Inspiring Growth of Urban Agriculture in Nashville, TN

SEEDING SPACES

By Alicia Smith, Research Fellow

In collaboration with Gary Gaston, Ron Yearwood, Eric Hoke, and Julia Landstreet

A special thank you to Kate Armstrong for generously providing her support and guidance, Chelsea Velaga for additional

layout and image edits, and to Kion Sawney for added content.

©2014 Nashville Civic Design Center www.civicdesigncenter.org

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SEEDING SPACES

INSPIRING GROWTH OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN NASHVILLE,TN

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Table of Contents

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Introduction

Preface

Historical Context

Policies & Codes

Case Studies

Residential

Community

Institutional

Commercial

Opportunities

Acknowledgements

References

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INTRODUCTION

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ashville, Tennessee lies on the Cumberland River between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The city rests in the Central Basin of Middle Tennessee, inscribed by the Highland Rim; a horseshoe of ridges, which is gouged by narrow river valleys. The valleys form hills and hollows that support diverse habitats of once-extensive grasslands, primeval cypress-tupelo forests and coniferous for-ests of Red Spruce and Fraser fir. Extensive forests cover the uplands’ steep slopes, where water traces a filigree of streams and rivers into the Basin’s limestone bed. These intricacies pull silt and nutrients into the depression and create fertile bottomlands for farming. The product of this unique natural landscape seeded the potential for agricultural production within the Central Basin, resulting in a long history and culture of farming in Davidson County.1

Preface

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rban agriculture is taking hold in Nashville, with activities ranging from intensive vegetable production, raising backyard chickens, and urban beekeeping. A number of commercial urban farms, community gardens and school gardens have sprung up in response to community enthusiasm surrounding the health, social and economic benefits of local food production. However, there remain barriers and challenges to growing, distributing and processing food in Davidson County.

Urban farms have the potential to greatly impact the food system by: reducing transportation costs, improving the ecological health of our environment, transform-ing blighted urban areas into productive landscapes, and improving the health of our community and citizens of Nashville.

Landscape architects and urban designers seek to transform urban spaces intoregenerative, restorative and productive landscapes to create more healthy, livable cities. This case study reveals the potential for urban agriculture, and the challenges urban farmers face in bringing food to the table in our community. In order to develop a secure local food system, urban farming must become more accessible and economically viable in Davidson County.

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What is Urban Agriculture?

Urban agriculture is “the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, fiber, biofuel and other products used to sustain and enhance human life” in metropolitan areas. It can be complemented by many other quality of life and environment enhancingactivities such as; the processing and distributing of food, utilizing food waste for compost, rainwater catchment, refuge for native biodiversity, education, employ-ment; as well as, reconnecting residents to nature, their food supply, and their health. Urban agriculture is integrated into the local economy, impacting the local ecology as well as human health. It has the potential to alter the way cities function, influencing municipal policies, open space plans and public health initiatives. 2, 3

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Goals:

• Document existing urban agriculture projects• Connect stakeholders to create a shared vision • Evaluatebenefitsandchallengesinbuildingthelocalfoodsystem• Explore policy recommendations

Methods:

This project was initially inspired by a publication through the Berger Partner-ship, a landscape architecture firm in Seattle entitled Productive Neighborhoods: A case study based exploration of Seattle Urban Agriculture Projects as well as the Five Boroughs Farm: Seeding the future of urban agriculture in NYC, a publication by the Design Trust for Public Space in New York. Seeding Spaces: Inspiring Growth of Urban Agriculture in Nashville, TN was completed as a summer internship project through the Nashville Civic Design Center from May through November of 2013. It was researched primarily though direct interviews with local farmers, governmentofficials and supporting organizations who all generously gave their time to share experiences, challenges and advances that have been made in building a healthy, local, sustainable food system in Nashville. The following numbers of urban farms are based on current documentation of institutional and community gardens by supporting organizations. I am responsible for my personal investigation into the numbers of residential and commercial urban farms through direct interviews with farmers that are displayed through the case studies. —Alicia Smith

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Number of Urban Farms Growing Food in Nashville

RESIDENTIAL

Urban Agriculture

COMMUNITY

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COMMERCIAL

ResidentialManagedasafor-profitbusiness on residential property.

CommunityManaged by a group of volunteers, oftennon-profits.

Institutional Managed by an institu-tion (e.g. school, univer-sity, housing department, or prison).

CommercialManaged as a business.

INSTITUTIONAL132

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Our Current Food System

50 million individuals in the United States are food insecure, 17 million of them are children.4

HUNGER

17.6 % of Tennessee residents are food insecure, accounting for 1,127,190 people. 5

The National average is 16.4% 5

What is food Insecurity?

“Experiencing physical, financialandeducational barriers to healthy food access, availability, and use”.6

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Energy Consumption

Climate & Food Prices

Our current food system accounts for 20% of the U.S. government budget, 4% of oil we consume, 50% of U.S. land, 80% of the fresh water, yet 40% of all food in the U.S. goes to waste, with $165 billion dollars dedicated to food we never eat.7

Waste: Farm to Fork

The average price of staple foods could more than double by 2030, with more than half of that increase due to changes in average temperatures and rainfall patterns.9

Our food supply is mostly driven by non-renewable energy sources (e.g. oil, coal, and natural gas), with the U.S. expending three times as much energy per capita for food as developing countries. 8

50% priceincrease

Only 0.36% of Davidson County farmland is used to farm fruits or vegetables. As a result, we end up importing our food an average of 2,000 miles– with 30 cents of each food dollar staying in the local economy. 10

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1/3 of adults and1/6 of children and adolescents ages 2-19 in the U.S. are obese.11, 12

Obesity now accounts for 21% of U.S. health costs, translating into $190.2 billion dollars per year. 13

Since 1980, prevalence of childhood and teenage obesity has almost tripled. 15

Obese children are 5 times more likely to become obese adults and suffer lifelong physical and mental health problems such as; type 2 diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, depression and some cancers. 16 However, with increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables we can reduce the prevalence of obesity in Davidson County. 16

Metropolitan Nashville/ Davidson County is home to 626,681 residents. In 2012, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that Nashville has an adult obesity rate of 25% with an additional 38% report-ing being overweight.14

Our Health

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Research continues to demonstrate therestorative,cognitiveandmentalhealthbenefitsof being in nature, from increased happiness and physical health to lowered stress. 17

Studies have found that people who live near trees and parks have lower levels of cortisol– a stress hormone– than those who live primarily around concrete, and that children with attention deficitdisordertendtoconcentrateandperformbetter on cognitive tests after walking through parks or arboretums.18

Health Benefits of Being in Nature

Gardens have long been used to improve well-being, foster social relations, provide hands on education, facilitate healing and supply fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only are they a source of food, but they also providemanyotherbenefits,suchascommunitybuilding,educationandpromoting health. 19

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We are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. 20

Almost 50% of all people in the world live in urban areas and this is projected to increase to 65% by 2030. 20

In order to preserve biodiversity and enhancehuman well-being, the places where people live and work should be designed to provide opportunities for meaning-ful interactions with the natural world. 20

