Development Supported Agriculture

Development Supported Agriculture (DSA) is a nascent movement in real estate development that preserves and invests in agricultural land use. As farmland is lost due to the challenging economics of farming and the pressures of the real estate industry, DSA attempts to reconcile the need for development with the need to preserve agricultural land. The overall goal of DSA is to incubate small-scale organic farms that co-exist with residential land development, providing benefits to farmers, residents, the local community, and the environment.

Background

The term Development Supported Agriculture (DSA) was coined to describe the Harvest project. A variety of individuals collaborated on the project, including planner Duane Verner, developer Nathan Wieler, members of Piedmont Biofuels, participants in the Sustainable Agriculture program at Central Carolina Community College, and others. The group set out to determine the best usage for an existing farm that was being sold by the owner, a career farmed named Paul McCoy. It became clear that the group had an opportunity to create a unique residential community where farmers and residents have a symbiotic relationship. This relationship would benefit all involved, while also improving the general state of residential development and helping to reduce the ecological destruction associated with typical residential development models. Reynolds & Jewell Landscape Architecture was retained to design the master plan for the community, and the team grew to include experienced organic farmers, experts on native plants, and others. As of July 2008, the developer is actively implementing the master plan, and response to the concept has been overwhelmingly positive.

DSA and CSA

Development Supported Agriculture has its roots in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement. However, whereas CSA typically focuses on establishing a direct business relationship between consumers and farmers, DSA builds on a barter approach first and foremost, while also ensuring that products from DSA farms are integrated into the local economy. On a more general level, DSA is a response to concerns about the urbanization of agricultural land and an attempt to preserve existing farms. Another goal of DSA is to establish a new generation of farmers by using the revenue from real estate development to establish small-scale organic farms that are protected in perpetuity by conservation easements and property covenants.

Five Points of DSA

Development Supported Agriculture is based on the concept of a master-planned residential development with farming as the central amenity. This model provides residents with the benefits of, and the opportunity to experience, small-scale organic farming. Property owners have the option of participating in the farming or leasing their land to a farmer; in either case, the farmland is protected from development. Homesites are restricted to certain areas and continuous areas of open space are maintained across multiple properties.

In the spirit of Le Corbusier's "Five Points of a New Architecture," DSA focuses on five core principles:

1. Preservation of farmland through limited development and continuity of previous farming uses.
2. Agreements between developers and farmers (development provides farm infrastructure, farmers provide farm products to residents and the local community).
3. Low-impact development techniques, sustainable architecture, and careful ecological/environmental planning.
4. Establishment of wildlife corridors and animal habitats, promotion of native plant species, and protection of water quality.
5. Utilization of an open-source development model that provides a framework for master-planned farm communities and integrated local food systems.

Examples

Urban-Rural Fringe

Harvest is a 200+ acre development introduced in 2008, sited in the New Hope River Valley in Chatham County, North Carolina. The development consists of 20 individual properties with an organic farm as the literal and metaphorical center of the community. A farmbelt easement protects farmland and preserves rural views.

According to Paul McCoy, the previous owner of the land, the Harvest property had been used for farming since the American Revolution. During the middle of the 20th century, the primary use of the farm was for growing tobacco. In the late 20th century, the farm was used to grow a typical rotation of tobacco, corn, and soybeans. In 2008, the developer of Harvest began transitioning the farm from conventional operations to organic certification. The change from commercial (i.e. using pesticides) to organic farming will help protect the water quality of nearby Jordan Lake and the Haw River.

Another example of an Urban-Rural Fringe project that fits into the DSA framework is Serenbe This community is located on one of the last undeveloped parcels of land in the Atlanta area. The founders of Serenbe realized that their largely untouched presented a window of opportunity for creating a unique type of residential development. A 25 acre organic farm is located at Serenbe that provides organic produce throughout Atlanta and The Chattahoochee Hill Country. The of Serenbe lie in the heart of protected with a master plan that calls for 80% green space. Building sites are limited to 220 structures, including live/work spaces and commercial buildings.

Urban Agriculture

East Lake Commons is a 20 acre cohousing community planned by Village Habitat Design located from downtown Atlanta.

Southeast False Creek and Olympic Village is an 80 acre sustainable development project near downtown Vancouver, British Columbia that includes an urban agriculture component.

Vertical Farming

Vertical farming, also known as skyfarming, is a conceptual form of agriculture done in urban high-rises. In these high-rises, food such as fruit, vegetables, fish, and livestock can be raised by using greenhouse growing methods and recycled resources year-round, allowing cities of the future to become self-sufficient. The concept of the vertical farm remains mostly hypothetical; however, many people believe that this type of development will become necessary as a result of increased urban density and rising energy costs. See Vertical Farm for a prototype.

See also

• A Call for New Ruralism
• Civic agriculture
• Community Supported Agriculture
• Greenbelt
• Small is Possible

Footnotes

References