Agriburbia©: Combining rural living with urban culture

By Kathy Chaffin

When Matthew "Quint" Redmond presented his first Agriburbia© project at a town board meeting in 2003, he was laughed out of the room.

"I had to leave and compose myself and come back in," he told his audience at the Center for the Environment facility on Oct. 28. "And now here I am touring the country lecturing and talking to you guys. So in six-to-seven years, it's come completely full circle."

About 120 people turned out to hear Redmond talk about the concept at the Center building on the Catawba College campus. Among them were officials from the town of Granite Quarry and Bill Thomas of Concord Builders, the developer of Farmstead, a 126-acre development near the town which features the Agriburbia© concept of combining farming and gardening with residential development.

Though there are 3,000 acres of Agriburbia© projects being developed and designed across the nation, Redmond said Farmstead is the furthest along. "I think it's really important for everybody to understand ....If we can get the Granite Quarry Farmstead to move, it will be the very first one of this financial model. It will be very exciting."

Redmond, who designed the concept with his wife, Jennifer, co-owner of their TSR Group, said Agriburbia© offers a solution to the world's growing food shortage. By the year 2050, the earth's population is projected to reach 9 billion people.

"When you say 2050, it sounds way out there," he said. But in terms of farming, it means there are only 39 growing seasons left to increase the food production to feed the population.

That explains the sense of urgency Redmond said he feels every time he gives a talk or lecture on the concept of Agriburbia©. Though people tend to bunch up and live together more like they did in the old days as the population grows, he said, each person will still need 2,000 calories a day.

"So it's a pretty interesting problem we have to solve," Redmond said, and will require an increase in farmers to supply the food. "We think the farmers are going to be the rock stars in the next 20 years," Redmond said.

He projected the need for 30 million farmers to meet the food supply for the growing population. "We really need to have 10 percent of the country actively involved in for-profit farming."

Agriburbia© calls for building the infrastructure needed to provide irrigation for the farm portions of developments. That means bringing farming into 21st Century technology.

"We have phones the size of Chiclets," Redmond said, "and we still talk about land in acres. I'm telling you, you can grow a lot of food on a quarter-acre lot if you work at it."

The Redmonds have 48 zones of drip irrigation on their two-acre lot in Golden, Colo. Instead of pesticides, they plant zinnias -- brightly blooming flowers that serve as natural pesticides -- every third or fourth row to keep away insects.

"As a result, we have no pests," he said, "and then we sell the pesticides. We make almost as much money selling zinnias as table decorations."

Developments designed around the Agriburbia© concept set up irrigation systems for farming and lease the land to farmers, which gradually decreases as all the lots sell. The farmer will live on a corner lot in the development, he said, and be an honored member of the community.

The sustainable initiative improves the quality of life by combining the best qualities of rural living with the advantages of urban conveniences and culture. The result is improved agriculture, enhanced development practices and the enrichment of the residents, tenants and guests within the Agriburbia© mixed-use developments.

Redmond said the age 55-plus residents of one 29-acre community developed around the concept are part of the work force for the farmland. "Now these guys, they're not going to be out weeding at 2 or 3 in the afternoon in the blazing hot sun," he said.

Instead, they're out working early in the mornings. They love the work. It helps keep them active and fit, and they get paid for doing it.

Everyone in an Agriburbia© development benefits from the money that comes in from leasing the land to farmers. It can be used to fix potholes in the road along with other needs and reduce -- or in some cases -- even eliminate Home Owners’ Association fees.

In addition, the money spent for mowing is greatly reduced because a large portion of the land is being used for farming.

Redmond said it takes 300 million gallons of gas to mow the 31 million acres of lawn in the United States today. Agriburbia© takes some of those acres and uses it to make a profit, providing much-needed food while reducing fuel consumption.

Since the Redmonds introduced the Agriburbia© concept, farmers struggling to make a living have decided to stay in the game and embrace the movement to integrate farmland with developments.

Nationwide, interest in the Redmonds' Agriburbia© concept peaks every time there is a food scare. "Every time the peanuts get poisoned or you see a salmonella or e-coli breakout, everybody googles agri-something," he said. "We get giant hits on the website.

"People understand that the system's broken. They don't understand how to fix it, and that's one of the things we're trying to figure out."

Of all the choices people have to make, Redmond said their food choice is the most important for their overall well being. Agriburbia© offers local food, saving transportation costs. There's a good variety of food, and because there are no pesticides, it's healthier for the residents.

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The Center for the Environment at Catawba College was founded in 1996 to provide education and outreach centered on prevalent environmental challenges and to foster community-oriented sustainable solutions that can serve as a model for programs throughout the country.