Health Benefits of Urban Agriculture

Agriculture affects health, and health affects agriculture. Agriculture supports health by providing food and nutrition for the world’s people and by generating income that can be spent on health care. The poor spend more on food and health care as a percentage of total income than the wealthy, so this relationship is a critical one.

“Health professionals increasingly recognize the value of farm- and garden-scale urban agriculture. Growing food and non-food crops in and near cities contributes to healthy communities by engaging residents in work and recreation that improves individual and public well-being."

(Excerpt from an excellent paper (click here) from members of the Community Food Security Coalition's North American Initiative on Urban Agriculture. 12 pages with 15 page bibliography by Anne C. Bellows, PhD Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Katherine Brown, PhD Southside Community Land Trust; Jac Smit, MCP The Urban Agriculture Network.)

This article outlines the benefits of urban agriculture with regard to nutrition, food security, exercise, mental health, and social and physical urban environments. Potential risks are reviewed. Practical recommendations for health professionals to increase the positive benefits of urban agriculture are provided.