in vacant lots and parks, roadside urban fringe agriculture and livestock grazing in open space.

Community gardens promote healthy communities and provide food security for many low income persons. In an urban setting, community gardens are part of the open space network. The gardens and those who participate in community gardening contribute to the preservation of open space, provide access to it, and create sustainable uses of the space. Community gardens strengthen community bonds, provide food, and create recreational and therapeutic opportunities for a community. They can also promote environmental awareness and provide community education.

One of the goals to create healthy communities is to improve nutrition in the community as a whole. These strategies are described in the Washington State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan (NPASP) developed by DOH and its partners. Washington's strategic plan has among its objectives increasing access to health promoting foods. An example is increasing the availability of and access to local community gardens. Healthy Communities Pilot Projects are testing the effectiveness of the plan strategies in local communities. Moses Lake's Healthy Communities Project includes a community garden.

Public community garden programs are generally administered by the community development or parks department. In Seattle the city-wide community gardening program is under the Department of Neighborhoods. Other gardening programs involve public and private schools and other institutions. Some jurisdictions are changing policies to encourage residents to plant vegetables and other edible foods and allow a limited number of farm animals, such as chickens in the city.

    Community Garden Programs (Public)

    Community gardens exist in, or are being built in many Washington communities. A number of cities have garden websites including: Anacortes, Bonney Lake, Bremerton, Davenport, Duvall, Langley, Puyallup, Sammamish, Tacoma. A few have been highlighted below.

    Washington

    Out-of-State

      Community Gardens and Youth

      • GRub Youth Programs - Garden-Raised Bounty (GRuB) is a nonprofit working to empower people and grow good food in Thurston and Mason counties. Among its programs, it provides agriculture-based education, employment and dropout programs for youth. In partnership with the Olympia School District, GRuB is currently planning a pilot project with Olympia High School.
      • Puget Sound School Garden's Collective - Highlights some of our many school gardens in the Puget Sound and offers ideas for curriculum, volunteer opportunities and ideas for starting a school garden program.
      • Seattle Youth Garden Works - Job skills training program for youth
      • Youth Gardening, American Horticulture Association

      School Gardens

        Zoning and Policy

        Sample Zoning and Policy Provisions Washington Local Governments

        • Seattle Department of Planning and Development Urban Agriculture - Provides quick references to Seattle documents
        • Seattle Ordinance No. 123378 - Amends the title of subchapter II of Chapter 23.44, to support urban agriculture, to modify restrictions on greenhouses and solariums and on the keeping of domestic fowl, to clarify and modify definitions for key terms related to urban agriculture, passed 08/2010
        • Seattle Department of Planning and Community Development Client Assistance Memo No. 244 (Adobe Acrobat Document), Urban Agriculture - Green Building CAM, rev. 10/20/2010

        Sample Zoning and Policy Provisions Out-of-State

          Resources for Urban Agriculture and Community Gardening

          Organizations

          Need more information?

          Feel free to Ask MRSC. Washington cities, counties, and our contract partners can call or email MRSC for more information and advice - free of charge.