Key Takeaways
- Liz Turner highlights that urban agriculture is expanding across U.S. cities, yet municipal policy remains a major constraint to its equitable and sustainable growth.
- A USDA-supported guide from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) reviews key issues such as land access, zoning, water costs, and governance.
- Water access and utility fees are identified by Liz Turner as underused levers for supporting urban growers.
- Gentrification and rising land prices threaten long-term farm stability.
- Policymakers are beginning to view urban agriculture as a public good with broad community value.
Liz Turner on Policy Barriers and Opportunities
Urban farming in the United States continues to evolve as cities explore new ways to provide fresh food, restore green spaces, and utilize underused land. Yet, municipal regulation remains a deciding factor for what growers can achieve.
To understand the barriers, Liz Turner, Visiting Assistant Professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) and attorney at the school’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), co-led a USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP)–supported guide on municipal policy for urban agriculture.
Turner’s involvement draws on her legal background and prior experience as a student attorney in Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, where she worked with local organizations to identify policy gaps affecting food production. “I was hired in the summer of 2023 as a fellow to work essentially on this project,” she said.
Building the Guide: Liz Turner’s Data-Driven Approach
Turner and her team focused on 17 U.S. cities identified as urban agriculture hubs. They reviewed land use, zoning, and water governance while conducting over 130 interviews with stakeholders—from growers to city staff.
“We wanted to see what was actually happening on the ground,” Liz Turner explained. She noted that supportive policies often fail in practice due to unclear administrative processes or limited infrastructure. An advisory group of active urban farmers helped ensure accountability and inclusiveness.
Core Policy Areas and Gentrification Challenges
The guide highlights six areas cities should assess:
- Land access
- Land use and zoning
- Water access
- Municipal governance
- Soil health and composting
- Innovative production, such as hydroponics and vertical farming
Indoor and hydroponic producers, Turner noted, are frequently overlooked in zoning codes that omit controlled-environment agriculture (CEA).
Land costs and suitability remain key obstacles: “Most urban farmers would say cost… and it’s expensive,” she said, adding that short-term leases make infrastructure investment uncertain.
Turner also warned that successful community farms can unintentionally drive gentrification. “How do we protect the community that created the garden in the first place?” she asked. Cities such as Richmond, Virginia, are experimenting with conservation easements and long-term ground leases to secure farmland for public benefit.
Liz Turner’s Outlook: Urban Agriculture as Public Good
Looking ahead, Liz Turner expects more municipalities to formally include urban agriculture in zoning and planning frameworks. “I think we’re going to see more and more people thinking about it as a public good,” she said.
Turner believes urban agriculture can serve as a low-cost, high-impact policy tool for climate adaptation, green-space expansion, and improved food access. Early discussions with officials in Atlantic City and New Orleans point to growing interest in turning research into real policy.
As Turner concludes, the shift underway may redefine how U.S. cities balance growth, equity, and sustainability—placing urban farming at the center of community resilience and local food systems.
Discover the guide Vermont Law & Graduate School published.
