Water Efficient Irrigation, Ordinance No. 301-10

Jurisdiction Name: San Francisco City and County
State/Province: CA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 827,420
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2010
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, food production, irrigation, maximum applied water allowance, production, urban, urban agriculture, water, water allowance, water budget, water conservation, water efficient irrigation ordinance
Adopting Government Department(s):

City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Lead Implementing Entity(s): San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount:
Funding Sources:
Policy Outcome(s):

California State Water Conservation in Landscaping Act (Assembly Bill 1881) required all communities to adopt ordinances that regulate landscape irrigation practices and plant use; ordinance amended San Francisco Administrative Code to comply with mandate; requires that landscape projects (including some urban agriculture projects meeting specific criteria) be installed, constructed, operated, and maintained in accordance with rules adopted by the SFPUC that establish a water budget (maximum applied water allowance) for outdoor water consumption

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Greensboro Fresh Food Action Plan, Greensboro, North Carolina

Jurisdiction Name: Greensboro
State/Province: NC
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 284,816
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2015
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production, community food security
Keywords: SNAP, aggregation, agribusiness, agricultural practices, agriculture, city, community, community garden, corner store, county, farm, food access, food hub, grocery store, healthy, local, local food system, plan, retail, urban
Adopting Government Department(s):

Greensboro City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): City of Greensboro
Support Entity(s):

Guilford County Cooperative Extension Office; Greensboro Farmers Market; Out of the Garden Project; University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Funding Amount: One-time grant of $470,000 to help implementation of the Greensboro Fresh Food Access Plan
Funding Sources: US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)
Policy Outcome(s):

Funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), this plan set goals to increase retail access to fresh, local produce, and to strengthen the local food system in Greensboro. In order to meet these goals, the Greensboro Fresh Food Action Plan offers three comprehensive strategies: (1) improve retail access to fresh local foods in neighborhoods through community efforts and initiatives; (2) expand existing local food business enterprises; and (3) create new local food business enterprises that address identified gaps in food access. Based on findings from interviews and surveys of residents, businesses, and food system stakeholders, the plan’s recommendations and analyses were compiled to supplement pre-existing community efforts and to address issues related to food access. Some key recommendations are to conduct a Know your Farmer education and outreach campaign to bring awareness to locally available fresh foods, to establish a Food Hub in order to narrow the gap in local food access, to build and sustain relationships between producers, distributors, and customers in effort to create a sustainable market demand for local fresh foods in Greensboro, and several other tangible suggestions. The City of Greensboro offers these recommendations as opportunities of optional participation and encourage public engagement and formation of partnerships amid implementation. The plan was adopted by the Greensboro City Council in 2015.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Urban Agriculture Zoning Ordinance No. 66-11

Jurisdiction Name: San Francisco City and County
State/Province: CA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 827,420
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2011
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, food production, production, urban, urban agriculture, zoning
Adopting Government Department(s):

City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Lead Implementing Entity(s): San Francisco Planning Department
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount:
Funding Sources:
Policy Outcome(s):

amended San Francisco Municipal Code to update controls related to urban agricultural uses by defining urban agriculture, including neighborhood agriculture and large-scale urban agriculture, and amending sections to regulate agricultural uses in various zoning districts

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Backyard Chickens Policy, Ordinance No. 8378

Jurisdiction Name: Lawrence
State/Province: KS
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 89,512
Population Range: 50,000 to 249,999
Policy Links: Web
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2009
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, backyard chickens, food production, fowl, production, urban, urban agriculture
Adopting Government Department(s):

Lawrence City Commission

Lead Implementing Entity(s):
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: not applicable
Funding Sources: not applicable
Policy Outcome(s):

amended code of the City of Lawrence to allow the raising of fowl on residential property

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2

San Francisco Unified School District, Proposition A Bond Program

Jurisdiction Name: San Francisco
State/Province: CA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 805,235
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: PDF
Policy type: bond
Year: 2003
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production
Keywords: agriculture, children, community garden, education, farming, food production, fruits, healthy choices, healthy eating, public funds, school, small-scale farming, urban, urban agriculture, vegetables
Adopting Government Department(s):

San Francisco Unified School District

Lead Implementing Entity(s): San Francisco Unified School District
Support Entity(s):

Education Outside

Funding Amount: $2,000,000
Funding Sources: San Francisco Unified School District, State of California
Policy Outcome(s):

Established funds for incorporating green design opportunities in the play areas of certain District schools, including schoolyard gardens. Part of the larger $295 million bond referendum was used to modernize educational facilities.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2