Maintaining Biodiversity

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Food Insecurity

Nashville’s Food Desert Map:

Areas in Nashville’s urban zone definedasfooddesertsbyTennesseeState University urban geographer David Padget. Note the multitude of fast food locations versus super-markets. Food desert boundaries are based upon Census Block Groups selected within one mile of the center points (centroids) of inner city com-munitieshavingsignificantlyhighnumbers of households without pri-vate automobiles. 21

According to Feed America, the na-tion’s largest network of food banks, there are currently 103,100 food insecure households in Davidson County. This number represents ap-proximately 16.8% of the population, and it includes both rural and urban residents, the elderly and disabled and about 29,100 children. 22

On average, neighborhoods that are predominately African American are 1.1 miles further away from the near-est supermarket than white neighbor-hoods.23

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An important component of a healthier city is the development of a locally based, sustain-able food system. The Nashville area is expected to experience tremendous growth over the next couple decades, with another 200,000 people moving to Nashville by the year 2035, and several hundred thousand to the surrounding counties of Middle Tennessee. Wheretheregionsourcestheirfoodwilldefineinvestmentinagriculturalsustainability,making urban agriculture an increasingly important component of a sustainable food system. 24

Towards a more sustainable,localized Food System

A Healthy Food System

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What is a foodshed?

A foodshed can be thought of in much the same way as a watershed, a geographic area that definestheflowofwaterfromitssourcetoitsenddestination,suchasariver.Insteadofwater,itistheflowoffoodfromitssiteofcultivationtoitseventualconsumption.25 Like a watershed, it can range from as small and discrete as a single square foot in a backyard garden to covering much of the contiguous United States.

Based on studies performed by other foodsheds like Cuyahoga County in Ohio, if Davidson County were to grow even 1/3 of its food locally, it would create about 4,000 farming, processing and distribution jobs; enough to eliminate unemployment in Davidson County. 26

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Local farmers are uniquely positioned in that they are not only producers of food in a global marketplace, but are also educators, advocates, and community leaders in building local, sustainable food systems. Local farmers reach out to the community by selling at farmers’ markets. They create markets by supplying produce to local restaurants. They build community cohesion by hosting events, and offeringcommunity support.

“Small, sustainable farms are the glue, just one connection, that builds community in a very positive manner.“- John Patrick, Foggy Hollow Farms

Role of farmers and gardeners in building the local food system

Despite these achievements, local farmers still face many challenges:• Educatingthepubliconthebenefitsoflocalfood• Land access• Local laws • Labor• Healthy soil• Access to compost

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Role of urban designers, planners, and Landscape Architects in designing spaces for food production

Lafayette Greens, Landscape Architecture: Kenneth Weikal

Lafayette Greens is a unique example of a collaborative effort between private and public sectors resulting in the transformation of an unutilized parcel of city land into a productive urban garden. The transformation of this space into a .424 acre gar-den created an engaging public space where anyone can now take part in planting, tending, harvesting, learning, or even teaching about gardening. It is a place to meet, play and participate in the conversation about the local food system. It’s a place to share the bounty and experiences of growing food close to home.27

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Role of Farmers’ Markets as Food Distributors in local networksLocal farmers’ markets play a key role in food distribution throughout our community. Re-spective markets vary widely in key aspects, such as physical location, footprint, number of farmers, artisans and merchants, and organizational design. Despite their variety, all mar-kets are consistent in two key aspects – providing an outlet for distribution of farm-direct goods, and serving as key points of customer and community engagement.

Farmers’ markets offer an opportunity for farmers, food artisans, crafters of artisan-made goods, and food retailers to connect and sell directly to the public. Some farmers markets alsowelcomelocalnon-profitgroups,provideentertainment,hostfood-orienteddemonstra-tions, and in many markets, the opportunity for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro-gram(SNAP)benefits. Aside from merchant opportunities of both sellers and customers – farmers markets provide a lively, cooperative experience for all. Farmers’ markets serve as a diverse and dynamic “incubator” for small farms and local businesses to engage with the public in a cost-effective manner. Through these markets, farms and businesses are provided the opportunity to have a “pop-up” retail store without the added expenses related to traditional brick and mortar

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models. For customers, farmers markets often create a grocery store style, one-stop expe-rience where buyers can source their produce, meat, dairy, and specialty prepared foods needs from those who have truly “grown it, raised it, baked it or made it” – straight from theproducer.Bothpartiesbenefitfromengaginginarichfarm-to-tableexperiencethatmakes distribution feel more like relationship-building and less simply transactional in nature.

The number of neighborhood and community markets in Nashville and Middle Tennessee continues to grow. In the future, this key distribution point will be tested by the ability of sellers to attend and support burgeoning markets; and continued neighborhood, business, institutional, and community support. One of many future trends includes farmers grow-ing for restaurants and institutional buyers where markets provide a “food hub” point-of-exchange. This process further increases customer desire and engagement in purchasing goods directly from producers. Another major potential trend is the continued interest by all parties in “knowing where their food comes from” for traceability, health, and/or safety-related reasons.

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Davidson County Farmers’ Markets Local,regional,andnationaltrendscelebratethemanybenefitsofbuyinglocal.Thishasled to the steady increase of many new neighborhood-based farmers’ markets over the last fiveyears.Thesemarketshavecontinuedtogrowwithcommunity,restaurant,andinstitu-tional buyers who choose to source and provide local products. From local chefs to hospi-tals to schools – farmers’ markets provide a key resource for education and purchasing. In response, farmers’ markets as key hubs of food distribution continue to grow at a fast pace.

Hip Donelson Community F.M.

Richland Park F.M.

F.M. at the Crossings

Farmin in the Hall

East Nashville F.M.

Amqui Station F.M.

Goodletsville F.M.

12 South F.M.

West End F.M.

Nashville F.M.

Forest Hills F.M.

Davidson County Farmers Markets

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Farmers’ Market information provided by Pick Tennessee Products. Please note: Some markets are seasonal and/or weekly

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Historical Context

ashville’s nineteenth century success was largely due to its role as an agricultural center of Middle Tennessee, known as the Central Basin– a low lying geologic zone surrounded by the hills of the Highland Rim. Davidson County is home to a number of prominent plantations, such as the Hermitage of President Andrew Jackson and John Harding’s BelleMeade.Tennesseeagricultureinthefirstdecadesofthetwentiethcenturywasmarked by stagnation. In 1915, the US Department of Agriculture began aggressively pro-moting progressive farming and vocational agricultural programs. Despite the economic chal-lenges during the infamous Prohibition years (1920-1933), locals were resilient. Some farmers resorted to corn as a source for moonshine production.

Life after WWII brought economic prosperity, creating new demand for Tennessee farm products, supporting a number of livestock and dairy operations in Nashville. By the mid-twentieth century, economic conditions led to the rise of large agribusiness and the demise of many large and small family farms. Despite the trends, many farmers managed to sustain vegetable, livestock and dairy farms through the 1900s.

