For generations, developers of master planned communities (MPCs) relied on the same ploys to attract buyers for the houses they built: swimming pools, fitness centers, tennis courts, dog-friendly parks. A golf course was the surest way to get high-paying residents for high-value homes, offering a manicured green grass viewable from the kitchen table. A house looking onto the 18th hole was an easy sell to the upper middle class.
In new MPCs, however, the golf course as a central appeal is increasingly getting replaced by another use of space: the farm.
Statistically, millennials are more concerned about where their food comes from than the generations that came before them. This has, in large part, resulted in the rise of the “agrihood.” Agrihoods are communities in which some sort of farming activity is at the center, most typically growing fruits and vegetables, but can also include activities such as keeping bees, chickens or goats. In most cases, the farm is run by an actual farmer, but residents are often allowed to volunteer and have access to what is produced in their community. In some agrihoods, there is also a restaurant or café that uses the products created there.
The agrihood offers various draws for its residents. Some people would like to feel connected to a farm but have no agricultural experience or wouldn’t want to take up the task of farming themselves. Others appreciate the farm-to-table nature of these enterprises and their low carbon footprint. Others suggest that having a farm at the center of a neighborhood gives everyone something in common, creating a sense of communal spirit and feelings of connection with where they live and with each other. For developers, agrihoods offer another advantage: They are often an easier sell to zoning boards and public officials than traditional MPCs, getting faster approval and sometimes more federal or state incentives.
Currently, there are more than 200 agrihoods across 30 states in the U.S. (most of them in the south and west), as well as several examples in Canada. One of the most well-known agrihoods in the U.S. is Agritopia in Gilbert, Arizona. Joe Johnston knew his family’s farm was going to be swallowed up by the rapid urban sprawl of Phoenix, so he eventually built 452 lots containing various types of homes that centered around an 11-acre organic farm. The community contains a restaurant and a café – both of which were featured on Food Network shows, as well as a community center, a retirement home and private Christian school with 470 pupils.
While the average house in an agrihood costs approximately $400,000, some models have focused on offering affordable living. Tiny Timbers in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, offers 16 homesites created in the “tiny home movement” that include small, energy-efficient houses that are much cheaper than other options on the market. Unlike larger agrihoods, residents share the work of planting crops, maintaining bees, raising rabbits and fowl, as well as sharing in other communal activities.
While there are a few agrihoods that include raising beef cattle as part of their agricultural activities, it is not surprising that none of the 200-plus examples in North America are based on dairy farming. The land and infrastructure requirements for a dairy farm far exceed those of growing vegetables, and there’s a grit to the occupation that may not be attractive to many wealthy urban homebuyers. However, perhaps these challenges shouldn’t prevent one from at least pondering if a dairy farming agrihood model could work. If a small dairy could process its own milk and have a guaranteed base market living around it, maybe – in combination with agritourism activities – it could find a way to sustain itself. While the odor of manure may seem like a deterrent to the sale of homes, it is also true that manure smells differently if you have some ownership in it. Maybe the way to support a small farm is to build a community around it that feels linked to its identity?
One of the biggest criticisms of agrihoods is that, in most cases, the houses are only affordable by wealthier residents, leading to gentrification. Still, it is part of an increasing recognition that the way food is produced is important, and while many residents may still not be getting their hands dirty, they are at least encouraging local, small-scale production. The model allows some farming ventures to make a reasonable income while bridging the urban-rural divide. In total, agrihoods are a growing option for those who want to be closer to civic agriculture, as well as for those who never liked golf sweaters in the first place.
