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- Creators: Merrigan, Kathleen
- Member of: School of Sustainability Graduate Culminating Experiences
Description
Access to affordable farmland is one of the greatest challenges facing farmers today. Farmers and gardeners in urban areas face some similar barriers to rural farmers when it comes to finding and protecting land to grow food. However, urban growers face other unique and more complex challenges than their rural counterparts. This research discusses the value urban agriculture brings to cities and makes the case for why the Kansas City metropolitan region, and cities across the United States, should invest in permanent protection of land for urban agriculture. To overcome challenges such as expensive land and other costs, conflicting values around land use in urban areas, proximity to neighbors, and restrictive zoning codes, many cities around the country have created coalitions, organizations, programs, and policies to address equitable and permanent land access for urban agriculture.
This research focuses on Community Land Trusts as a possible solution to hold and ensure affordable access to land for urban food production, both for urban farm businesses and community gardens. Throughout interviews and research, other models emerged such as conservation easements, Agrarian Commons, and specific funds and programs to support individual land ownership for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) growers. Each of these strategies could play a role in Kansas City's work to protect land for urban agriculture.
ContributorsFreeberg, Ami (Author) / Merrigan, Kathleen (Contributor) / Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems (Issuing body)
Created2023-09
Description
Backyard chicken ordinances are subject to growing interest in many parts of the country, and they can be a divisive and complicated issue. If citizens are interested in keeping chickens within city limits, however, there are elements that can be included in the ordinance that balance the various desires of community members.
To develop a recommendation for a backyard chicken ordinance for the city of Wenona, IL, this report explores the literature related to these ordinances, identifying potential challenges, examining how ordinances are actualized across the country, and exploring recommendations for backyard chicken ordinances as discussed in the literature. It then examines five municipalities of geographic and size relevance to Wenona, examining the text of their ordinances and any reporting or council discussions on them. Interviews were conducted with municipal officials from the five cities to gain perspective into the day-to-day administration of the ordinance and any challenges they may face with their ordinance.
Finally, guided by the lessons from the literature and these five cities' experiences, recommendations for components of a backyard chicken ordinance are provided for the city of Wenona.
ContributorsKaeb, Connor (Author) / Merrigan, Kathleen (Contributor)
Created2023-11