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1890-1930 Potato Patches

1890- 1910City Beautiful Movement

1917-1919WWI Liberty Gardens

To address the ris-ing issues around sanitation, crime and overpopula-tion– as well as taking refuge from the “tensions of ur-ban life,” more city garden plots were cultivated.29

Timeline of Urban Agriculture in the United States

1929-1939 Depression ReliefGardens

1939-1945WWI Victory Gardens

Gardening transformed into a

patriotic activity for all Americans after many farmers went to war.

In 1918, nationwide there were 5,285,000 garden plots, andover 528.5 million pounds of produce were harvested that year. 29

Economic depression between 1883-1897 led to poverty and unemployment causing a high demand for community gardens in cities. 29

1875

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1970-Present Community Garden Movement

With renewed in-terest in local food, following the En-ergy Crisis, concern over the environ-ment and food insecurity, there has been a resurgence of people growing food in the city!29

In 1942, about 5 million gar-deners participated in the war garden effort. The USDA estimated that over 20 million garden plots were cultivated. 9-10 million pounds of fruits and vegetables were grown in a single year.

Victory gardens began to emerge again. They were not just for the poor, or those who could not feed

themselves, but for everyone. 29

1970sEnergy Crisis

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1981-Present Local Food Movement

Marked by Gary Paul Nabhan’s "Coming Home to Eat”, the local food movement in the US has sparked a desire to create locally-based self-reliant food economies.

The movement has grown to in-clude a variety of participants; all focused on creating food systems in closer proximity to where they are consumed.

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Codes & Policies

ore and more questions are being asked about our broader food system, which is composed of national, state, and local networks. The answers to these questions have the potential to positively or negatively impact our environment, health and the local economy. In response to these concerns, many Nashville residents are engaging in the discussions around food policy issues and advocating for the protection of farmland and the rural char-acterofagriculturalcommunitiesfromdevelopment,specificallyinBellsBendandWhitesCreek, both located in Davidson County.

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Zoning for Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture can include a number of food production and distribution related activities, including plant cultivation and animal husbandry. Urban agriculture activities are affected by municipal policy. Policies can actively promote urban agriculture through protective zoning, funding and land donations or they can create barriers to urban agriculture through restrictive zoning. In some cases, zoning can be used to legitimize urban agriculture activities. By adding an urban agriculture zoning designation, cities can protect urban farms from rapid development when land tenure is unsteady or allow commercial enterprises to develop, without fear of being shut down. 30

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Nashville’s Zoning Defined:

KeyP Permitted By RightPC Permitted with ConditionsSE Special ExceptionA Accessory

Uses AG & AR2a RS 80- RS 3.75 R80-R6 SP Commercial Downtown Industrial

Agricultural Activity P A A

On-site agricultural sales PC

Community Gardening (Commercial) P SE SE SE P P P

Community Gardening (Non-commercial) P P P P P P

“While municipal effort to accommodate urban gardens have been useful many are Ineffective amendments that fail to take a broader view of urban agriculture. To make full useofurbanagricultureasatooltopromotetherevitalizationofatownorcity,officialsshould consider a more comprehensive approach of incorporating urban agriculture into their zoning regulations.” 31

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Access to Healthy Food

Economic Health

Revitalize Communities

Land Preservation and Ecological Health

Key Issues Regarding the Local Food System

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Urban agriculture can improve economic health by creating jobs, providing job training, attracting new businesses and saving families money. Local food production has the potential to provide jobs to local residents as well as boost property values. 32

The environment in which people live, work and play has a large impact on their health. Neighborhoods that provide safe, clean outdoor spaces offer more opportunities for resi-dents to connect with each other and to be more physically active. Urban farms have the benefitofprovidingopenspaceforresidentsinhighlyurbanizedareas.

Devoting land to agriculture can protect the ecological health of both urban and ru-ralcommunities,byprovidingkeyecologicalbenefitssuchaspreventingstormwaterrunoff, improving soil fertility, and promoting biodiversity. Protecting agricultural land within Nashville is key in developing a healthy, sustainable food system.

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In many low-income communities, the only places to buy food are fast-food restaurants and convenience stores stocked with highly processed foods. This lack of access to fresh foods is enhancing the obesity epidemic and increasing the rates of incident related ill-nesses.

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Bells Bend is located in a bend of the Cumberland River only 15 minutes from downtown Nashville in Northwest Davidson County, encom-passing roughly 34 square miles or 22,000 acres.

Spotlight: Bells Bend

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The corridor’s natural beauty stems from its rugged topography, steep north-ern slopes and ridges with forested hills and creeks that fall into hollows and valleys home to working farms, rolling pastures and fertile bottomlands.

The uniqueness of this landscape stems from its proximity to downtown as well as its rich agricultural history, uninterrupted open land, natural habitat and strong rural character. 33

Very few cities in the U.S. can boast such a landscape less than 16 miles from the urban core. It is here that people still arrange their lives in accordance with the seasons, tracking rainfall and replenishing the soil. Bells Bend remains a powerful asset to the Nashville community as a source for healthy, clean, local and safe food for generations to come. That is, should we decide to protect it.

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Recent Legislation toward urban Agriculture

In February 2013, it became legal for most residents of Metro Nashville to keep up to six hens in their backyard depending on the size of the lot. Before the bill passed, raising backyard chickens was banned to residents in the Urban Service District who lived on less than 5 acres. However, coun-cil members in districts 12, 20, 28, 29, 30, 21, 32 and 33 “opted out” their districts from the backyard hen ordinance through an amendment. This means that if you reside in one of these districts you are not permit-ted to keep hens. 34

UPDATE: January 2014, chicken bill passed to allow hens in all council districts in Davidson County.

BACKYARD CHICKEN BILL

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Farm Stand Bill

Community Garden BillOn June 23, 2009 the Community Garden Bill was passed, which established community gardens as permitted use or special exception use in certain zoningdistricts.Thisordinanceestablisheddefinitionsforcommunitygardeningactivities(commercial & non-commercial) in the municipal zoning code, which opens up unused spaces in the city where community gardens can occur.35

On June 19, 2012 the Farm Stand Bill was approved, which created “on-Site Agricul-tural Sales” as a new use, permitted with conditions in agricultural zoning districts (AG & AR2a). This bill permits the sale of “raw unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds,herbsflowers,ornamentalplants,ortreesaswellasjams,jellies,pickles,sauces,relished, or handicrafts. 36

1. Potential for attracting wildlife (foxes, coyotes etc.)

2. Widely differing views on the issue among neighbors

3. Perceived health concerns

4. Suburban communities wished to be away from the “farm life”

Why did some districts originally opt out?

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CASE STUDIES

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Types of Urban Agriculture

RESIDENTIAL Food grown on residential property for personal consumption, share with friends orfamily, sell at the farmers market or through a CSA (Community SupportedAgriculture).

COMMUNITY Foodgrownbythecommunity,forthecommunitywithoutfor-profitsales.

INSTITUTIONALFoods grown by individuals or groups associated with an institution (e.g schools, universities, prisons).

COMMERCIALFoodgrownbylocalfarmersorentrepreneurswiththeintentionoffor-profitsales.

