Season Extension Activities in Kansas: Legal Issues and Local Policy Options

Season Extension Activities in KansasThe climate in Kansas presents challenges to growing and supplying produce during much of the year. However, season extension activities (SEAs) can help those growing local produce overcome challenges and extend the growing season. Season extension activities range from common agricultural practices, such as selecting cold-weather hearty plants, to sophisticated growing techniques that require infrastructure, like hydroponic growing methods within permanent greenhouses.

There are many good reasons to support SEAS throughout urban and rural areas. These benefits extend to famers and gardeners as well as to their communities. However, local zoning regulations and other local and state laws can stand in the way of SEAs, especially in urban settings. Often times, these laws were developed during a period in which food production in cities was discouraged and do not reflect the current needs of local communities to increase access to healthy food.

An unintended consequence of this shift away from food production in cities was that people became increasingly disconnected from their food and the ability to grow it for themselves and their communities. Fortunately, in recent years many local governments have started to reevaluate how their regulations may be unnecessarily restricting food production in their jurisdictions. Some have also found ways to use their general regulatory and land–use powers to support SEAs and—in turn—health and equity in their communities. This is an extremely positive development because local policy changes can have enormous impacts on food access. Local governments are often able to be more flexible and innovative than larger state and federal governments and are equipped to make decisions that directly reflect the needs of their individual communities.

This resource identifies regulatory and other legal issues that affect SEAs and discusses local policy options to support their use in Kansas. Recognizing that each community will need to evaluate how best to support SEAs based on the unique local and legal context of their community, the information provided in this resource is meant as a general guide. Community members and policymakers should evaluate the policy areas discussed below and determine what is appropriate for their specific local context.1

Download Season Extension Activities in Kansas: Legal Issues and Local Policy Options

 

 

THE LATEST

STAY IN TOUCH

email facebook Follow HighTunnels.org on Twitter google rss  youtube

JOIN THE LISTSERV

The listserv is a great place to learn what growers are doing with high tunnels, what crops and varieties do best, and what practices have been successful on local farms.

Subscribe Search Archive