Urban Agriculture(s), Gentrification, and Equity in the City

• In Event: 2323 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtable
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 4. Interrogating Social Action and Political Leadership I

Abstract

Critical food studies scholars have raised a number of concerns about the alternative food movement’s inability to fully address inequalities in the food system. Urban agriculture for example, has been critiqued for attracting elite and middle-class white participants while alienating others. Connected to this critique, there is debate about the relationship between urban agriculture and gentrification. Despite a number of studies contributing to this debate, few scholars have addressed whether the relationship between urban agriculture and gentrification might vary due to the many types of projects a broad definition of urban agriculture includes. Based on a review of studies of specific urban agriculture projects and ethnographic data on Franklinton Farms, an urban farm in Columbus, Ohio, I argue that organizational structure, leadership demographics, and goals need to be considered when assessing the benefits of urban agriculture and its relationship to neighborhood development and gentrification. In conclusion, I suggest avenues for further research on the relationship between urban agriculture and gentrification that considers varying types of urban agriculture projects when assessing the project’s impact.

Author

• Kelsey Ryan-Simkins, Ohio State University