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Restaurant/Commercial

Local Food Bank

Residential or Institutional Use

Community Use

Categorical Definitions

FOOD DESTINATION

LAND OWNERSHIP

WORKFORCE

Leased Public Land

Leased Private Land

Private Land

Public Land

Educational

Volunteer based

Recreational

Occupational

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Residential

Cities across the country, such as San Francisco, Austin and Baltimore are changing their zoning codes to allow commercial urban farming in residential zones. Despite the growing popularity, this type of urban agriculture is not allowed in Davidson County, which prevents the marketing and expansion of farm sales from residential property. This type of urban agriculture has the potential to transform an underutilized space into a productive landscape that may provide the opportunity for Nashville residents to invest in their neighbors, build community, boost economic resilience and provide local food to all of Nashville.

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Nashville Greenlands

Nashville Greenlands was founded by Karl Meyer, an avid environmental-ist who established a loosely run commune nestled in Northwest Nashville that focuses on nurturing the planet though the cultivationof fruits, nuts, flowersandvegetables.NashvilleGreenlandswasestablished25yearsagowhen Karl Meyer moved into a vacant and vandalized house near downtown Nashville, just two miles from the state capitol. He paid $18,000 for a seven-room, brick house on a 50ft by 150ft lot, and then later bought the unused lot next door for $8,000.

Over a six year period, Karl Meyer waged a public battle with the Metro-politan Health Department and the Vegetation Control Board, who cited him numerous occasions for allowing “excessive vegetation...so as to endanger the health, safety, or welfare of the citizens of the metropolitan government.” In 2000, Karl won the consent agreement, where he agreed to mow the front 15 feet of his property and the Health Department agreed to stop citing him. In 2002, the Metro Council adopted an amendment that Karl Meyer drafted to the vegetation control ordinance, which exempted any parcel of property that was “actively maintained in keeping with an intentional landscape design or plan for vegetation growth.” Sixteen years later, this community is home to 20 residents, all of whom contribute to the growing of their own food.

Private Land

Recreational/Occupational

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14 hrs/week: Karl5 hrs/week: residents

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

1 acre total, cultivating 2/3

20 Residents6 city lots

Annual Costs: $250

$

chestnutspearsfigsblackberriesgooseberrieswinter squashasparagusblack raspber-ries

= 10 quarts/yr

“The experience of my whole life tells me that we, in America, must learn to live in a radically different way. We must consume less, destroy less, share the wealth of the earth with all that is alive around us, or we cannot have peace among us on this world.” -Karl Meyer

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The owners of Our Little Farm are relentless urban growers. Both with full time jobs, they have made it their mission to feed not only them-selves, but also their community. Our Little Farm was a project that began with the simple desire to start a small backyard urban farm and a brief consultation with Nashville Foodscapes, an edible landscap-ing company. What began as a dismal backyard full of Bermuda grass in February of 2013, transformed into a 1,206 sq foot urban farm in two days with the recruitment of nine friends, a rented sod cutter and desire for fresh food. The farm has transformed into a space that pro-duces 80% of what they consume, a four person CSA with extra pro-duce to sell at farmers markets, as well as enough to donate to Growing Healthy Kids, a program directed by the Community Food Advocates. This is an excellent example of what more people in residential neigh-borhoods can do to contribute to the local food supply. By transforming your backyard into a productive landscape you can play an active role by producing food that not only nourishes your own health, but also the health of your friends, family and neighbors.

Our Little Farm

Private Land Recreational

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20 hrs/week

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

1206 sq ft2 People + 1 Volunteer

Annual Costs: $450

beanstomatoescantaloupekalewatermelonbroccoli arugulalavender

660 lbs

$= 10 quarts/yr= 100 lbs/yr

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Supporting Organizations

The Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville are committed to providing educa-tion and support services for residents interested in raising urban hens in Davidson County. As more people become concerned about food security and safety, the lo-cal economy and the environment, The Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville are dedicated to educating the community about the benefits of keeping urban laying hens. The group advocates for changes in local zoning laws, and encourages citizens to keep hens in a healthy, responsible manner that contributes to the growth of a sus-tainable local food system in Nashville.

Nashville Foodscapes is an edible landscaping company dedicated to creating a re-generative food system that is sensitive to the client’s needs, while also addressing the needs of the land. Jeremy Lekich, owner of Nashville Foodscapes, is a community-driven local food enthusiast dedicated to helping Nashville residents grow low-main-tenance food. Nashville Foodscapes is committed to connecting residents to their land through the act of harvesting, eating, canning, and preserving the bounty produced from these intelligently designed spaces. Since the company’s launch in 2011, the Foodscape team has installed over 100 edible landscapes in Davidson County, rang-ing from simple raised beds to integrated food forests on residential property.

The Nashville Area Beekeepers Association provides assistance to Nashville resi-dents interested in beekeeping and holds monthly meetings to educate and support beekeepers at all skill levels. The club hosts an annual “Introduction to Beekeeping” course to help beginners get started. In cooperation with other bee clubs and the Tennessee Beekeepers Association, NABA hosts field days and other seminars to provide more advanced educational opportunities.

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Community

Urban community gardens have the potential to address cultural, economic, social and food security issues that plague many communities throughout the U.S. These projects can improve residents’ health and access to healthy food. They have the potential to provide supplemental income and job skills, build confidence for youth, and to help revitalize communities and cultural traditions. Programs like these in-crease economic development, rebuild community connectiveness and make use of vacant land in addition to helping people transition from homelessness or incarcera-tion.

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Edgehill Community Garden

The Edgehill Community Garden is one of the most established community gardens in the Nashville Area. The idea for the community garden began in 1992 when Brenda Morrow organized a community effort in response to the increasing need to grow fresh, healthy food for Edgehill residents. The Edgehill community is located in one of Nashville’s four food deserts, with the closest grocery store nearly two miles away. Now, with generous support from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods and successful grant funding by the Organized Neighbors of Edgehill, they are able to support over 63 gardeners producing multiple pounds of food annually. This space also functions as an outdoor educational facility for elementary and middle school children, where they can connect to their food source by engaging and participating in the cultivation of food.

Public Land

Educational/Volunteer Based/Recreational

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FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

38 Gardeners, 250 Annual Volunteers

Annual Costs: N/A

squash peachesapplespearsfigsstrawberrieswatermelonbeans

N/A

1 acre cultivated

$= 10 quarts/yr= 100 lbs/yr

N/A

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Farm In The City

The Metro Development and Housing Agency’s (MDHA) Farm in the City was started in 2010 and is the first community garden located within a public housing property in Nashville. The garden is located near the heart of the downtown business district and within view of the City Capitol and the “Batman” Building. Farm in the City provides residents at J. Henry Hale Homes, downtown residents and other interested individu-als the opportunity to plant and grow their own food with little cost. This two acre farm in Nashville has 57 individual plots ranging from 4’x4’ to 4’ x16’, six 4’x 4’ compost bins and a new rain shelter that was recently con-structed by volunteers with the Rotary Club of Nashville. All Nashville residents are invited to use this space, with most gardeners found within a 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile radius from the garden.

