[M II A II R II K]

SPUR, David Chiu push SF urban gardens


April 23, 2012

By Stephanie M. Lee

Read More: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...MNOH1O6RJO.DTL

The craze over planting cabbage and carrots in the backyard has taken root in San Francisco in such a big way that it's grown well beyond the backyard. Almost 100 edible gardens have sprouted throughout the city, on both public and private land. Waiting lists for patches of soil can be two years, sometimes longer.

But while urban agriculture may be wildly popular, starting a neighborhood garden from scratch in San Francisco means tangling with as many as seven city agencies. Although the city changed zoning rules last year to allow gardeners to grow and sell food, its approach to urban farming could be simpler and reap greater benefits, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, says in a report being released Monday. Legislation that attempts to streamline the process will be introduced to the Board of Supervisors this week. "There are more people who want space to grow food than there is space to grow that food," said Eli Zigas, who oversaw the analysis as food systems and urban agriculture program manager for the smart-growth think tank.

The report, the result of a six-month study of the budding small-business model, makes the case for increasing that space. It calls on city agencies, including the Recreation and Park Department and the Public Utilities Commission, to provide more land to urban farmers, including existing public areas that are underused. The report identifies about 50 potential, and sometimes unconventional, spots where farms could grow, such as parks, rooftops, median strips and vacant lots. Urban farms will never be able to produce enough to feed every San Franciscan, Zigas said. But, he said, they yield benefits that go beyond fresh crops. They bring neighbors together, serve as potential sites for learning, absorb rainwater and can save the city from spending money to landscape and weed a site. In its report, SPUR recommends assigning the management of urban gardens to a single body.

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