If urban agriculture practices were fully employed across San Antonio's 16,800 acres of underutilized public land, that property could yield nearly a billion pounds of food annually, according to a new Stanford University report.
The study is the result of a year-long collaboration between Stanford's Natural Capital Project (NatCap), the Food Policy Council of San Antonio and three San Antonio city departments. Scientists examined the impact of two types of urban agriculture on city land: urban farming and the creation of food forests.
If the city were to coordinate urban farming on its underutilized public land — something that would involve planting and rotating seasonal crops — it could annually produce 926 million pounds of food, according to the study. With a dollar value of $1.17 billion, those crops would feed 1.27 million households.
If the same underutilized land was used to create food forests — a type of agriculture in which perennial crops like fruits and nuts are planted in layers resembling a natural ecosystem — it would yield 192 million pounds of food annually, the report shows. That would be enough to feed nearly 314,000 households.
"Using our model, we took all the publicly owned natural areas in San Antonio and reimagined them from vacant or underutilized lots to farms and food forests," NatCap Chief Strategy Officer Anne Guerry said in a statement. "Then, we calculated the benefits that would be provided."
The study is the result of a year-long collaboration between Stanford's Natural Capital Project (NatCap), the Food Policy Council of San Antonio and three San Antonio city departments. Scientists examined the impact of two types of urban agriculture on city land: urban farming and the creation of food forests.
If the city were to coordinate urban farming on its underutilized public land — something that would involve planting and rotating seasonal crops — it could annually produce 926 million pounds of food, according to the study. With a dollar value of $1.17 billion, those crops would feed 1.27 million households.
If the same underutilized land was used to create food forests — a type of agriculture in which perennial crops like fruits and nuts are planted in layers resembling a natural ecosystem — it would yield 192 million pounds of food annually, the report shows. That would be enough to feed nearly 314,000 households.
"Using our model, we took all the publicly owned natural areas in San Antonio and reimagined them from vacant or underutilized lots to farms and food forests," NatCap Chief Strategy Officer Anne Guerry said in a statement. "Then, we calculated the benefits that would be provided."
Mitch Hagney, owner of San Antonio-based LocalSprout Food Hub and a Food Policy Council of San Antonio board member, presented the study's findings to city council's Community Health and Equity Committee last Thursday.
Hagney played a key role in establishing San Antonio's first food forest, Tamōx Talōm Community Food Forest. The project is a partnership between the Food Policy Council, San Antonio's Office of Innovation and Bexar County's Parks and Recreation Department.
Hagney played a key role in establishing San Antonio's first food forest, Tamōx Talōm Community Food Forest. The project is a partnership between the Food Policy Council, San Antonio's Office of Innovation and Bexar County's Parks and Recreation Department.
During Thursday's discussion, the report's authors said they recognize that turning every parcel of underutilized public land into farmland isn't realistic. However, they noted that even devoting a fraction of that acreage to food production would be a net gain for the community.
Even using food forest practices solely in an 8.86-acre area within San Antonio's Villa Coronado Park, located in City Council District 3, could produce more than 100,000 pounds of fruit and nuts annually, the report shows. That would be enough to prove fruit and nuts for all households in the district now receiving food stamps.
District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, a member of the committee, said San Antonio should move quickly to devote public land to agricultural use.
"In order to bear the fruits of the food forest, we need to start as soon as possible," she said.
Even using food forest practices solely in an 8.86-acre area within San Antonio's Villa Coronado Park, located in City Council District 3, could produce more than 100,000 pounds of fruit and nuts annually, the report shows. That would be enough to prove fruit and nuts for all households in the district now receiving food stamps.
District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, a member of the committee, said San Antonio should move quickly to devote public land to agricultural use.
"In order to bear the fruits of the food forest, we need to start as soon as possible," she said.
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