‘Agrihoods’ combine suburbia, farm living
There’s a new meaning to living down on the farm. “Agrihoods” are an innovative housing concept that centers a community around a working acreage.
“An agrihood is a master-planned residential community with a working farm and barn as one of its central amenities,” said Susan Moguel, marketing director at Freehold Communities, creator of master planned communities in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and California. “With a focus on healthy living, sustainability and agriculture serving as a foundation for the community, it is a neighborhood that is specifically designed to connect residents with these elements in their dayto-day lives.”
Agrihood communities can include farms, ranches and orchards, and residents can participate in the labor, enjoy its benefits and share in the produce.
“Unlike a gym or pool that may get minimal use, everybody eats, so more people get use out of this sort of service,” said Lara Hermanson, principal with Farmscape, an urban farming company that has designed and installed more than 700 projects and agrihood developments.
The concept may be new, but it’s catching on. There are at least 90 agrihoods across the United States, with many more planned in at least 27 states, according to the Urban Land Institute.
Agrihoods are most popular in suburban, master-planned communities, Hermanson said.
“The interest in
local, organic food systems has grown immensely, but many people lack the training and means to operate a farm,” she said. “The beauty of an agrihood is it gives people all the fun parts of living on a farm – great food, beautiful fields and a closeto-nature vibe – while in many cases staying close enough to the city to allow residents to commute to the well-paid jobs required to support it.”
Freehold’s Arden development in Palm Beach County, Florida, is a 1,200acre community with green spaces, parks, nature trails, two lakes and a central farm. Residents receive regular farm shares of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs during harvest season, Moguel said.
“Agrihoods are attractive to homebuyers who want to live in a modern residential community with a rural feel,” she said. “When residents choose to live in an agrihood, they are seeking an environment that allows them to be more connected to both their community and the food they consume. Communities like Arden also allow families to develop a greater appreciation for nature, clean living and sustainability more so than a typical suburban development.”
Interested in starting an agrihood in your neighborhood?
“If you live in a community with a homeowners association, you can start by bringing it up at a meeting and getting your neighbors interested in doing this,” Hermanson said. “If you’re a developer, build an agrihood! These projects have sailed through planning as most communities are supportive of projects that are kind to nature and as pretty as most of these projects are.”