Public Land

Educational/Volunteer Based/ Recreational

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FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY30 Gardeners, 57 plots Long Beans

StrawberriesSquashMelonsNasturtiumsWatermelonLemon grass

2 acres

Annual Costs: N/A

$

N/A

= 10 quarts/yr= 100 lbs/yr

N/A

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North Goshen Community Food Forest

North Goshen Community Food Forest began as a small backyard garden in North Nashville with just a few tomatoes and cabbages planted by Keith Caldwell, a community organizer. Keith recounts the beginning of the garden being a passing point for the homeless on their way to the food kitchen a few blocks away. He welcomed them to take anything from the garden, so people began to wander in, picking a cab-bage or two from his small garden bed. If they lacked jobs, many would come to pick weeds. To these people, gardening gave them a sense of self worth and a feeling that they were contributing to something meaning-ful. Keith was eventually connected to Nashville Urban Food Forest, a non-profit that connects homeowners wanting to open their property to the community with a designer willing to draft a design for the space. On Earth Day of 2013, a community food forest was installed over the course of two days by 20 volunteers from the community as well as over 20 stu-dents from Tennessee State University with various permaculture work-shops held throughout the day. The uniqueness of this space stems from the thoughtfulness of the design grounded in permaculture, a design tech-nique that works with nature to mimic ecological systems. Kristin Larkin, the permaculture designer, transformed this urban yard into a productive landscape that not only feeds the community, but also restores the land by creating a regenerative system that requires little inputs, resulting in a healthy, resilient community space.

Private Land

Educational/Volunteer Based/Recreational

58

2hrs/week person

10 Gardeners/week

Annual Costs: $100

beanstomatoescantaloupekalewatermelonbroccoli arugulalavender

= 100 lbs/yr

100 lbs1500 sq. ft

$

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

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Supporting Organizations

Nashville Food Project works to provide healthy food in homeless and working poor communities across Davidson County. The Nashville Food Project began its work in June of 2007 as Mobile Loaves & Fishes, where their first catering truck began making runs to homeless camps three days a week, delivering sack lunches. After the flood of 2010, Mobile Loaves & Fishes delivered over 19,000 meals to displaced resi-dents, water company employees and others working on relief and recovery efforts across the city. The Nashville Food Project addresses hunger by growing food in its urban gardens, offering educational opportunities for urban youth, preparing whole-some, nutritious meals for low-income residents and delivering meals throughout the community. Each week, The Nashville Food Project serves over 600 free, nutritious, made from scratch meals for low-income neighborhoods on a weekly basis.

Community Food Advocates is a leader in addressing food security issues in Nash-ville. For more than 38 years, the Community Food Advocates have been commit-ted to temporary food assistance programs, such as SNAP Outreach that works to ensure families who are eligible for the food stamp program have access to this nutrition benefit. They also address long term solutions focused on ending hunger in Nashville through programs such as SNAP Fresh to encourage the use of farmers markets for SNAP beneficiaries, Growing Healthy Kids to increase access to healthy food in public schools and SEED Money Suppers, a mini-grant program that jump starts small, sustainable food security projects. These programs all work towards ending hunger through the development of a healthy, just and sustainable food sys-tem in Nashville.

Nashville Urban Food Forest is a non-profit that focuses on connecting residents in low-income communities with volunteer designers to build low-maintenance, self-sustaining food forests in urban neighborhoods. The mission of the Nashville Urban Food Forest is to improve access to healthy foods by focusing on fruit trees, nut trees and shrubs that will provide food for community members for years to come.

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Institutional

Institutions such as elementary schools, universities, prisons or corporate campuses provide a unique opportunity to expand urban agriculture efforts through the use of shared resources. Educational facilities can use urban agriculture as a tool to con-nect children, adolescents and even adults to their food supply through the cultiva-tion of food. They also have an opportunity to reach the broader community through outreach including: teaching cooking courses, addressing local food security issues through food donations, and spreading awareness about food insecurity, environmen-tal impacts and environmental justice.

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Trevecca Urban Farm

Trevecca Urban Farm is rooted in their program for Environmental and Social Justice, which recognizes that farming has a tremendous impact on the inhabitants of our world. Industrial agriculture has made great strides in increasing the world’s food production during the last 60 years, however, it has left us with broken family farms, degraded topsoil, biodiversity loss, depleted aquifers and poor health. With cooperation between Trevecca University’s Center for Social Justice and local schools, business owners,non-profitsandneighbors,theTreveccaUrbanFarmseekstoeducatestudentsandthecommunityaboutthebenefitsofgrowinglocalfood. It also seeks to revitalize and reconnect communities devastated by environmental degradation and social inequity. The university now boasts 3 acres of cultivated land, a greenhouse with a 550 gallon hydroponic system that produces 150 tilapia in a given season, a chicken coop with over 60 hens,3beehivesandanorchardfilledwithpears,apples,figsandmore!

Private Land

64

400-600 people/season

$30,000-40,000yearly budget (labor & materials)

= 100 lbs/yr

2,500 lbs

honeyherbal salvesvegetablesfruitfisheggsedible mushroomsflour

3 acres

$N/A

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

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Glencliff School Garden

In 2009, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt partnered with Glencliff High School to improve their school’s overall health and wellness. By the end of the year, the faculty and students devel-oped a plan to improve nutrition and physical activity through the devel-opment of a small 10 by 30 ft vegetable garden between the main building and the school’s greenhouse that was initially used to support the culinary arts program. By 2011, the garden was such a success that it was expanded to an adjacent 1/3 acre lot behind the school. This marked the beginning of a new school garden club which boasted 1/5 acre of row crops, 1000 sq ft of row beds, a 1200 sq ft greenhouse and a 200 sq ft nursery. The program was able to produce a total of 1,520 lbs of food in 2012 and $15,000 in vegetable, tree, and plant sales during the 2012-2013 school year. The real motivation for the program is to encourage students to eat healthy, fresh foods, to gain leadership skills and to educate the community about healthy eating habits.

Private Land

Educational/Volunteer Based/ Recreational

66

10 students per week + sweet potatoestomatoeswatermelonpearpumpkinskalecantaloupepeppers

= 100 lbs/yr

1520.04 lbs

140 Kindergardeners

for field trips

1/4 acre total in cultivation

600 Student Hrs +600 Volunteer Hrs donated in 2012-2013

$ 15,000 in Annual Sales

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

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Supporting Organizations

Nashville School Gardens Coalition is a group of teachers, parents, community volunteers, and school garden advocates who work together to support the school garden movement in Nashville. They achieve their mission through the integration of garden-based education and curriculum development to support academic achieve-ment. The organization supports the development of a “Garden to Cafeteria” pilot project aiming to increase community awareness and the amount of garden produce in school cafeterias. The program empowers leaders, develops policies and provides a technical support network to ensure all school garden leaders and participants are skilled, competent and feel confident supporting their school gardens.

