Scaling Up Urban Agriculture in Oakland, CA

Here in Alameda County, California, almost one-third of the population is food insecure. An even larger number live in areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Many residents of Oakland’s flatlands neighborhoods have few healthy, culturally-appropriate, or affordable food choices. Their food choices are further constrained by other factors such as purchasing power and access to transportation.

A number of food justice organizations are raising awareness of the unequal terrain of Oakland's foodscape by implementing programs to improve access to fresh produce and nutrition education in the flatlands. Urban agriculture is one of the strategies they employ and hope to expand to the large number of vacant and underutilized spaces throughout the city. This interdisciplinary research project integrates methods from urban geography, agroecology, and planning to examine the obstacles and opportunities surrounding the expansion of urban agriculture in Oakland.