Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to be a part of conferences for “urban” audiences interested in urban agriculture in particular organic urban agriculture. There is a lot of interest in what agriculture really is, and terms like “natural,” “sustainable,” “regenerative,” and even “organic” can be confusing. Most consumers love labels but unfortunately labels begin to lose any meaning unless you define them and yes, enforce them!

Urban agriculture has many definitions and many parts.  USDA defines it as,” cultivation, processing and distribution of agricultural products in urban and suburban areas.” Even this definition can be further defined because cultivation has many different aspects; agricultural products include a multitude of things from vegetables to dairy to fish to meat, and urban and suburban are rarely well defined and can mean the 2.5 million population of Houston, Texas or the urban center of DeLeon, Texas where 2.5 thousand live! 

These problems with definitions still don’t deny that our population needs and wants local food and local food security no matter if it is small town or large city.  And this desire is fueling a resurgence of everything from backyard gardening to large scale organic rooftop agriculture atop the newest Whole Foods retail store.  All are woven together into a sense of “community supported agriculture” which has a history of being “urban agriculture” for decades.

According to Wikipedia’s definition, “Urban agriculture can reflect varying levels of economic and social development. It may be a social movement for sustainable communities, where organic growers, “foodies”, and “locavores” form social networks founded on a shared ethos of nature and community holism. These networks can evolve when receiving formal institutional support, becoming integrated into local town planning as a “transition town” movement for sustainable urban development. For others, food security, nutrition, and income generation are key motivations for the practice. In both scenarios, more direct access to fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat products through urban agriculture can improve food security and food safety.”

What does urban agriculture look like?  Again, according to USDA, “Community gardens, rooftop farms, hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic facilities, and vertical production are all examples of urban agriculture.” Certainly, there are backyard gardens, market gardens, and the small farm patches scattered around superhighways, streets, and buildings.  Every open piece is real estate is being discovered, evaluated, rehabilitated, and put into production much like the English allotment system so popular in Great Britain. 

Increasingly (maybe because of climate extremes), urban agriculture is now becoming Controlled Environmental Agriculture or CEA and these urban/suburban operations include low tunnels, high tunnels, shade houses, climate-controlled greenhouses, and indoor farming in warehouses, shipping containers, or even basements. Many are certifying organic, and some are not.

The demand by the urban/suburban consumer for both involvement in their own food production and knowledge about the food they purchase and consume, is driving the need for new and innovative research and education.  Never before has there been such an interest in urban agriculture with an equally intense interest in the science of agriculture and food.

What about Texas?

Texas population in 2022 is estimated to be 30.93 million people growing a little over 1% per year for the last ten years.  Out of the top 22 largest cities in the US, Texas has 6 including Houston (4th), San Antonio (7th), Dallas (9th), Austin (11th), Fort Worth (13th) and El Paso (22nd).  Included in the top 100 largest cities of the US are many of the suburbs of these major cities.  These fast-growing cities are experiencing a complete change in their makeup, their consumer trends and their eating habits.  According to the CDC and data collected through the 2019 Risk Behavior Surveillance System and compiled by Thistle©; Texas ranks 32^nd out of 50 states in consumption of fruits and vegetables; 41.3% of adults eating less than one serving of fruit per day, 23.2% of adults eating less than one serving of vegetables per day, 50.5% of high school students eating less than one serving of fruit per day, and 51.7% of high school students eating less than one serving of vegetables per day.

Even though a low percentage of the 30.93 million Texans consume very many fruits and vegetables there is still a considerable number who garden and a huge number that frequent farmers markets.  The National Farmers Market Directory lists 282 local farmers markets in Texas and the Texas Department of Agriculture shows hundreds of registered farmers markets on their Go Texan website.  Most of the Texas’ markets are located in the 5 largest urban areas and attendance at each is growing by double digits year over year. 

Organic certification in Texas urban/suburban areas continues to increase with a significant increase in CEA (controlled environment agriculture) applications and organic certifications.  Leading the way are operations involved in greens production including microgreens, lettuces, and spinach.  Texas population is growing faster than the supply of local fruits and vegetable, faster than potential growers can be trained and faster than research can solve the production problems faced by both small- and large-scale urban growers. 

Finally, here is the takeaway! The explosive population growth of Texas is creating a huge demand for Texas Food and for most of these consumers Organic is their preferred “label.” Certified organic growers or even growers contemplating organic certification – NOW is your opportunity….

I have opportunities to talk to lots of groups about organic agriculture and organic food. In the presentations I talk about organic handler certification and to be honest most folks have never even thought about what an “organic handler” is or does.

The vast majority of organic commodities pass through the hands of at least one middleman, also called a handler, on the way from the farmer to the consumer. Certified organic handlers are certified to handle organic products in accordance with National Organic Standards. Organic handlers perform numerous functions, including packing and shipping, manufacturing and processing, and brokering, wholesaling, or distributing. I basically say that once a farmer sells an organic product (meat, dairy, grain, vegetables, etc.) to anyone except a consumer the buyer must be a certified handler. I like to say that organic is from the farm to the grocery shopper and that is pretty much true. Once an organic product is packaged then anyone can sell that package with an organic label but until that time it must be “handled” by certified handlers.

So, what does this mean in Texas? Currently we have 428 certifications issued to handler operations. Of this total there are about 372 different companies that operate as handlers. What I mean is that a company like HEB may have 20 stores with an organic handler certificate because they cut up organic produce and sell it in packages. Or Natural Grocers has 11 stores certified, all with different addresses but the same corporate company.

