Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2012·United States

Urban Farming in the West: A New Deal Experiment in Subsistence Homesteads (review)

James E. McWilliams

Southwestern historical quarterly

Urban Farm DB summary

This is a review of Robert Carriker's book "Urban Farming in the West: A New Deal Experiment in Subsistence Homesteads", which examines the Division of Subsistence Homesteads (DSH) program in the American West. The DSH, established in 1933 by the New Deal, aimed to redistribute population and support self-sufficient homesteads. Carriker's work offers a balanced perspective on the program, noting that "confusion over disparate objectives" and bureaucratic conflicts ultimately undermined its goals.