Research

While urban agriculture programs and backyard gardens are thriving in Oakland, the untapped potential for growing food in the city is tremendous. Working with an advisory committee comprised of representatives from city agencies, community members, and non-profits, we inventoried vacant and underutilized public land in Oakland in order to assess its possible contribution to urban food production. Research was funded in part by a mini-grant from the HOPE Collaborative and sponsored by City Slicker Farms. Print copies of the report were published by Food First.

The original version was released in November 2009, and his since been downloaded by thousands of web visitors from more than 100 countries. It has been used by the Oakland Food Policy Council to inform municipal food policy recommendations for its new report, Transforming Oakland's Food System: A Plan for Action, and by the Oakland Climate Coalition for the Energy and Climate Action Plan. The revised edition of Cultivating the Commons, released December 2010, features a more detailed slope analysis of the identified sites, new conclusions and recommendations, and a preliminary assessment of Oakland's privately owned vacant land.

Interactive Oakland Urban Agriculture Map

This map shows both existing urban gardens (green dots) and vacant or open spaces where food could potentially be produced. Zoom and drag to find an area of interest, and click on an individual site for parcel information. Click on Satellite or Map to change the view. Publicly owned land (orange) with productive potential totals 1,201 acres while private vacant land (red) totals 848 acres. Food production at these sites could potentially produce as much as 15 to 20 percent of Oakland’s fruit and vegetable needs. Read the report for details.

Report Cover