Development-supported agriculture (DSA) is a nascent
movement in real estate development that preserves and invests in agricultural
land use. As farmland is lost due to the challenging economics of farming and
the pressures of the real estate industry, DSA attempts to reconcile the need
for development with the need to preserve agricultural land. The overall goal
of DSA is to incubate small-scale organic farms that co-exist with residential
land development, providing benefits to farmers, residents, the local
community, and the environment.
A related term, agricultural urbanism, refers to
agricultural operations located in proximity to and integrated with urban
areas. The term of agricultural urbanism was coined by Mark Holland and Janine
de la Salle, and is based on their book by the same name, published by Green
Frigate Press in 2010 (De la Salle and Holland et al.). The term and concept of
Agricultural Urbanism was originally developed in British Columbia in 2008
during a planning process for a development project called Southlands in South
Delta, Metro Vancouver and was introduced to planner, real estate developer,
and founder of the New Urbanism movement, Andres Duany, as part of the
preparation for a design charrette which Duany and his team were involved in.
Two academics who authored a chapter (Patrick Condon from
UBC and Kent Mulnix from Kwantlen Polytechnic) posited the original idea of
using development to support agriculture by using mechanisms such as
transferring density rights from agricultural land onto adjacent areas and
preserving the agricultural land through covenants while harvesting the
development land value in the adjacent area that received the transferred
development rights.
Andres Duany has been a significant proponent of the idea as
well as the author of a similar stream of thought called Agrarain Urbanism.
Duany’s adoption of the concept has given it a higher profile,
Background
The term development-supported agriculture (DSA) was
coined to describe the Harvest project. A variety of individuals collaborated
on the project, including planner Duane Verner, developer Nathan Wieler,
members of Piedmont Biofuels, participants in the Sustainable Agriculture
program at Central Carolina Community College, and others. The group set out to
determine the best usage for an existing farm that was being sold by the owner,
a career farmer named Paul McCoy. It became clear that the group had an
opportunity to create a unique residential community where farmers and
residents have a symbiotic relationship. This relationship would benefit all
involved, while also improving the general state of residential development and
helping to reduce the ecological destruction associated with typical residential
development models. Reynolds & Jewell Landscape Architecture was retained
to design the master plan for the community, and the team grew to include
experienced organic farmers, experts on native plants, and others. As of July
2008, the developer is actively implementing the master plan, and response to
the concept has been overwhelmingly positive.
DSA and CSA
Development-supported agriculture has its roots in the community-supported agriculture
(CSA) movement. However, whereas CSA typically focuses on establishing a direct
business relationship between consumers and farmers, DSA builds on a barter approach
first and foremost, while also ensuring that products from DSA farms are
integrated into the local economy. On a more general level, DSA is a response
to concerns about the urbanization of agricultural land and an attempt to preserve
existing farms. Another goal of DSA is to establish a new generation of farmers
by using the revenue from real estate development to establish small-scale
organic farms that are protected in perpetuity by conservation easements and
property covenants.
Five points of DSA
Development-supported agriculture is based on the concept of
a master-planned residential development with farming as the central amenity.
This model provides residents with the benefits of, and the opportunity to
experience, small-scale organic farming. Property owners have the option of
participating in the farming or leasing their land to a farmer; in either case,
the farmland is protected from development. Homesites are restricted to certain
areas and continuous areas of open space are maintained across multiple
properties.
In the spirit of Le
Corbusier's "Five Points of a New Architecture," DSA focuses on
five core principles:
- Preservation of farmland through limited development and continuity of previous farming uses.
- Agreements between developers and farmers (development provides farm infrastructure, farmers provide farm products to residents and the local community).
- Low-impact development techniques, sustainable architecture, and careful ecological/environmental planning.
- Establishment of wildlife corridors and animal habitats, promotion of native plant species, and protection of water quality.
- Utilization of an open-source development model that provides a framework for master-planned farm communities and integrated local food systems.
Examples
Developments in the urban-rural fringe
Harvest, North Carolina
Harvest is a 200-acre (0.81 km2) development
introduced in 2008, sited in the New Hope River Valley in Chatham County, North Carolina. The
development consists of 20 individual properties with an organic farm as the
literal and metaphorical center of the community. A farmbelt easement protects
farmland and preserves rural views.
According to Paul McCoy, the previous owner of the land, the
Harvest property had been used for farming since the American Revolution.
During the middle of the 20th century, the primary use of the farm was for
growing tobacco. In the late 20th century, the farm was used to grow a typical
rotation of tobacco, corn, and soybeans. In 2008, the developer of Harvest
began transitioning the farm from conventional operations to organic
certification. The change from commercial (i.e. using pesticides) to organic
farming will help protect the water quality of nearby Jordan Lake and the Haw
River.
