Urban agriculture encompasses a wide range of areas including urban farming and food production, nursery and greenhouse production, sustainable turfgrass and landscape management, and urban forestry. Urban Agriculture provides fresh, local food to communities and numerous environmental and social benefits as well as beautification.

Urban agriculture offers multiple benefits, including improved food security, enhanced nutrition, increased physical activity, community building, and environmental stewardship and conservation. Urban agriculture addresses challenges within urban communities including noise abatement, soil erosion and runoff, and preservation of wildlife habitats. It can also provide economic opportunities through production and distribution.

With Georgia’s excellent climate and location, professional landscape and lawn care businesses are one of the largest growing sectors in Georgia and make up Georgia’s “Green Industry”. This industry not only provides beautification through the installation of ornamental plantings but designs and manages landscapes to address environmental challenges including stormwater runoff, erosion control, heat island effect, and pollinator protection.

Nursery and greenhouse production is another large sector of the Green Industry and aids in propagation, production, and sale of ornamental annuals, perennials, and trees and shrubs through wholesale and retail markets. Plants can be produced in containers or directly in the field and sold to landscape contractors, homeowners, public gardens, and municipalities for planting.

Turfgrass is another essential part of the Green Industry and is responsible for the production, maintenance and care, and management of turfgrass on golf courses, parks and recreational areas, home lawns, and sports fields. Turfgrass and greenspaces not only provide a space for community but also provide soil stabilization, water conservation, and pollutant filtration benefits.

Home gardening is an excellent way to grow fresh, nutritious produce and ornamental plants in your family garden. Whether you have a large backyard or a small balcony, there are gardening methods suitable for your space. Start by choosing the right location, preparing your soil, and selecting plants adapted to your local climate.

Community gardens provide shared spaces for urban residents to grow food and flowers. They offer opportunities for social interaction, education, physical activity and community building. Many community gardens in Georgia are supported by UGA Extension through technical assistance and educational programs.

School gardens serve as outdoor classrooms for students, providing hands-on learning experiences, physical activity, and opportunities for teamwork. These gardens can be tied to school curriculum in science, nutrition, environmental studies, history, math, and language arts. They are often used as a pathway to science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) learning.

Small-scale urban farming can include market gardens, rooftop farms, raised bed gardening, high tunnel production, and other intensive food production systems in urban areas. These farms can provide fresh produce to local markets, restaurants, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs.

Hydroponic and aquaponic systems allow for soil-less cultivation of plants, often in controlled environments. These methods can be particularly useful in urban areas with limited land or poor soil quality. Hydroponics involves growing plants with water that has been enriched with water soluble fertilizers rather than soil, while aquaponics involves utilizing fish or other aquatic life to supply nutrients for plants grown hydroponically.

The most common types of hydroponic systems include:

Water Culture Systems:

– Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

– Deep Water Culture (DWC)

– Aeroponics System or Root Mist

Substrate Culture Systems:

– Ebb-and-Flow subirrigation / Flood-Floor

– Drip System

– Wick System

Nutrient solutions are typically derived from mineral salts, however, organic nutrient solutions are also available.

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is a low to high-tech farming method where environmental conditions such as light, temperature, humidity, airflow, and carbon dioxide levels are actively managed within closed or semi-closed production facilities to maximize crop yield and quality and reduce resource utilization. CEA facilities include:

– Low and high tunnels (hoop houses)
– Low and high-tech greenhouses
– Vertical farms/plant factories

These facilities are designed to decrease land use, promote agricultural diversification, and allow for lengthened or year-round cultivation of crops resulting in a more stable and sustainable food supply that is resilient to climate change. Some systems like high tunnels and shade structures rely on sunlight only, while others like greenhouses may use supplemental lighting, while indoor systems like vertical farms are driven fully by artificial lighting, most commonly LED systems.