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Published by City Farmer, Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture

Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture

by Tara D. Johnson
t2johnso@ryerson.ca

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning
School of Urban and Regional Planning
Ryerson University
April 2005
Toronto, Ontario
Entire thesis at
http://www.cityfarmer.org/tarathesis.html

Abstract

Currently, the issue of hunger and food insecurity is a problem challenging many, if not all, North American cities. In response to food insecurity, entrepreneurial urban agriculture has emerged within cities and is slowly gaining recognition as a community-based approach to enhancing food security. The purpose of this paper is twofold: 1) to explore the economic viability of entrepreneurial urban agriculture within cities; and 2) to explore whether entrepreneurial urban agriculture can simultaneously serve as an urban social service to respond to the problem of community food insecurity.

In order to gain a better understanding of entrepreneurial urban agriculture, this paper utilizes a case study approach by analyzing an entrepreneurial urban agriculture project within the City of Chicago and the City of Toronto. These case studies provide a “snapshot” of the dynamic ways in which entrepreneurial urban agriculture projects have addressed the issue of food insecurity and how they might bring economic opportunity to their city.

This paper will emphasize the importance and need for urban planners to be involved with urban-food growing activities. It is only until relatively recently that urban planners have recognized urban agriculture to have important social and economic implications for the enhanced livability and well-being of urban residents and communities. In order for the full economic potential of entrepreneurial urban agriculture to be seen within cities, urban planners need to accept this activity as part of the urban reality.

It hoped, that the reader will leave this paper with a better understanding of the concept of entrepreneurial urban agriculture, but more so realize that entrepreneurial urban agriculture has high potential to be an integral part of a successful city and that innovative ideas need to be integrated into planning in order to fully realize the social and economic opportunities that entrepreneurial urban agriculture could provide for cities.

Notes From Johnson Thesis