Non Technical Summary
The University of Connecticut Extension in collaboration with several partners will research, design, and implement a process to connect existing and aspiring urban farmers with underutilized lands so that they can launch and/or expand their farming business. Our objectives are to: 1) conduct research into the land-related needs of urban farmers and identify the characteristics of vacant urban and peri-urban lots that will make them suitable for agricultural use in collaboration with urban farmers, community organizations, and Councils of Government (COGs); 2) utilize the research results to identify potential farm parcels through geospatial analysis and community input in select municipalities and land trust organizations; 3) identify additional parcels on state managed public lands that meet the research criteria in the targeted region; 4) provide training to urban and peri-urban land use officials on best practices for farmland leasing and associated zoning policies; and 5) connect urban farmers with identified land opportunities and assist with securing an agriculture-friendly farm lease. Twenty urban farmers will begin or expand their farming operation, one hundred decision-makers from municipalities, land trusts, and state agencies will gain knowledge to apply project research to convert underutilized parcels into farmland opportunities for urban farmers; and f farm linking services will be more inclusive of urban agriculture and of landaccess in urban and peri urban settings.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
131	0110	3020	50%
608	0120	3020	50%

Knowledge Area
608 - Community Resource Planning and Development; 131 - Alternative Uses of Land;

Subject Of Investigation
0120 - Land; 0110 - Soil;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
Objectives:The goal of our 4-year project is to research, design, and implement a processleading to an increase in agricultural parcels available to aspiring and existing urban farmers sothat they can launch and/or expand their farming business. We aim to do this through a multiprongedapproach with the following objectives:1) Work with COGs in western/southwestern Connecticut and solicit the expertise of a team ofurban farmers and community-based urban agriculture projects to conduct research into the landrelatedneeds of urban farmers and identify the characteristics of vacant urban and peri urban lotsthat will make them suitable for agricultural use;2) Work with a select pool of municipalities and land trusts that share a commitment tosupporting urban agriculture and employ the results of the research to identify potential farmparcels through geospatial analysis as well as ground-truthing with the community to determinesupport for farming activities in their neighborhood;3) Work with state agencies that manage public lands to identify additional parcels that meet theresearch criteria and are suitable for agricultural use near urban areas in the targeted regions;4) Train urban and peri-urban land use officials on using best practices to use geospatial toolsdeveloped by this project toidentify potential vacant lots and land parcels for urban farming; and5) Implement a farmland matching activity to connect urban farmers with appropriate landopportunities and assist with securing an agriculture-friendly farm lease.