Of these 428 certifications in the hands of 372 companies, I have tried to put them into categories to better understand what is going on with Texas organics. If you look at the picture below you get a fairly good idea of the breakdown. Within these categories you have growers that also have a handler certificate. For instance, several organic rice growers also package their own rice and sell as organic rice to consumers. One citrus grower, South Tex Organics, the Holbrook family, also sells organic juices through their Earth Born branded products.

Why is this important? Good question and one I think is easily answered with the fact that we have over 383 organic Texas certificates in the hands of Texas farmers, and I hope that these 372 Texas organic handlers are buying Texas organic products to package and sell in Texas. The more we see Texas organic growers selling to Texas organic handlers who package and then sell to Texas consumers, the better it is for everybody in Texas!

I am adding this paragraph and picture after publishing this blog post because, well, I didn’t know about it!! I was looking at the Central Market website and down at the bottom in small print is the words potential suppliers! When I clicked on it I was taken to this web page. Interesting!

If you are in the Houston area, September 30 you might want to attend this food summit. I know at least two of the speakers are well worth hearing, not sure about the third one! Seriously, all of us are addressing issues related to having fresh, wholesome food available in the urban, inner city. Most cities have lots of wasted, open space suitable for growing fresh produce and lots of people to eat that produce. Our challenge is get the two together and there is no time better than now. The program flyer below gives plenty of information about the program and signup.

Make plans to attend the first ever Organic Growers Conference hosted by the Williamson County Extension Office in Georgetown, Texas, October 18-19. The cost is being worked out but around $50 (was $100!) per participant. For more information or to early register call the Extension Office at (512) 943-3300 or here is a direct link to register:

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Below you will find the schedule. It is subject to change but mostly in place.

Sometimes you really have to debate with yourself on whether to buy something or not. I had this ongoing debate with myself when I was trying to decide if I should buy this book in the picture. It was recently released, it is by an author I know, Dr. Gentry, and it is on a subject I enjoy reading about. The problems though are that it is a textbook, it is expensive, and I had to ask, would it be practical or theoretical? I took the plunge, and I am now on my second reading through the over 700 pages!

This book is absolutely written for anybody that works in organic agriculture and it certainly has applications for everybody in agriculture. The chapters are written by many different authors and explain real world stuff. I am by no means a microbiologist, but I still enjoy understanding plants and soils and how they interact with the microbiome that generally inhabit both.

There are many wonderful chapters but the one I want to talk about is written by Dr. Linsey Slaughter, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University and is simply entitled, “Rhizosphere.” On page 269 she writes, “The rhizosphere is the zone of soil immediately influenced by the root with altered microbial diversity, increased activity and number of organisms, and complex interactions between soil microorganisms and the root. The significance of the rhizosphere arises from the release of organic material from the root and the subsequent effect of increased microbial activity on nutrient cycling and plant growth. The unique assemblage of microorganisms in the rhizosphere, known as the rhizosphere microbiome, where microbial community composition, abundance, and functional attributes are distinct from the bulk soil microbiome of the surrounding environment, can influence plant growth in beneficial, neutral, variable, or harmful ways.”

This “influence” starts with the seed. As she explains, “the seeds exude organic compounds such as carbohydrates and amino acids during imbibition, or adsorption of water to rehydrate the seed, at the onset of germination and as the seed coat ruptures to form the primary root. Soil microbes immediately begin to colonize and compete for these resources. Other antimicrobial and signaling compounds are also exuded (by the seed) to protect the seed against pathogenic (disease causing) microbes.”

Dr. Slaughter next discusses roots and root formation. “The root tips at the apex of each root type are responsible for directional growth of the root and are the primary location for water and nutrient absorption and rhizodeposition. The success of the plant depends in large part on the ability of the root tips to sense environmental signals and direct root tip growth in response. The massive number of root tips in the soil accounts for a considerable portion of root surface area and is the most significant location for root interactions with rhizosphere microbial communities. Because of the importance of root tips for root development and function, they are also the site where microbes may have the most significant effect on plant root systems and ultimately the development and physiology of the entire plant.“

Okay this is the part of the chapter I want to emphasize and is the first time I have seen a picture that actually shows what a plant can do. I hope I am not breaking copyright law or any other law by putting this picture here, but it really shows the influence plants have on the rhizosphere surrounding the plant. Here is Dr. Slaughter’s comments, “The rhizosphere is a spatially and temporally heterogeneous zone created by active roots. Physical effects of root growth increase microscale compaction and impact aggregation as soil is pushed aside by the root or enmeshed by root hairs. Nutrient absorption, respiration, and exudation by plant roots create zones of nutrient depletion or enrichment as well and changes in pH and aeration.” 

As you can see, the roots are changing the pH of the soil surrounding the two different plants. The chickpea is lowering the soil pH which allows it and its microbiome to uptake nutrients it needs while the corn is raising the pH to a 7.5. These changes to the rhizosphere allow the plant to absorb the nutrients it needs.

There is so much more to talk about from this book. Chapters on soil fungi, bacteria, and protozoa. Soil properties and their effect on microbes, soil fauna or insects, composts, etc., etc. I do recommend the book if you want to go deeper into what you do in organic agriculture – it is fascinating to understand and it is our future!