21 pages, Surging interest in urban agriculture has prompted cities across North America to adopt policies that give gardeners access to publicly owned land. However, if not carefully designed, these policies can exacerbate existing racial inequities. Drawing on theories of urban and environmental justice, we use a contextualized case comparison to explore the radical potential and practical constraints of garden land policies at two distinct institutions: the City of Minneapolis and the independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Based on participant observation, document review, and interviews with a range of policy actors, we argue that what appear to be minor, common-sense policy details systematically shape who benefits from the garden land policies, sometimes in surprising ways. Compared to the City, the Park Board goes substantially further in addressing racial equity. Furthermore, though both cases included public participation, we argue that the more intensive participation during the Park Board policy development process—particularly in determining the details—was pivotal in crafting a policy that reduced barriers to racial equity. The present study contributes to the growing scholarship on urban agriculture and environmental governance and offers concrete insights for actors working toward more just policies.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 97 Document Number: C07844
Notes:
James F. Evans Collection, Mimeographed, 1994. 4 p. Paper presented at the International Agricultural Communicators in Education Conference, Moscow, ID/Pullman, WA, July 16-20, 1994.
Agahi, Hossein (author / Center of Education in Agriculture and Extension, University of Minnesota, St. Paul)
Format:
Report
Publication Date:
1994
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 97 Document Number: C07911
Notes:
abstracted from Ph.D. thesis, 1993; search through volume, In: Jacquelyn Deeds and Demetria Ford, eds. Summary of Research in Extension (1992-1993). Mississippi State, MS: Department of Agricultural Education and Experimental Statistics, Mississippi State University, July 1994. p. 10
Craig, Sheila (author), Larson, Brent (author), Montgomery, Rae (author), Tesmer, Jerrold (author), and Distance Education Project Manager, Educational Development System, Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota; Extension Educators, Fillmore County, MN
Format:
Report
Publication Date:
1992-04
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 89 Document Number: C06274
Notes:
James F. Evans Collection, St. Paul, MN : Educational Development System, Minnesota Extension Service, University of Minnesota, 1992. 7 p. (EDS Staff Paper No. 1)
