Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2024

Subjects

Agricultural landscape management, Food supply, Local foods -- Oregon, Land use

Abstract

This report provides a statewide view of public and institutional lands that may be suitable for farm to institution food production in Oregon. The goal is to assist the Oregon Farm to Institution Collaboration, and particularly the Land Access and Shared Assets Work Group, in identifying possible lands for farmers and food producers to grow food for schools, hospitals, and other institutions.

We start by comparing Oregon to other states, in terms of their public land access efforts around farm to institution or other related agriculture. We also showcase some interesting cases which may serve as inspiration to Oregonians. The heart of this study is a spatial analysis of public and institutional land in 34 of the 36 counties in Oregon, and State and Federal-owned land in all 36 counties. Overall, we found that approximately 10 million acres of institutionally held land meet our capability and suitability criteria for farming! In other words, there is a significant amount of land owned by governments and institutions that could be used to support food production for institutions in Oregon.

We offer a statewide view, and a look at the seven regions in Oregon of this suitable land, using maps and tables. In addition, we identify example sites in four counties that could serve to model use of institutional land for farming/growing cultivated crops and share more detailed information about these properties including aerial images. We also share some tips for leases and other arrangements.

This study is intended as a foundational eye opener and potential support for policy advocacy. It demonstrates, with mapping, descriptive statistics, and tables, that statewide, there is a lot of suitable and available public lands for farm to institution efforts.

Due to the limited size of the funding for this project, and the difficulty in gathering and preparing statewide data (we had to collect files from each county), we do not offer an interactive map or database. Instead, we offer this report and accompanying slide deck/visuals. In addition, we also provided OFIC with supplemental databases and files for further analysis. We do not have enough site-specific information to make detailed recommendations, as the ideal site for any particular farmer or institution will depend greatly on the specific needs and interests of all relevant parties. We urge interested farmers and institutions to use this report and accompanying spreadsheet to identify potential sites, and to communicate with landowners to gain a further understanding of the site characteristics. We also hope landowners consider taking steps to make their suitable land available to interested farmers, to advance the goals of a more healthy, sustainable local Oregon economy!

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42794

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