Farming is flourishing in Los Angeles County, according to a new report by urban planning graduate students at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. The first-ever comprehensive survey found that there are 1,261 school gardens, community gardens and commercial primary growing sites in L.A. The students also explored animal farming, farmer's markets and other agriculture-related data.
While farming has long been the domain of rural landscapes, the student researchers said, an increasing interest in the local-food movement, healthy eating and sustainable cities has sparked the growth of farming in urban environments. Their report, "Cultivate L.A.: An Assessment of Urban Agriculture in L.A. County," is intended to aid city planners as they learn how to accommodate these new land uses in the nation's most populous county.
A capstone project for graduate students, the report represents the culmination of six months of collaborative research between 13 master’s degree students of urban and regional planning and three research associates, as well as a doctoral candidate student advisor and two faculty advisors. The students contacted more than 3,000 community organizations, schools, businesses and individuals. They also drew on public records, personal interviews and sophisticated surveying and validation methods to produce an interactive map detailing the location of every formal urban agriculture site across the county, excluding residential backyard gardens.
Read the complete story and find links to the report and interactive map on the Luskin School website.
