Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Political Agroecology of Urban Farming, Vacant Land, and Heavy Metals in Oakland, California

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

As part of a growing effort to make America's cities more sustainable and to guarantee access to fresh and nutritious food for the urban poor, governments, non-profit organizations, community groups, and residents are looking to stimulate urban agriculture. Many gardens and small urban farms are located on vacant parcels in low-income areas where access to fresh produce and healthy food is limited, but the expansion of food production often is hindered by high concentrations of heavy metals and other contaminants in urban soils. In these cases, vegetables grown in these soils may therefore expose consumers to toxic levels of organic and inorganic pollutants. Despite the well-intentioned efforts of urban agriculture advocates to expand food production, no systematic study of soil contamination on vacant land has been conducted to date. If food production is to occur on vacant land in the post-industrial landscape of cities, basic research is needed in order to better understand the nature of such hazards and to warn the public from potential risks associated with the expansion of the very programs established to improve access to healthy food. The doctoral dissertation research project will integrate quantitative soil science and geospatial methods with theoretical insights from human geography (urban political ecology, environmental justice) to viability of using vacant land for food production in Oakland, California. The doctoral student will explore how historical patterns of investment and disinvestment have created an uneven urban landscape of food access and environmental quality, giving rise to both urban agriculture and the soil contamination that may hinder its expansion. The student also will analyze the spatial distribution of heavy metals (a material legacy of these patterns of investment) and whether or not concentrations pose a significant public health risk. This project will contribute to basic scientific understanding of soil pollution and soil-quality management in urban agroecosystems, and it will illuminate the linkages between historical urban planning decisions and their material legacies. Because soil contamination and other such legacies continue to affect low-income neighborhoods, this project will help reveal how the "externalities" of economic growth and planning are ultimately "internalized" over time by the most economically disadvantaged (most often people of color). This research project will provide insights into the political and economic processes that have shaped urban zones of food insecurity and environmental pollution, and it will help the city of Oakland and community-based food justice organizations identify and assess the potential for vacant land to be used for urban agriculture. The project represents an application of the "precautionary principle" by assessing the risk of environmental contamination before urban farming projects are launched in order to ensure that sites are safe for food production. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.