Research

Even if vacant and underutilized land in Oakland is abundant, soil contamination may be an obstacle to the expansion of urban agriculture at some sites. Using new data collected in the field and existing data from the City Slicker Farms Backyard Gardening Program, we are using GIS to map and analyze concentrations of heavy metals in Oakland's soils. At the site-scale, we hope to locate potential "hot spots" where metals levels are high enough to be of concern; similarly, at the neighborhood- and municipal-scales, we hope to identify areas in need of further assessment before food production proceeds. Additionally, we are examining a number of other soil quality indicators in order to help inform management recommendations for urban farmers. Preliminary assessment of 20 sites in July 2009 was funded by a pilot research grant from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Analytical Lab in Davis, CA. Funding from the National Science Foundation allowed us to expand our sampling to 100 additional sites throughout Oakland in 2010. We also conducted an experiment at UC Berkeley's Oxford Tract Greenhouses and collected plant tissue samples at selected urban gardens to assess the bioavailability of lead (Pb) in urban soils. See the pictures in the slideshow to the right for a glimpse of our work in the field and lab and stay tuned for publications.

Click here to download a PDF of the figure below.

Pb Levels in Oakland