Salt Lake County to Convert Unused Land for Agricultural Purposes

On Tuesday, August 18, 2009, the Salt Lake County Council unanimously approved a proposal that would take unused public property in the county and covert it so that it could be used to produce food and biofuel sources.

According to Arthur Raymond’s article for the Deseret News, the urban farming plan would indentify county land “suitable for agricultural uses, including community gardens, small-scale commercial agriculture production and growing crops like switch grass or safflower for use in distilling biodiesel.” Councilman Jim Bradly, who developed the plan, credits an article by Michael Pollan as providing the inspiration for the plan. Michael Polan is an award-winning author who covers topics such as where food comes from and how that food makes it to the table.

Raymond quotes Bradley as stating, ‘"The county and Salt Lake City have a ton of property that's just sitting there … that could be used for growing produce, biofuel … and making a difference."’ Bradley hopes the proposal would lead to job creation, small business economic opportunities, develop more in terms of local markets, and positive environmental impacts.

Salt Lake City is encouraged by the urban farming plan for many of the same reasons as Bradley. A senior advisor to Mayor Ralph Baker says the city wants to be part of using vacant property productively and sustainably. One of the plans benefits is its flexibility based on the acreage of the land available. For instance, smaller plots could be used for community gardens while larger plots could be used to develop crops for biofuel production.

According to Raymond’s story, “Bradley's plan is finding widespread support, including an offer from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to lend equipment and possibly share church-owned water resources near some urban farming locations.”

To read Raymond’s article click here.

Posted: 08/19/09