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Commercial

Commercial urban farming provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to create new business opportunities to supply a growing demand for local food. This can include anything from a traditional farm, rooftop garden, hydroponics, to an aquaponics sys-tem that can provide both a sustainable supply of fish as well as fresh vegetables year around. Commercial urban agriculture can provide job training programs. It has the potential to convert underutilized private or public land to a productive landscape that functions to provide not only local, affordable food for the community, but also, provide jobs, open space preservation, stormwater capture, and urban biodiversity that contributes to a more healthy, livable Nashville.

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Urban Hydro Project

Urban Hydro Project is a hydroponic vegetable farm that provides fresh, local, sustainably grown produce to the Nashville community. This 135 sq foot space was once an unused utility room on the roof of a downtown condo building, but is now filled with 380 plants floating in a mineral nutrient solution that is harvested year around. Hydroponics is a soilless growing technique that is up to 10 times more efficient than a conventional farm. The goal of the Urban Hydro Project is to expand the conversation of sustainable food systems by using creative ways of growing sustainable food in the Nashville area. Jeffrey Orkin, an MLA graduate, is currently growing a variety of leaf and head lettuces, as well as herbs, peppers and tomatoes. He grows butter crunch, simpson, red leaf and romaine lettuces, basil, arugula, dill, cilantro, kale and mustard greens, producing a total of 40-50 heads per week, mostly to local restaurants. Urban Hydro Project is also focused on education and advocacy for local and sustainable food systems by organizing various workshops and events around the local food movement.

Private Land Occupational/Recreational

72

1 Gardener 135 sq. ft

1 hr per week$75-200/weekmostly electricity

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

40-60 heads of lettuce/week

herbstomatoespeppersbasilaruguladillcilantrokale

= 10 quarts/yr= 100 lbs/yr

$

73

Greenwood Gardens

Greenwood Gardens was started by Amy and Zach Winkler in 2012, out of a desire to provide quality produce that is affordable and locally grown while also using sustainable agricultural practices. They use hy-droponic techniques to grow and sell approximately 2,000 lbs of produce annually, including tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, kale, chard and basil to local restaurants through a local food distribution company, Nashville Grown. The distribution company picks up, stores, and delivers produce to farm to table restaurants in Nashville. By growing hydroponically, they are able to have high crop density, water efficiency, low labor input and product control, using 70-90 percent less water than conventional agriculture.

Private Land

Occupational/Recreational

74

24- 40 hrs/week per person

1 Gardener

Annual Costs: $1500

tomatoeseggplantpepperslettucekalechardbasil

2,000 lbs

900 sq. ft outdoors600 sq. ft greenhouse

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

= 10 quarts/yr= 100 lbs/yr

$

75

Forest Garden Growers

Forest Garden Growers is a cooperative of farmers that grows edible and medicinal plants that focus on hard to find and speciality products such as ginger and lovage that they sell to farm to table restaurants and farmers’ markets. With a fully operating nursery in Joelton, TN and an urban farm close to downtown Nashville, this unique cooperative allows interested individuals to participate in the propagation, cultivation and harvest of various crops. In return, you too can gain ownership in the company and reap not only the financial rewards, but also become part of a community of growers in the Nashville area.

Private Land

Occupational/Recreational

76

5-15 farmers

Everyday-one day every two weeks

FOOD PRODUCED ANNUALLY

Ginger tumericlovageartichokechamomilelemongrass

500 lbs

15 acres

$N/A

= 10 quarts/yr= 100 lbs/yr

77

Nashville Grown is a company that aggregates and distributes produce on behalf of all Nashville growers, whether they are a backyard garden or a 50 acre farm. They enable local food to reach the economies of scale needed to compete with conven-tional produce distributors.

Supporting Organizations

78

OPPORTUNITIES & NEXT STEPS

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Opportunities

There are ample opportunties to promote and facilitate the expansion of urban agri-culture in Nashville. By creating a vacant land assessment for the city of Nashville, we can better understand what kind of suitable land is available for use in urban agriculture. The city of Boston has already done this type of assessment in order to increase access to fresh, local food within its city limits. They have launched a City-wide Urban Agriculture Rezoning Initiative that includes the establishment of pilot urban farms and the drafting of amendments to the city’s zoning code to support the development of urban agriculture.37 This type of initative has the potential to reveal vacant land possibilities for growing food in the city of Nashville and can also be an important first step in connecting interested individuals to suitable farmland.

Mayor Karl Dean has made it a mission for all department heads and members of the Healthy Nashville Leadership Council to address the short and long-term health of our community and residents of Nashville by accessing and reflecting the health consequences of all future initiatives and decision-making.38 The promotion of urban agriculture has the potential to address the health of our community in a very posi-tive manner, through increased physical activity to higher vegetable consumption, reducing the prevalence of many preventable chronic diseases.

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Policy Recommendations

Conduct a food assessment to evaluate our local food system.

Conduct a land inventory to identify and secure unutilized city land for farming.

Providefinancialsupportforurbanfarmersthroughgrants, low interest loans and tax incentives.

Include urban agriculture friendly policies ingeneralplans,amendzoninglawstospecificallyinclude urban agriculture.

Provide training for urban farmers.

Provide city services to reduce costs.

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The City of Oakland completed a food systems assessment that provided the community with a baseline of food system components and assessed the potential for increasing the consump-tion of local foods. Oakland has now stated a goal to source a third of their food locally. 39

The City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods has inventoried land for community gardens, food bank gardens and community kitchens to maximize accessibility for all residents, especially those of low income. The program manages an extensive community gardening program through the Department of Neighborhoods that contains over 1, 900 plots with 68 gardens throughout the city. 39

The city of Cleveland’s Economic Development Department started a program called “Gardening for Greenbacks” in 2008 that provides grants up to $3,000 to urban farmers for tools, irrigation systems, rain barrels and greenhouses. 39

Cleveland, Ohio has created an urban garden district in its zoning code where agricultural practices and designations are permitted by right. Also, these codes allow for and regulate chickens, ducks, rabbits and bees within residential districts, with goats, pigs and sheep requiring at least 24,000 sq ft of land within residential districts and 14,400 sq ft within non-residential districts. 39

Growing Power is an urban farm in Milwaukee, WI that utilizes intensive and sustain-able agricultural growing practices within the city limits by building community through outreach and educational services for city residents. 39

Minneapolis helps provide access to water and compost for local community gardens. 39

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Let’s Make Farming More Accessible

As a Tennessean, you can pay less property tax if your property is dedicated to a farm, forestry, or open space uses. The Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land of 1976, known as the Greenbelt Law, allows certain land to be taxed on its value based on its present use. If the land is considered agricultural, the property owner must have at least 15 acres, with a 1,500-acre limitation and gross agricultural income of $1,500 per year over any three-year period to qualify. Small, urban farmers in Davidson County that farm intensively on less than 15 acres do not qualify for this tax deduction.40

• This change in legislation reduces the required acreage, allowing more urban farmers to be included under the Greenbelt Law, and promotes the growth of the local food system in Nashville by making small, intensive farming more economi-cally viable in Davidson County.

