Post Carbon Fellow Erika Allen’s comments on the challenges urban farmers face in holding on to their land were included in this article from the Tribune-Review.

From the article:

But even a pioneer like Erika Allen faces land access issues.

“Our primary farm is our South Chicago farm, 90th (Street) and Lake Shore Drive, right across from the old U.S. Steel site. That’s a 7-acre farm that replaced Iron Street, which used to be our biggest, but we lost that farm.”

“The owner wanted $14 million for the site, and we could not afford that.”

“Luckily we had a funder who’s incredibly generous and believes in us, so we had the resources to do it, but it was really emotional, after 10 years of building, taking an industrial site to a prosperous farm, to have to walk away from that.”

“We were able to relocate all the soil, animals and hoop houses to South Chicago. Now it’s on public land.”

The public land is critical to each farmer’s permanence, but new administrations can change policy, perhaps forcing them off land as Rosenthal experienced with Planted Chicago.