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File #: 160387    Version: 0 Name:
Type: Resolution Status: LAPSED
File created: 4/28/2016 In control: Committee on the Environment
On agenda: Final action:
Title: Authorizing the Committee on the Environment to hold public hearings on Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia.
Sponsors: Councilmember Taubenberger, Council President Clarke, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Quiñones Sánchez, Councilmember Gym, Councilmember Oh, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Parker, Councilmember Henon
Attachments: 1. Signature16038700.pdf
Title
Authorizing the Committee on the Environment to hold public hearings on Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia.

Body
WHEREAS, Philadelphia intends to grow its sustainable, local food system through the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food locally; and

WHEREAS, Through Greenworks Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Food Charter, the City of Philadelphia has set targets to create more equitable access to healthy food in neighborhoods, improve the environment and public health, and stimulate the economy by increasing access to local, fresh, and healthy food; and

WHEREAS, Urban Agriculture provides an excellent opportunity for a greener, more efficient way to supply diverse Philadelphia neighborhoods with local, fresh, healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food; and

WHEREAS, Intensive Farm Systems, including intensive food production, animal husbandry, aquaculture, agroforestry, beekeeping and horticulture, are growing in cities across the nation; and

WHEREAS, The history of Urban Agriculture in Philadelphia dates back at least as far as the Vacant Lot Cultivation Association of the late nineteenth century, and many of the City's existing gardens have thrived for decades; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia is currently home to hundreds of community gardens, supported by a network of urban farmers, gardeners and social justice organizations for whom the opportunity to expand urban agriculture is a priority; and

WHEREAS, Urban Agriculture has been shown to increase sustainable sources of fresh local food supporting underserved neighborhoods in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Urban Agriculture also provides significant co-benefits to Philadelphia's neighborhoods, including playing a role in managing stormwater runoff, mitigating rising urban temperatures, developing youth leadership, and building social cohesion; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia's 2012 zoning code created a framework for urban agriculture uses, making gardening a...

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