The Greenbelt Law

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Urban Farming In Residential Zones

In Davidson County, it is illegal to grow food in many residential zones for commer-cial consumption. Although many farms exist on residential properties, many urban farmers expressed concern over being shut down due to not complying with zoning codes and regulations. 41

• This change in legislation expands urban farming to more residential zones, allow-ing more urban farms to exist in Davidson County, while providing security for their endeavours in supplying food to the community.

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Hands On Nashville

On Hands on Nashville’s five-acre Urban Farm in South Nashville volunteers are guided by the Urban Agriculture Program team, which offers 100+ vol-unteer opportunities to the community each year. The core focus of program-ming at the Farm is to engage youth who live in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh food as well as provide a variety of programs on urban agri-culture including fellowships, apprenticeships, youth development programs and urban farm summer camps. Produce that is harvested from the farm is donated to local non-profits that serve low-income communities.

Job Training & Education

• Hands On Nashville provides hands-on training, on the ground demonstra-tion, outreach and technical assistance that help people grow, process, market and distribute food in a sustainable manner. By providing a commercial urban agriculture training program, they can inspire individuals and communities to build sustainable food systems that are both equitable and ecologically sound. A training program such as this could help you manage your own farming busi-nessandbuildtheskillsyouneedtocreateaprofitablefarminthecity.

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Farming on Public Land

• A public orchard or food forest can provide opportunities for physical activity, grow edibles close to the city, restore and nurture the local ecosystem, as well as improve public health, local food security, educational opportunities, and help build community.

The Stones River Farm

The Stones River Farm is part of a 600 acre scenic and historic property in Tennes-see that was recently acquired by Nashville’s Metro Parks System along the Stones River that would expand the city’s park and greenway system to more than 1,500 acres.42 The master plan for Stones River Farm is scheduled to begin in 2014, how-ever, urban agriculture possibilties on this property have yet to be openly discussed. Stones River Farm has the potential to provide more open space for Nashville residents, a more connected greenway system, as well as the possibilty for the city to lease land to urban farmers and create a public orchard or food forest. The pos-sibilities are limitless, however, they should be rooted in promoting public health by allowing more open space, opportunities for physical activity, growing of fresh food and restoration of our local ecosystem.

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Special thank you to our local farmers/gardenersTana Comer, Eatons Creek OrganicsJohn Patrick, Foggy Hollow Farms

Mary Self, Our Little Farm Karl Meyer, Nashville Greenlands

Eric Woolridge, Sulfur Creek Farms Alicia Batson, Hungry Gnome Farms

Keith Caldwell, North Goshen Community GardenGloria Ballard, Farm in the City

Brenda Marrow, Edgehill Community Garden Hank Cardwell, Garden Coordinator, Glencliff High School

Jeffrey Orkin, Nashville Urban Hydro ProjectJason Adkins, Trevecca Urban Farm

Zach and Amy Winkler, Greenwood GardensHaley Ball, Forest Garden Growers

Jeremy Barlow, Chef, Sloco

Governmental:Tracy Buck, Director of Prevention and Wellness at the Metro

Public Health DepartmentTom Sharp, Metro Public Health Department

Jason Holleman, District 24 Metro Council Member

Supporting Organizations: Andrea Ladd, Stewardship Manager, The Land Trust for Tennessee

David Wells, Co-Chair Nashville School Garden CoalitionJeremy Lekich, Nashville Foodscapes

Josh Corlew, Hands On NashvilleCommunity Food Advocates

Nathan Dryden, Nashville Food Project Jolie Yockey, Nashville Farmers Market

Acknowledgements

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Food Policy & Advocacy GroupsNashville Food Policy Council Tennessee Food Policy Council

Community Food AdvocatesSlow Food Nashville

Nashville Food Project

Food DistributionNashville Grown

Pick Tennessee Products

Community GardensAmerican Community Garden Association

Beekeeping

American Beekeeping FederationAmerican Honey Producers Association

Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS)Tennessee Beekeepers Association

Nashville Area Beekeepers Association

Resources

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1. Kreylng, C., Scimmenti, M. Gaston, G., Hutcheson, R, Hardison, R., & Gaffney, A. 2005. The Plan of Nashville. Nashville, TN. Vanderbilt University Press; 1st edition. 2. Cohen, N., Reynolds, K., Sanghvi, R. et al. 2012. Five Borough Farm: Seeding the Future of Urban Agriculture in New York City. New York, New York. Design Trust for Public Space; 1st edition.3. RUAF Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security. What is Urban Agriculture? http://www.ruaf.org/node/512. 4. Feed America. Map the Meal Gap: Highlights of Findings for Overall and Child Food Insecurity. 2013. Page 4. http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hun ger-studies/map-the-meal-gap/~/media/Files/a-map-2011/2011-mmg-exec-summary. ashx5. Feedamerica.org/mapthegap. http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger- studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx6. World Health Organization. 2013. 7. Gunders, Dana. 2012. Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill. Natural Resource Defense Council Issue Paper. 8. Hendrickson, John. 2008. Energy Use in the U.S. Food System: a summary of exisiting research and analysis. Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW Madison. 9. What’s wrong with our food system? Oxfam.org 10. NashvilleGrown.org 11. Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults, 1999-2010. JAMA. 2012;307:491-7.12. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity and trends in body mass index among US children and adolescents, 1999-2010. JAMA. 2012;307:483-90.13. John Cawley, Chad Meyerhoefer. The medical care costs of obesity: An instru mental variables approach. Journal of Health Economics, 2012; 31 (1): 219 DOI:

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14. Overweight and Obesity. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html15 Communities Putting Prevention to Work. http://www.cdc.gov/CommunitiesPuttingPreventiontoWork/communities/profiles/obesity-tn_nashville-davidson-county.htm16. Progress on Childhood Obesity. http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/childhoodobesity/17.Berman,M.,Jonides,J.,Kaplan,S.2008.TheCognitiveBenefitsofInteractingwith Nature. Physcological Science. 18. Thompson, Catherine et al. 2012. More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from Salivary Cortisol Patterns. Landscape and Urban Planning, 105. 221-229. 19. Armstrong, Donna. 2000. A survey of community gardens in upstate New York: implications for health promotion and community development. Health & Place, 6. 319- 327. 20. Miller, R. James. 2005. Biodiversity Conservation and the Extinction of Experience. TRENDS in Ecology and Evolution, 20. 430-434. 21. Map, 2013: David A. Padgett, Tennessee State University)- put in references.22. Poverty White Paper: Food Insecurity and Sustainability Issues. Community Food Advocates. http://www.communityfoodadvocates.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ Poverty-and-homelessness-White-Paper-CFA-Final.pdf 23. http://www.restoringnashville.org/pdf/our-journey-cover-15.pdf. Page 9. 24. Healthy Food System. 25. NashvilleAreaMetropolitanPlanningOrganization.RegionalProfile. http://www.nashvillempo.org/growth/Local Foodshed Mapping

