Urban Farms, Water Ordinance, and Houston Food Bank
Written by: Katherine Byers, Ph.D., Government Relations Officer
I’ve lived in Houston since the late 90s and it was only in 2022 that I became aware of the existence of urban farms in Harris County. With this awareness there was still a lot I didn’t know, but soon a group of urban farmers showed me one of the best kept secrets in the county. Urban farms aren’t backyard or even community gardens, but rather fully operating farm land. Their sizes range from a quarter to 2.5 acres and in total they produce approximately 470,000 lbs. of produce a year. These farms have very small margins with total revenue on a half-acre farm coming to approximately $50,000/yr. From this the farmer pays approximately $20,000-$25,000 in expenses (supplies and labor taking the most) and so their take home pay is at most $30,000.
One of the other significant expenses that is truly life or death is water which can be up to 10-15% of their gross earnings. While our water bills may be high, there are relatively few consequences if we cut back. A farmer on the other hand could lose their crops and their livelihood. Why does that matter?
Because many of these farms employee people from the communities in which they are located and they increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in food deserts. The existence of these farms also helps mitigate flooding in their locations.
So the partnership between the Houston Food Bank and a group of these urban farmers resulted in an exchange of expertise with them learning about advocacy and me learning about the significant challenges they face – water at the top of that list. We worked closely together on a proposal to the City of Houston, championed by Councilwoman Twila Carter, to establish a new water rate for these farms. The existing rate was for untreated water which can’t be used on produce.
This has been a four year journey, but with the assistance of the councilwoman, Houston Public Works, and most importantly urban farmers, a new rate was established which will save each farmer who meets the requirements thousands of dollars in water costs. This is another example of how advocacy works.
If you want to learn more and be a part of our advocacy efforts, please check out our Action Center at www.houstonfoodbank.org/actioncenter