Project Methods
The project team along with several key partners will form Project Advisory Team. The 13-member Advisory Team will meet quarterly to informand guide the project's direction. The advisory team will consist of at least 6 of the members being urban farmers with an emphasis on BIPOC farmers or community-based organizations that directly serve urban farmers and 1 member from each collaborating entity. In addition to the PI team, UConn Extension will engage a Project Specialist (.5 FTE) to help coordinate all activities during theproject period and a Communications Specialist (.25 FTE) provide support via media outreachand targeted project promotion. Three undergraduate student summer interns will be hired annually and assigned to each COG to assist with relevant project implementation and support. In Phase 1 of the project, UConn Extension will research the social, economic, environmental, and situational criteria that make land viable for urban farmers of different types of crops. The Advisory Team of urban farmers and other experts will be assembled and engaged to inform and guide the research. Factors to be explored will include but not be limited to: property size, accessto water, proximity to transportation and markets, topography, energy needs, production focus (food, flowers, herbs, etc.). We will also engage community focus groups in urbanneighborhoods as a research strategy. In Bridgeport, project collaborator, Aspetuck Land Trust(ALT) will initiate community focus groups to determine green space priorities of the community, available space for urban agriculture projects, and local need for farmable land. ALT will share the results regarding the interest in urban farming and will begin the process ofidentifying suitable parcels. In other urban communities in the region, UConn Extension, in collaboration with the COGs, will use the same approach to initiate similar community focus groups in Waterbury and Danbury. Members of the PAT will be interviewed prior to the initialmeeting to determine their perceptions of urban agriculture and perceived desirable characteristics of an urban or peri urban farm site. The PAT will help compile and evaluate the preferred characteristics identified in the community conversations. This will then be used todevelop a weighted scoring rubric that can be used in multiple communities and for different types of agricultural production. UConn CLEAR will help convert the rubric into a GIS mapping tool that can be utilized in communities to identify potential farm parcels.In Phase 2, UConn Extension will assemble geospatial data layers and use the scoring rubric to identify parcels that rank high in terms of suitability to meet the needs of urban farmers. Assembled data will include statewide data layers that are reflective of the criteria developed in Phase 1 and may include both physical and social characteristics. COGs, which often provide geospatial services to municipalities, and municipalities themselves also have additional, more detailed information from infrastructure to parcel history data. Thus, we will work with our COG and municipal partners to identify and assemble those layers. Once the relevant layers are assembled, we will combine and analyze the data to identify "hot spots" in the targeted region that rank high on different elements of the urban ag scoring metric.During Phase 2, communications outreach and targeted recruitment will be conducted to publicize the program to municipalities, state agencies and land trusts. The communications specialist will assist with generating interest among land use leaders. Regional Councils ofGovernment (COGs) will serve as a critical liaison to municipal leaders and utility companies, CT Land Conservation Council will provide a bridge to local land trusts, and UConn's PI-team will leverage existing partnership with key state agencies with land holdings (CT Dept. ofAgriculture, CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection, and CT Dept. of Transportation). The Project will, through its many partners, promote the opportunity to identify parcels suitable for urban farmers. Depending on response, the project will select eight(municipalities, land trusts, state agencies) to move into the next two more intensive phases of ground truthing and matching. Meanwhile, regional COGs will help develop a farmland leasing template, with guidance from project partners at Land For Good who have expertise on the needs of farmers in farmland leasing. In Phase 3, UConn CLEAR will share the results of the geospatial analysis with COGs,municipalities, land trusts, and state agencies via both an interactive online map viewer and through meetings and presentations. That analysis will be used to start to identify potential parcels that might be conducive to farmland leasing and approaching principal landowners(whether municipal, state, or land trusts) to define a short list of potential parcels. UConn CLEAR will also make the data available as a map service so that municipalities, COGs, land trusts, and state agencies can integrate into their own geospatial data and integrate into their land use planning and decision-making. CLEAR will develop training (either virtual or in person) to demonstrate how to access and make use of the data in promoting urban agricultural uses, leases, or ownership of identified parcels. The training will be offered in years 3 & 4 and offered in tandem with other topics such as how municipalities can support urban agriculture. In Phase 4, UConn extension will work with the COG's and other project partners to identify a short list of pilot parcels in each COG region to target for use for urban farmers. We will then engage experts and consultants to verify that potential parcels are ready to farm only after eachparcel has cleared the following checklist:1. Is the parcel free from any zoning restrictions?2. Is the parcel free from any easement restrictions?3. Is the soil free from any evidence of environmental contamination?On the question of zoning, the Project Specialist, with assistance from summer interns in each of the COGs, will research current zoning laws where parcels are located, determine what if any agriculture uses are permitted, and explore the need for any variances in zoning requirements. On the question of easements, the Project Specialist will consult with the CFT, CLCC, and individual land trust owners/stewards to determine if easement restrictions are barriers to activating the site for agricultural use. In order to evaluate soil health, the project will engage both a Soil & Land Use consultant and an Environmental Consultant to determine the suitabilityof each potential parcel. Soil testing will be conducted on each potential parcel soil testing will include standard soil parameters including, pH, texture, phosphorus and potassium as well aspotential contaminants. Each parcel's soils will be designated high, medium, or low suitability for farming. UConn Extension's Project Specialist will conduct on-the-ground outreach to neighbors of the parcel to determine the level of support on the ground for farming activities onthe parcel. So long as there is no critical on-the-ground opposition, the project will flag the parcel as 'Ready to Activate' and move into phase 5. In the final phase, Phase 5, of the project, parcels that are 'Ready to Activate' will be added to the online directory of available farmland on CT FarmLink (Year 3). In partnership with CT Farmland Trust, who coordinates and manages CT FarmLink, the project will actively promote the availability of the parcel to urban farmers in Southwestern CT. CFT will co-host networking and matching events for urban farmers with potential farming sites and lessors in years 3 & 4. Once a prospective match is made, partners at Land For Good will assist the urban farmer with developing a farm-friendly lease.