Timeline

2008

• Salt Lake City Food Policy Task Force initiated by Mayor Ralph Becker 

2009

• Chicken & beekeeping ordinances make it easier to keep chickens and bees in city
• Curbside composting program begins 

2011

• City code amended to permit agriculture-related structures like hoophouses and cold-frames for most zoning 

2012

• Green City Growers Community Garden Program begins 
  • A collaboration between the Public Lands Department & Wasatch Community Gardens to establish and manage community gardens on city-owned properties. In 2024, Green City Growers provided 463 rentable plots at 11 garden sites. Estimated retail value of the produce grown in these gardens exceeded $100,000. Demand for garden spaces is high and most families requesting plots are from low-to-moderate income households. 

• SLC FruitShare Program begins in collaboration with Green Urban Lunch Box (GULB) & Real Food Rising 

2013

• SLC Community Food Assessment conducted

2014

• Public Utilities Department’s Urban Vegetable Garden Water Rate Adjustment Program established 
  • Customers who occupy a property with a vegetable garden between 0.10 and 0.25 of an acre are eligible to request an adjustment related to additional allocation of water in block 2 for the months of April through October in support of the city’s local food production initiative. 

2015

• SLC Urban Farming Program established  

2016

• Salt Lake City’s sustainability work established under an official department, the Department of Sustainability.

• Local Food Microgrant Fund begins (operates for 3 years)  
  • Provided grants to local farmers to support sustainable food production through access to technology, education, tools, and equipment to grow more organic local produce. A collaboration with Urban Food Connections of Utah/Downtown Alliance. 

• Urban Greens Mobile Market launches in collaboration with GULB & Real Food Rising (operates for 2 years) 

• WCG’s Green Phoenix Farm established on city-owned land (operates for 8 years) 

2017

• SLC’s Urban Farming Program leases Glendale Farm site to the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots program  
  • Soil contamination discovered in 2019 at the Glendale Farm site & adjacent Cannon Greens Community Garden halted farm development 

2018

• Food Policy Task Force becomes Food Policy Council 

• SLC Public Library Seed Library Program begins 

• The Culinary Incubator “Square Kitchen” opens 

• SLC’s Urban Farming Program leases 2 parcels for commercial farming 

2020

• COVID-19 pandemic 

• Resident Food Equity Advisors (RFEA) Program begins 

2021

• SLC becomes a signatory of the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration 

2022

• Update to Community Food Assessment initiated 

• Urban Forestry Action Plan adopted 
  • The Urban Forestry Action Plan acknowledges the intersection of urban trees and food access. A section of the plan describes how to integrate food producing trees and plants into the urban forest by leveraging effective and collaborative planning efforts and accessible educational opportunities. 

2023

• RFEA recommendation & priority report is published 

• SLC Food Policy Council paused 

• Sustainability Department’s SLC Food Microgrant Program begins 
  • Provides funds to SLC residents ($250) and community groups (up to $5,000) to support food production and food access activities aligned with RFEA priorities. 

2024

• SLC’s Urban Farming Program commercial site leases end 

• Jordan River Trail Food Forest + Garden (partnership between Og-Woi People’s Orchard & Garden & WCG) funded through Capital Improvement Program 

• 9Line Community Orchard opens 

• Glendale Farm Site Development: WCG Green Phoenix Farm relocates to site as City Farm 

2025

• GULB closes 

• IRC-New Roots Program begins site prep at Glendale Farm site 

• Food Microgrant Program completes its third year