Urban Agriculture
Urban Agriculture and A Greener New Orleans Campaign
The Office of Resilience and Sustainability created an Urban Agriculture Liaison role in late October 2024. This position was created from the dedicated advocacy of A Greener New Orleans campaign members, including Sprout NOLA, the New Orleans Food Policy Action Council, Greater New Orleans Growers’ Alliance, Louisiana Progress, and many others. Thanks to this committed group of urban farmers and food system enthusiasts, the Office of Resilience and Sustainability will be collaborating more deeply with the grower community to support urban farming and strengthen our local food system.
Read the full Greener New Orleans Platform here
Need urban agriculture support? Complete this request form here
Food production is a central part of both causing greenhouse gas emissions and a critical part of addressing the climate crisis. There is a long history of people growing their own food in New Orleans, and especially of Black urban gardeners and farmers. We encourage everyone to read this important article by Pamela Broom, Yuki Kato, and Shawn ‘Pepper’ Roussel titled ‘Rewriting the Erased History of Blacks in New Orleans Urban Garden and Farming’ for historical context and the local reality of urban gardening today.
There are endless benefits of urban agriculture including that it builds community, improves physical and mental health, can help maintain cultural food ways and practices, beautifies neighborhoods, can mitigate flooding and the heat island effect, and much more.
A Greener New Orleans Campaign Planks
Our office will be prioritizing advancing the other A Greener New Orleans’ planks:
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Land Access – collaborate with New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) to improve the Growing Green program and establish a more transparent process for accessing land for agriculture use.
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Water Access – work with Sewerage & Water Board (SWBNO) to develop guide for growers to get agricultural use meters (also known as “irrigation only”) and establish training for SWBNO to ensure proper billing for gardens/farms.
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Blight Citation – work with Code Enforcement to prevent gardens/farms from getting blight citations for practicing good land stewardship practices and establish a more fair and transparent process for requiring the removal of blight from urban gardens/farms.
Community Accountability Measures
These planks were developed out of thorough needs assessments of growers and urban farmers in New Orleans. To ensure community accountability and that the Urban Agriculture Liaison stays aligned with the original intentions behind the role, the Office of Resilience and Sustainability will also be:
Coming Soon: Guides and Resources for Urban Growers
Our Urban Agriculture Liaison, in collaboration with community partners such as Sprout NOLA and FPAC, is in the process of creating user-friendly guides for growers (such as how to get an agricultural water meter). You’ll be able to find them here as they’re completed.
If you are a grower/gardener/farmer in New Orleans who is having trouble navigating any city process (permitting, SWB agricultural water meter, etc.), please fill out this Urban Agriculture Support Request Form below.
If you have any other ideas, questions, or suggestions, please reach out to our Urban Agriculture Liaison, Grace Treffinger. Email: grace.treffinger@nola.gov. Phone: 504-905-0402.