UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LED INTERNATIONAL STUDY EVALUATES URBAN FARMED FOOD’S CARBON FOOTPRINT

The University of Michigan led an international study on urban farmed food’s carbon footprint finding the carbon footprint of fruits and vegetables grown in urban gardens or farms are six times greater on average than conventionally grown produce. In comparison, urban agriculture produced food emitted .42 kilograms, on average, of carbon dioxide equivalents per serving compared to the .07 kilograms per serving of produce grown conventionally. The study did reveal that under certain conditions urban crops equaled or outperformed conventional agricultural methods. Lower carbon intensity was found in tomatoes grown in soil of open-air urban plots than conventional greenhouses. Also, air freighted crops, like asparagus, exhibited no difference when grown conventionally or in an urban setting.

The study analyzed these three types of urban agriculture:

1. Professionally managed urban farms that focused on food production,
2. Small plot individual gardens grown by single gardeners, and
3. Communal space collective gardens grown by a group.

Best practice guidelines for low tech urban agriculture crucial for them to be carbon competitive with conventional practices were identified by the researchers.

Best Practices for Urban Low-Tech Agriculture

1. Extend the lifetime of infrastructure materials,
2. Consider utilizing urban wastes as agricultural inputs, and
3. Maximize social benefits.

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