Leasing County Owned Land for Urban Farming: Developing a Protocol

Summer Camp at the Wasatch Community Gardens.

A total of 4 parcels totaling 50 acres were leased for the 2011 growing season.

By: Olsen, S.H., Extension Professor, Utah State University Extension
Peck-Dabling, J., Open Space & Urban Farming Program Manager, Salt Lake County Mayor’s Operations

Journal of the National Association of
County Agricultural Agents
Volume 4, Issue 1

Abstract:

In the past decade, there has been a surge of interest in local food, including rapid growth in farmers’ markets and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs. In many urban settings, a scarcity of farmland is a major barrier to increasing local food production. In 2009, Salt Lake County started an urban farming program to lease unused parcels of land to farmers. Some goals of the program were to preserve agricultural land near cities, support local farmers, and provide agricultural based economic development.

Much of the land in the program is slated for future park development while some land is part of the county’s open space preservation program. A technical advisory committee was appointed to help develop the procedures to lease the land and to recruit farmers to consider participating in the program. Initial efforts were focused on leasing parcels five acres or more in size to commercial farmers. Parcels less than five acres will be leased to smaller-scale growers and used for community gardens. Applicants for leases were evaluated on farming experience, willingness to provide a public benefit, business plan, diversity of crops to be grown, and financial capability. In the first year of the program, a total of four parcels covering 50 acres were leased for the 2011 growing season. Two community gardening sites were also selected. All produce grown on county leased land is to be distributed in the local Wasatch Front area.

Read the complete paper here.

See Salt Lake City Urban Framing Program here.