Serenbe, Georgia
Another example of an urban-rural fringe project that fits
into the DSA framework is Serenbe.[3]
This community is located on one of the last undeveloped parcels of land in the
Atlanta area.
The founders of Serenbe realized that their largely untouched 900 acres
(3.6 km2) presented a window of opportunity for creating a
unique type of residential development. A 25-acre (100,000 m2)
organic farm is located at Serenbe that provides organic produce throughout
Atlanta and The Chattahoochee Hill Country. The 900 acres (3.6 km2)
of Serenbe lie in the heart of 40,000 acres (160 km2) protected
with a master plan that calls for 80% green space. Building sites are limited
to 220 structures, including live/work spaces and commercial buildings.
Middle Green Valley, Solano County, CA
One of the largest and most recent examples of
development-supported agriculture is in Middle Green Valley in southwestern
Solano County, California. The City of Fairfield to the south, and
unincorporated Solano County to the north, have continued to entitle
subdivisions while Green Valley has remained largely undeveloped agricultural
land and open space. Like many places at the edge of suburban boundaries, there
has been a longstanding conflict between the open space desired by neighbors
and development rights desired by landowners. The landowners in this part of
Green Valley have been under pressure to preserve the rural culture, even as
the basic economics of agriculture have eroded the financial viability of their
lands. Usually, the only viable choice was to develop their property to realize
economic benefit. Many of the landowners, some whose families have cultivated
the land for over 150 years, wished to realize the development value while at
the same time maintain the integrity of the open space, agricultural
productivity and the farming legacy.
In 2010, at significant cost and with no guarantee of
success, the Solano County Board of Supervisors – with meaningful participation
from landowners AND neighborhood groups – approved a Specific Plan for Middle
Green Valley. The final plan includes more than 1,400 acres of protected
agricultural and open space and a small village of about 400 clustered homes
that are shielded from the main views from Green Valley Road. Over 15 different
land owners covering almost 200 acres signed the Master Development Agreement
putting this plan into place. The entire Specific Plan can be obtained at:
Preserving the rural beauty and cultural legacy of the Green
Valley area is the guiding vision in crafting a long term, equitable, and
sustainable development plan. The Specific Plan celebrates and perpetuates the
tradition of the working landscapes that characterize this part of Solano
County for over 150 years. A core component is the promotion of sustainable
food and agriculture systems as a means to connect agricultural lands, the
built and natural environments, community health and natural resource stewardship.
The Green Valley Agricultural Conservancy
To provide assurances for the long-term preservation and
management of the open space, the Middle Green Valley Specific Plan envisioned
the creation of a non-profit Conservancy (the GVAC) to oversee the ±1,490 acres
of productive agricultural land, pastures, and natural areas. The Conservancy
has three primary areas of responsibility:
- Assisting and encouraging the farms in Green Valley;
- Overseeing the management, stewardship, enhancement, restoration and access easements for conservation lands; and
- Managing and developing a design review process for the community
One of the first tangible initiatives by the Conservancy to
promote and support local farmers and artisans has been the creation of Totally
Local - a new Certified Farmers' Market (CFM) - that was started in July 2011.
The Green Valley Farmers' Market provides a community gathering place to share
a cup of coffee, meet the local farmers, taste some great local food, and
simply have some conversation with neighbors. The Conservancy’s goal is not to
compete with, but rather compliment the already established food stands and
local artisans in the region to help provide a stable platform for featuring
LOCAL agricultural and artisan products.
Prairie Crossing, Illinois
Bundoran Farm, Virginia
South Village, Vermont
Hidden Springs, Idaho
Urban agricultural developments
East Lake Commons is a 20-acre (81,000 m2)
cohousing community planned by Village Habitat Design located 4 miles
(6.4 km) from downtown Atlanta.
Southeast False Creek and Olympic Village is an 80-acre
(320,000 m2) sustainable development project near downtown Vancouver, British Columbia that
includes an urban agriculture component.
Future possibilities: vertical farming
Vertical farming, also known as skyfarming, is a
conceptual form of agriculture done in urban high-rises. In these high-rises,
food such as fruit, vegetables, fish, and livestock can be raised by using
greenhouse growing methods and recycled resources year-round, allowing cities
of the future to become self-sufficient. The concept of the vertical farm
remains mostly hypothetical; however, many people believe that this type of
development will become necessary as a result of increased urban density and
rising energy costs.
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