UPDATE: SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE!
After all the hard work we've done to get this to mayor and council, there is yet again a small group of people trying to make it appear there is widespread opposition to the proposed changes. Where have those voices been all along? They claim they have been "bullied" into submission, which is patently false, as there's been many opportunities for public input, and ample invitation from City Staff to comment. In this last ditch effort, their big goal is to reduce the number of animals allowed, and they've got the ear of at least one City Councilor, in Ward 6.

Can you help us one last time?? Here's how:

1. Send an email or make a phone call to the ward councilors and/or mayor with your comments. Ward info is here. A sample letter for you to sign is here.
2. Show up at the meeting and express your support for allowing more urban agriculture, specifically the right to have 24, 36, or, on really huge lots, 48 chickens. More info on how the animal units would work is here. Meeting info below.
3. Show up at the meeting and wear one of our new and improved limited edition Chicken Buttons. (Sneak peek is here.)
4. Pass this email along to a friend, or share our blog post on Facebook, asking folks to take action.

Urban Ag Meeting Details:
This Tuesday December 8, at 6pm
255 W. Alameda St.
City Council Chambers

Urban agriculture is already happening on a wide scale in our city, and we applaud the City in attempting to address this reality in a productive way by updating the zoning code.  

We support an update to the code that:

• Complies with Plan Tucson’s vision for food production and food-based economic development opportunities;
• Recognizes and normalizes the fact that urban agriculture is already happening on a wide scale and has created no major nuisances; 
• Recognizes that urban agriculture is not just a form of self-sustenance, but rather, at its best, is a tool to ensure a healthy food supply for all;  
• Allows for animal husbandry that is scale-appropriate (e.g., is tied to lot size), while ensuring animal rights and neighbor’s rights through proper enforcement of nuisance, noise, and animal protection ordinances; 
• Seeks to give a number of minimum rights to engage in urban agriculture outright (e.g. growing food in the front yard, or having a certain number of chickens);
• In appropriate instances, allows would-be urban farmers to expand beyond the parameters of the code based on a permission-based system from relevant stakeholders (e.g. contacting their neighbors to increase from 24 to 36 chickens);
• Allows exchange of food in both informal and formal ways (e.g. over the fence sales to neighbors AND expansion of neighborhood farm stands and farmers’ markets).

We understand that this is a long-standing effort, which has included participation from citizen committees, the University of Arizona’s College of Public Health, the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension, the Community Food Bank, the Pima County Health Department, and local urban agriculture experts and advocates. We applaud the City and the Planning Department for their engagement with the community for their commitment to producing a strong proposal.

After many years of work on this, it is the right time for the City of Tucson to codify these changes.  Please support and pass the proposed Urban Agricultural Zoning Amendments.