Food Policy Council Hosts Forum to Discuss Urban Agriculture

The City of Lawrence is conducting a comprehensive revision of its urban agriculture policies.  The Douglas County Food Policy Council (DCFPC) is hosting a public meeting to take feedback on a proposed draft of the urban agriculture policy changes. 

The meeting will take place September 28th from 6pm to 8pm at the Union Pacific Depot, Community Room, at 402 North 2nd St. in North Lawrence. A brief presentation about the draft and community input responses will occur between 6:00 and 6:30, followed by small-table discussions by key topic areas.

The proposed draft of policy development was created through close review and development with Mary Miller, City of Lawrence Planner II, and the DCFPC. In addition, the DCFPC released a survey in August that received 160 responses from city residents about current practices and barriers with urban agriculture.

The current draft of proposed changes to the City’s Development Code can be found on the Douglas County Food Policy Council website, available here: https://dgcoks.gov/fpc/welcome

Urban agriculture policies address a range of topics and can include:

• Cultivation of crops, including what can be grown in the right-of-way

• Residential keeping of chickens, honey bees, small goats and other small animals, and their processing on-site

• Sale of home-produced foods and operation of farm stands

• Community gardens, urban farms, and land access

The Douglas County Food Policy Council is an advisory body of 23 people from sectors throughout the food system, appointed by the City of Lawrence and Douglas County Commissions. More information about the DCFPC can be found at https://dgcoks.gov/fpc/welcome