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Carbon Sequestration in Urban Ecosystems pp 279–313Cite as

Improving Soil Quality for Urban Agriculture in the North Central U.S.

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Abstract

An abundance of vacant land exists in the formerly industrial cities of the north central U.S., which have seen tremendous declines in their populations over the past 50 years. Many cities are looking to utilize this land for functional greenspace to improve the overall quality of life. In Ohio, Cleveland and Youngstown contain >1,500 and >2,500 ha of vacant land, respectively, while larger Detroit, MI is estimated to contain between 2,000 and 10,000 ha. Urban agriculture (UA) has emerged as a land use that can provide food production, economic benefits and enhanced ecosystem services on vacant urban parcels. Early data suggest that urban specialty crop cultivation can be quite productive, yielding 2–7 kg m−2, depending on crop and conditions. Given the inherent variability and impact of heavy disturbance common in urban soils, an objective soil quality assessment is necessary to optimize their use for crop production and functional greenspace. Soils in many vacant lots have undergone heavy disturbances, which can lead to severe degradation of their physical, chemical and biological properties. Key constraints to agricultural productivity faced in urban soils include compaction, low levels of organic matter, altered soil moisture characteristics, and lead contamination. Numerous low cost, small-scale intensive methods of improving urban soils exist including the utilization of organic wastes and by-products. The huge quantities of organic materials produced in urban areas have the potential to be processed into high quality soil amendments. Vacant lots in the North Central US can become a valuable asset for community development and improved food security if their soil quality is adequately addressed.

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Abbreviations

BD:

Bulk Density (of Soil)

GHG:

Greenhouse Gas

Pb:

Lead

MSW:

Municipal Solid Waste

OM:

Organic Matter

SOC:

Soil Organic Carbon

SOM:

Soil Organic Matter

UA:

Urban Agriculture

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  1. Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Rd, 210 Kottman Hall, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Josh Beniston & Rattan Lal

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Correspondence to Josh Beniston .

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  1. OARDC, Carbon Management &, Ohio State University, Coffey Road 2021, Columbus, 43210, Ohio, USA

    Rattan Lal

  2. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Scottslawn Road 14111, Marysville, 43041, Ohio, USA

    Bruce Augustin

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Beniston, J., Lal, R. (2012). Improving Soil Quality for Urban Agriculture in the North Central U.S.. In: Lal, R., Augustin, B. (eds) Carbon Sequestration in Urban Ecosystems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2366-5_15

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