DAVIS, Calif. — A new report, “California Urban Agriculture: Challenges, Pathways, & Equity for a Resilient Landscape” draws from the perspectives of over 200 of California’s urban growers, educators, and community leaders. This comprehensive roadmap sheds light on the pressing and unique challenges and opportunities facing urban farmers, and aims to guide policy decisions to build capacity and bolster support for urban agriculture across the state.

Policy Director of Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) Jamie Fanous said, “It’s an exciting moment to release California’s first-ever Urban Agriculture Roadmap! This report has been a collaborative journey, with community engagement and feedback at every step. I hope the urban agriculture community sees this report as an accurate reflection of their experiences, and that decision-makers use it as both a tool and a resource to understand the significant contributions of urban agriculture and address the urgent challenges it faces.”

Urban agriculture plays a crucial role in enhancing local food systems, improving climate resilience, and fostering community engagement. As urban areas evolve, preserving access to growing spaces and implementing supportive policies are essential for sustaining these benefits. The report reveals that many urban growers face significant obstacles, including high costs for water—often exceeding $500 per month during peak growing seasons—and limited access to land, equipment, and capital. Most urban growers cultivate less than an acre of land, underscoring the need for targeted support and infrastructure.

To address these challenges, the report advocates and includes strategic recommendations for the expansion of sustainable water infrastructure, climate-resilient economies, land reform, improved access to government resources and urban agriculture training, and building the overall vitality of urban agriculture.

“Urban agriculture clearly has a role in local, resilient food systems and can provide access to fresh, healthy food in historically underserved, ethnically diverse neighborhoods.  It is also a way for new, beginning farmers to get their start. This report lays out the value and many contributions that urban agriculture makes to communities throughout California,” said California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross.

Terry Cosby, Chief at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), notes “USDA’s NRCS is proud to support CAFF and other community organizations that increase access to resources, skills, and knowledge for urban producers. By funding the development of tools like this report we are able to contribute to communities’ efforts to build and strengthen resilient local food networks.”