Research out of the University of Michigan sent shockwaves through the urban farming and home gardening communities earlier this year.
Fruits and vegetables grown on urban farms have, on average, six times the carbon footprint of produce from conventional farms, the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Cities, found.
The backlash was swift. The University of Michigan students organized a rebuttal letter, arguing that narrowly focusing on carbon emissions overlooked the broader environmental harms of industrial-scale farming, such as biodiversity loss and water pollution. Some angry homesteaders on TikTok and YouTube circulated conspiracy theories about the government not wanting people to be self-sufficient.
The research landed as cities, including Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, increasingly invest in urban agriculture to promote sustainability and become more resilient to the climate crisis. The researchers told Business Insider that while the many social benefits of urban farming were well understood — such as improving access to fresh food in disadvantaged communities — some climate claims warranted more scrutiny.