A University of Michigan study found that fruits and vegetables grown on urban farms have on average six times the carbon footprint of produce from conventional farms. This prompted a response among urban farmers and home gardeners, who argued that the study overlooked the broader environmental harms of industrial-scale farming, such as biodiversity loss and water pollution. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Cities. The study found that 17 out of the 73 urban farms studied across five countries had higher carbon footprints than produce from conventional farms.
The infrastructure used to build urban gardens also matters, as new materials come with their own carbon footprint. Urban agriculture proponents questioned whether it was appropriate to compare the per-serving carbon footprint of produce from urban and conventional agriculture because they were concerned that the study would undercut efforts to promote food sovereignty and expand urban green spaces, especially in communities of color that suffer from pollution.
