Dr. Darren Jarboe, Agriculture & Food Systems (AgFS) assistant director and program leader for University of Maryland Extension (UME), discusses the importance and future of urban agriculture in Maryland.
Urban agriculture is a growing industry in Maryland; what does an urban farm look like and how does UME serve those farmers?
Maryland has a large urban space and urban farms have a wide variety of missions they’re trying to serve. There are those who are doing production agriculture to produce food to sell and that’s their primary objective. For some, it’s really about workforce development and giving people an opportunity to work or become re-established in the community. There are also people offering agritourism and agricultural education, so there’s a wide range of goals. They all want to produce food within their communities, for their communities.
Currently we have Neith Little in Baltimore City and she’s really the only agent focused on urban agriculture. She partners with county agents and Master Gardeners in those spaces. Master Gardeners have a role supporting home and community gardeners who are providing food in the community as well, so in AgFS, we are focused on those who work in commercial production with the intent to sell their products.
The Maryland General Assembly approved HB540/SB437 for Urban Agriculture Assistance— what does this bill provide for the UME AgFS program?
The Urban Farmer Assistance bill provides $300,000 annually in permanent funding for UME to hire two statewide specialists. One will be focused on urban agriculture production and the second will be focused on urban farm and agribusiness management. As statewide specialists, they will be tasked with partnering with county Extension agents in the urban space, as well as the Master Gardeners, with a primary focus on conducting applied research on sustainable production practices and providing research-based educational programming to help urban farmers be successful. We’re excited to have specialists dedicated to the urban landscape and look forward to having these positions filled in the coming year.
How does the addition of these new specialists support the growth of urban agriculture in Maryland?
This is a major building block to support urban agriculture. If farmers aren’t profitable and sustainable, they can’t be a force in establishing healthy food systems in their communities. These statewide specialists will make AgFS Extension more visible and accessible in urban communities, helping urban farms reach their long-term goals. We want people to know that Extension is part of the University of Maryland and our educators in the community link farmers and agribusinesses to the resources of the university.
How will communities be impacted by the increase in urban agriculture education?
The pandemic caused supply chain disruptions for farmers and consumers, but we were relatively lucky here. We have a long history of growing fruits and vegetables commercially in Maryland, so urban farms can help bring back some of that production locally. Urban farmers asked for more research-based information to assist them in decision making for their farms, positioning them to be successful producing and marketing their crops, and working with customers and employees. And that’s where our specialists come in—helping urban farmers increase productivity to reach their long-term goals, build healthy environments, and create a more sustainable local food system within their community, for their community.
Learn more about UME's commitment to urban ag: go.umd.edu/UMEurbanag