A community-based microfarm aggregation model for transforming agricultural production and enhancing asset-based economic development in post-industrial urban areas

Ohio State University researchers are launching an urban sustainable food system project to increase access to fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops while supporting the local economy. The microfarm network will progress over three years, allowing  researchers and growers to calibrate the growing, harvesting and marketing processes for the local setting. A parallel interdisciplinary research team will measure the ways in which this embedded local production system impacts a range of local issues from food insecurity, to urban beautification, to food literacy and educational achievement.