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25. Tool for New York. Cornell University. Department and Crop and Soil Sciences. http://css.cals.cornell.edu/cals/css/extension/foodshed-mapping. 26. cfm#foodshed http://nashvillegrown.org/27. Lafayette Greens: Urban Agriculture, Urban Fabric, Urban Sustainability. General Design 2012 ASLA Professional Awards. http://www.asla. org/2012awards/073.html28. Price, David and Coco, Julie. Beaman Park to Bells Bend: A Community Conservation Project. New South Associates, pages 26-42. 29. History of Urban Agriculture. http://sidewalksprouts.wordpress.com/history/ Growing Urban Agriculture: Equitable Strategies and Policies for improving ac cess to Healthy Food and Revitalize Communities. Policy Link. 2012. http://www. policylink.org30. Zoning Practice. March 2010. Practice Urban Agriculture. American Planning Association. http://www.planning.org/zoningpractice/2010/pdf/mar.pdf31., 32. Henrickson, Mary and Porth, Mark. Urban Agriculture- Best Practice and Possibilities. The University of Missouri Extension. Page 4. 33. Price, David and Coco, Julie. Beaman Park to Bells Bend: A Community Conservation Project. New South Associates34. Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville. Metro Council/Davidson County Ordinance. http://ucannashville.org/node/835. Community Garden Bill. http://www.nashville.gov/mc/ordinances/term_2007_2011/bl2009_479.htm36. FarmStandBill.http://www.nashville.gov/mc/ordinances/term_2011_2015/bl2012_182.htm37. Chin, D, Infahsaeng, T, Jakus, I & Oorthuy, V. Farming in Boston: a survey of opportunities. Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, May 2013. Greenbelt: A taxpayer’s guide. 38. Mayor Dean’s Letter to Department Heads. November 16, 2012. 39. Examples from other cities. http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@cped/documents/webcontent/convert_282989.pdf42 http://www.growingpower.org/40. http://www.comptroller.tn.gov/sboe/pdf/ GreenbeltBrochure.pdf

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41. Zoning Districts and Land Uses. Chapter 17.08. http://library.municode. com/index.aspx?clientId=1421442. Metro to pay $8.2M for 600 acres of farmland along Stones River. City Paper. December 12, 2012. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/ city-news/metro-pay-82m-600-acres-farmland-along-stones-river

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i. Swiss Chard, Amy and Zach Winkler iii. American Devon Cows, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor Barred Owl, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Organic Farming CSA Share, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor Organic Farming Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor Flashy Troutback Lettuce, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms v. Heritage Chickens, Alicia Smith vi. Hanging Garlic, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms 1. Radnor Lake, http://www.desktopwallpaperhd.net/view/autumn-nashville- wallpaper-tennessee-lake-radnor-nature-landscape-193870.html2. Sunset in Bells Bend, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor Whooping Cranes in Bells Bend, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor Wildlife Conservation in Bells Bend, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor4. Playing the Fiddle, Bells Bend Park Neighborhood Farms

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5. Head of lettuce, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms 6. Paw Paw flower, photo by Alicia Smith 9. National Food Insecurity Rates, Feed America12. Dogwood in Cheekwood, Lynna Rawling13. Cades Cove Sunrise, wallpaperweb.org14. USDA Food Access Research Atlas, www.ers.usda.govw15. A Healthy Food System Defined, Our Food System at Work: Living, Learning and Eating in Jefferson County, Alabama. 16. Nashville Floodplain17. Bells Bend Farm, Ron Manville18. Farm in the City Summer 2013, Photo by Alicia Smith 19. Nashville Farmers’ Market, NCDC20. Vanderbilt University Farmers’ Market 22. Porter Wilson at the Nashville Farmers Market,by Laura Wilson23. Home Food Supply Program. Mr. & Mrs H.C. Reynolds and their little daughter, Corley, enthusiastically planting their early spring garden. Tennessee State Library and Archives.

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24. Home Food Supply Program. Mr. & Mrs. J. B. Rose and son Tony Rose discussing garden plans with County Agent Bethel E. Thomas. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Dairy cattle in Tennessee. 1967. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Picking strawberries in Portland, Tennessee. 1942 Tennessee State Library and Archives. 25. George Coker’s potato patch, Mitchellville. There are men, women and children digging up the potatoes. 1920. Tennessee State Library and Archives. House and garden in the Victorian style with a formal garden. 1900 Morgan County, TN. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Photo graph of World War I victory garden exhibit booth, between 1914 and 1918. Nashville Public Library Digital Collection. The community gardens of the Borden Mills (in background), located in Kingsport, Tennessee. 1939. Tennessee State Library and Archives. 26. A large crowd of people observing a garden. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Heather Sevcik at Bells Bend Farms. Bells Bend Farms facebook page. Nashville Farmer’s Market, from the Nashville Farmer’s Market Facebook page.27. Bells Bend in the News, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor 28. Farmers meeting at UT Extension, photo by John J. Carney Bells Bend in the News, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor Bells Bend in the News, Beaman Park to Bells Bend Conservation Corridor

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29. Maya Donelson tends the rooftop garden of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. Photo by Marian Burros 31. Icon, kale: http://www.kristenjohns.com/Icon: community: http://cerch.org/ research-programs/chamacos/chamacos-community-outreach/outreach-news letters/33. Bells Bend Farm, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms. 34. Bells Bend Farm, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms.35. Map of Davidson County Chicken Ordinance. Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville. 37. Gourds, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms38. Winter squash, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms 40. Seedling, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms 42. Karl Meyer, Photo by Alicia Smith43. Karl Meyer caring for chickens, Photo by Alicia Smith 44. Barn Cats, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms Tomato Sauce, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms.48. Lettuce Mix, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms. 46. American Persimmon Harvest on Hungry Gnome Farm, Photo by Alicia Smith

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51. July Garden Harvest, Photo by Brenda Morrow52.FarmintheCity,http://www.nashville-mdha.org/res_farm.php North Goshen Food Forest Dig In, Chris Rada of Nashville Urban Food Forests, Early Fall, Bells Bend Farms Facebook page.54. Edgehill Community Garden Summer 2013, Photo by Alicia Smith 56. Farm in the City Summer 2013, Photo by Alicia Smith 58. Flikr Creative Commons 60. Lone Zinnia, Bells Bend Neighborhood Farms 61. Trevecca Urban Farm, Photo by Alicia Smith 62. Bellevue School Garden, nashvilleschoolgarden.com Pumpkin Patch, Travecca Urban Farm Sunflowers at Travecca Urban Farm, Photo by Alicia Smith64. Flikr Creative Commons 66. Glencliff School Gardens, Photo by Alicia Smith 68. Flikr Creative Commons69. Heirloom Pumpkin at The Forest Garden Growers Farm, Photo by Alicia Smith

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70. Lavender, Photo by Alicia Smith72. Urban Hydro Project, Photo by Alicia Smith 74. Greenwood Gardens, Photo by Alicia Smith 76. Forest Garden Growers, Photo by Alicia Smith 78. Winter Squash, Bells Bend Farms Facebook Page79. Early Fall, Bells Bend Farms Facebook page.80. Early Fall, Bells Bend Farms Facebook page.82. Children. Bells Bend Farms Facebook Page. 88. The first tree to bloom, 2013. Beacon Food Forest Facebook Page.

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