Last week, San Francisco's supervisors approved new legislation intended to jump-start urban farming throughout the city, reports John Upton.
The nonprofit San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association (SPUR) was instrumental in pushing for the legislation [PDF], which Upton notes, "follows zoning changes last year that made it easier to operate small farms and legal to sell food
grown in San Francisco. This new set of laws will take it further by
removing additional bureaucratic barriers for hopeful gardeners and
actively searching for land they can use while providing them with
seeds, tools, and advice."
The legislation establishes an Urban Agriculture Program for the city and county of San Francisco, that, "will audit city-owned land and rooftops in a quest to dig up
potential new public gardening sites. It will also develop incentives
for owners of vacant lots to allow their land to be used for community
farming."
"San Francisco's adoption of the new urban farming programs follows a
trend that has seen Detroit, Portland, Baltimore, New York, Seattle,
Oakland, and other major cities craft programs and laws in recent years
to encourage agriculture and gardening within city limits," notes Upton.
FULL STORY: New San Francisco legislation will jump-start urban farming
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