Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2008·United States (California)

California communities deal with conflict and adjustment at the urban-agricultural edge

Alvin D. Sokolow, Sonja Varea Hammond, Maxwell Norton, Evan E. Schmidt

California Agriculture

Urban Farm DB summary

An exploratory study compared high- and low-conflict urban-agricultural edges in four crop-growing communities across two California counties, where about 2.5 million agricultural acres lie adjacent to or near nonfarm residences; a separate sidebar analyzed two edge situations involving animal and nursery operations in San Diego County. High conflict levels were found to stem largely from residents' unfamiliarity with agricultural activities, though conflict also related to specific farming practices; the study presents these as tentative generalizations and poses questions for further systematic research rather than firm solutions.