Sowing the Seeds for Southtowns Agribusiness

Jurisdiction Name: Southtowns of Erie County
State/Province: NY
Country: United States
Type of Government: Regional Agency
Population: 919,040
Population Range: 1 million or more
Policy Links: PDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2009
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, agritourism, economic development, farm, food production, plan, production, rural, rural agriculture, southtowns farm trail, tourism
Adopting Government Department(s):

Southtowns Community Enhancement Coalition

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Southtowns Community Enhancement Coalition
Support Entity(s):

University at Buffalo Regional Institute

Funding Amount: not available
Funding Sources: municipal membership fees to the Southtowns Community Enhancement Coalition, fundraising, grants
Policy Outcome(s):

Plan resulted in the development of the Southtowns Farm Trail

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2Link 3

Residential Sales Ordinance, Denver, Colorado

Jurisdiction Name: Denver
State/Province: CO
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 600,158
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: Web
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2014
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production, community food security
Keywords: economic development, food access, fresh produce, healthy food, permit, zoning ordinance
Adopting Government Department(s):

Denver City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Denver Department of Community Planning and Development: Development Services/Zoning
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

The ordinance is an amendment to the Denver Zoning Code that allows city residents to sell fresh produce, eggs and ‘cottage foods’ (e.g., spices, teas, honey, jam) that residents grow or make themselves from their home. The resident requires a zoning permit and a food safety course but has new opportunities for supplemental earnings that can result in better economic and health circumstances. Residents have an income ceiling of $5,000 annually. The amendment was developed by the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council. The intended goal of this policy is to reduce the distance the food travels from food to table and provide supplemental income opportunities for families seeking greater economic self-sufficiency.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Baltimore Sustainability Plan, Ordinance No. 09-141

Jurisdiction Name: Baltimore City
State/Province: MD
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 620,961
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: PDF
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2009
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production, community food security
Keywords: access, affordability, agriculture, buy local, consumption, food access, food consumption, food marketing, food production, food system, healthy, healthy eating, healthy food, institution, land use, local, local food, marketing, production, school, urban, urban agriculture, water
Adopting Government Department(s):

Baltimore City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Baltimore Office of Sustainability
Support Entity(s):
Funding Amount:
Funding Sources:
Policy Outcome(s):

plan incorporated food system goals and recommendations related to urban agriculture, food availability, food access, local food procurement, and local/regional food data; helped lead to a number of programs and initiatives such as the Land Leasing Initiative, Baltimore Food Policy Initiative, Power in Dirt Initiative, Future Harvest-CASA Beginner Farmer Training Program, Baltimarket, and Baltimore Climate Action Plan

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

City of Seattle Comprehensive Plan

Jurisdiction Name: Seattle
State/Province: WA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 634,535
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2014
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food security
Keywords: access, affordability, affordable, community garden, comprehensive plan, food access, food affordability, food production, food system, healthy, healthy food, low-income, production
Adopting Government Department(s):

Seattle City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): City of Seattle Department of Planning & Development
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: not applicable
Funding Sources: not applicable
Policy Outcome(s):

food systems concepts are represented in Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan (see Human Development Element Goal HDG3.5); plan provides an enabling framework for food systems policies and programs; most recent amendment to plan approved in 2014

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Urban Agriculture Zoning Regulations, Ordinance No. 123378

Jurisdiction Name: Seattle
State/Province: WA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 634,535
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2010
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, backyard chickens, chickens, community garden, farm, farmers market, food production, food sales, land use, land use code, production, rooftop, rooftop garden, urban, urban agriculture, urban farm, zoning, zoning ordinance
Adopting Government Department(s):

Seattle City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Seattle Department of Planning and Development
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount:
Funding Sources:
Policy Outcome(s):

ordinance amended the city’s land use code to expand opportunities for urban agriculture (Sections 23.40.002, 23.42.052, 23.43.006, 23.43.040, 23.44.006, 23.44.040, 23.45.504, 23.45.506, 23.45.508, 23.45.514, 23.45.545, 23.47A.004, 23.47A.011, 23.47A.012, 23.48.010, 23.49.008, 23.50.012, 23.50.020, 23.54.015, 23.84A.002, 23.84A.014, and 23.84A.036; adding new sections to Chapters 23.42 and 23.44; and amending the title of subchapter II of Chapter 23.44); code changes provide increased opportunities to grow and sell food in all zones; code changes allow “urban farms” and “community gardens” in all zones, with some limitations in industrial zones; allow residents to sell food grown on their property; formally recognize farmer’s markets and allow them in more Seattle areas; allow dedicated food production on rooftop greenhouses with a 15-foot exemption to height limits in a variety of higher density zones

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2