Community Food Security via Urban Agriculture: Understanding People, Place, Economy, and Accessibility from a Food Justice Perspective

TLDR

This study examines how urban agriculture projects alleviate food insecurity in Philadelphia’s low‑income neighborhoods and proposes future research directions to deepen understanding of UA practice. Using food justice theory and mixed‑methods—GIS mapping, surveys, field observations, and interviews—the authors analyze how neighborhoods, residents, and the local food economy interact with UA projects. The authors find that while urban agriculture is essential for combating food insecurity in inner‑city neighborhoods, it faces challenges related to geographic, economic, and informational accessibility, social exclusion, spatial mismatch with residents’ demographics, uneven distribution of fresh produce, and limited economic impact in underprivileged areas.

Abstract

This paper examines the role of urban agriculture (UA) projects in relieving food insecurity in lower-income neighborhoods of post-industrial U.S. cities, using Philadelphia as a case study. Based on food justice literature and mixed-methods such as GIS, survey, field observations, and interviews, we discuss how neighborhoods, nearby residents, and the local food economy interact with UA projects. Our findings suggest that, although UA projects occupy a vital place in the fight against community food insecurity in disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods, there are debates and concerns associated with the movement. These concerns include geographic, economic, and informational accessibility of UA projects; social exclusion in the movement; spatial mismatch between UA participants and neighborhood socioeconomic and racial profiles; distribution of fresh produce to populations under poverty and hunger; and UA's economic contributions in underprivileged neighborhoods. Finally, we outline future research directions that are significant to understanding the practice of UA.