In places where space is tight and ideas are big, the University of Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture helps residents create landscapes, food systems and training programs to keep their communities thriving.
The pattern is familiar: A crossroads becomes a town, a town becomes a city, a city sprawls into what was once farmland.
Of Georgia’s 159 counties, 35 are now classified as urban or suburban. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Georgia’s population is about 11.3 million. Since 2000, the state’s population has grown by 1.5 million as people continue to relocate for jobs, affordability, mild winters and long outdoor seasons.
Consistently ranked among the fastest-growing states in the nation, Georgia offers a wide geographic and cultural range, quality roads and global connectivity through the world’s busiest airport.
Growth brings jobs, schools and hospitals — the infrastructure of functioning societies. It also demands attention from planners, growers, homeowners, educators and local leaders who care about what their communities become.
This is where the mission of the Center for Urban Agriculture comes into focus. The center was created to strengthen how the university supports agriculture and natural resource management in cities and suburbs — places where population density, land use and environmental pressures shape how food is grown and landscapes are managed.
The UGA Center for Urban Agriculture supports greener, more resilient communities through expertise in urban ecology, stormwater abatement, nutrition, gardening and professional certification for landscaping, pest management and more. (Photo by Lavi Astacio)
Extension in the city
While UGA Cooperative Extension has long served Georgians in both rural and urban communities, the nature of those relationships has differed. In rural areas, county agents often work with families and farms across generations. In urban counties, where communities are larger, more transient and less directly tied to production agriculture, those connections have not always been as familiar or as visible.
“Two-thirds of Georgians live in just 25 counties, and their agricultural needs look different from those in rural areas,” said Mike Toews, associate dean for Extension at UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “But our mission remains the same — to serve the people of Georgia, no matter where they live.”
That expertise doesn’t stay centralized. Faculty work closely with Extension agents, providing research-based training and technical support that agents carry back to the communities where they live and work.
Under the leadership of Director Bethany Harris, the center helps connect the university with municipalities, professional organizations and industry groups so Extension is included in conversations about land use, water management and urban ecosystems.
Bethany Harris is the director of the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture. (Photo by Lavi Astacio)
Urban agriculture is not just about producing food in small spaces. It’s about addressing environmental challenges, supporting landscape professionals and creating community spaces that connect people to nature.”
“A huge part of what we do is listen,” Harris said. “Our goal is to connect the challenges of our growing communities with the right research, faculty expertise and Extension programming.”
In that way, the center strengthens a familiar Extension model for a changing state, ensuring that as Georgia’s cities grow, they remain connected to the systems that sustain them and the people who steward them.
Resilient community growth connects people, resources and research
Since becoming director of the Center for Urban Agriculture, Harris has taken a deliberate approach to expanding the center’s visibility by strengthening ties with national associations, pursuing partnerships across public and private sectors, and building targeted education programs that respond to emerging needs in Georgia’s agricultural industry and food systems.
A Triple Ag Dawg, Harris earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental resource science in 2013, a master’s degree in entomology in 2015 and a doctorate in horticulture in 2018.
Conferences like the Urban Mushroom Symposium and the Cut Flower Conference bring together researchers, growers and entrepreneurs for applied research, peer learning and collaboration.
To provide tools for people of various skill sets, Harris and her team are expanding online course offerings for industry professionals and the public to make credible, research-based guidance available to all Georgians.
The Journeyman Farmer Program: Meeting farmers where they are
The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program serves small-scale farmers statewide by teaching foundational skills that translate across settings, such as soil health assessment, pest management, production efficiency and business planning. These challenges are universal, but they take on added complexity when land is limited and communities are closely spaced.
Now in its 10th year, the program has trained more than 1,000 participants across Georgia in animal husbandry, crop planning, business development and agritourism. Graduates leave knowing how to navigate the logistical and economic hurdles that often derail new farm businesses.
The program has gained traction in urban counties, where participants build relationships with mentor farmers, nonprofit organizations, Extension agents and university specialists, quickly forming support systems that might otherwise take years to develop.
“After 10 years, this program is still so important because of our county agents,” said program director Whitney Ottinger. “They welcome those with zero farming experience and help lay the groundwork for developing and operating a sustainable farm business.”
Community and School Garden Coordinator Becky Griffin reads The Great Pollinator Count to a group of children at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. (Photo by Jordan Powers)
The Great Pollinator Census: Taking a headcount of a city’s smallest essential workers
While controlled environment agriculture helps relieve pressure on limited land and resources, food systems also depend on what makes production possible: pollinators.
What began as a modest effort to document pollinators and their economic value has grown into the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, a multi-state community science program now spanning seven states. The census inventories pollinator populations and contributes to understanding their ecological and economic value to agriculture.
Led by CAES alumnus Becky Griffin, UGA Extension community and school garden coordinator, the census has become a national model for public engagement in science and has inspired a children’s book based on the project. “The Great Pollinator Count” was named the 2025 STEM Book of the Year by the Children’s Book Council.
Rolando Orellana, urban water management agent in the Center for Urban Agriculture, leads the state’s first irrigation demonstration plot. (Photo by Lavi Astacio)
In a flow state: Water-wise practices keep cities green and healthy
Pressured by population growth, development and agriculture, freshwater is among the most strained resources in the country. Yet property values are often tied more to curb appeal than conservation, said Rolando Orellana, UGA Extension’s urban water management agent. UGA researchers and Extension faculty show that beautiful landscapes and responsible water use can coexist.
At UGA-Griffin, Orellana leads the state’s first irrigation demonstration plot, which focuses on improving the efficiency of landscape watering. Coordinated with the landscape industry and professional associations, the site shows how smart irrigation controllers respond to real-time weather and soil moisture conditions. The result is healthier landscapes that use less water while reducing costs for homeowners and municipalities.
The irrigation demonstration plot also serves as a training ground for Extension agents across Georgia, who bring those practices back to their communities. “We’ve experienced major droughts in the not-so-distant past, and it’s likely there will be another in the future,” Orellana said. That reality, along with decades of interstate water disputes, emphasizes the need for visible stewardship at every level.
Separate from his irrigation work, Orellana collaborates with Northeast District Area Water Agent Martin Wunderly, Associate Professor Gary Hawkins and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division on a stormwater green infrastructure demonstration site that focuses on managing rainfall where it occurs.
As development expands, stormwater that once soaked into the ground now carries sediment, trash and pollutants into streams and rivers. To counter those effects, the team trains landscape professionals using practices such as pervious concrete and pavers, French drains and green roofs.
CAES research shows that community volunteers have significant influence over adopting climate-adaptive practices in community gardens, such as the North Fulton Community Garden in Atlanta. Above, local resident Maxwell Barton and Fulton County Extension Agent Gabrielle LaTora pull weeds from a planting bed during a community cleaning day at the garden. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski)
Farming where space is tight
Growing food in cities brings unique constraints, like smaller parcels, legacy soils, close neighbors and zoning regulations that don’t always anticipate agriculture.
Supporting food production also means supporting the places where people learn to grow together. According to Food Well Alliance, a nonprofit that connects organizations working to make metro Atlanta’s local food system more resilient, more than 200 community gardens exist across metro Atlanta, spanning densely populated cities and smaller towns alike.
Fulton County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Gabrielle LaTora works with Food Well Alliance to support growers and connect UGA with Atlanta urban community gardens. She coordinates two gardens in Fulton County, offering classes and workdays to teach soil health, crop planning and pest management while building community.
Griffin, the center’s community and school garden coordinator, works with gardens across that spectrum. Her focus is longevity — helping gardens move beyond startup enthusiasm toward structures, leadership and practices that allow them to persist as gathering places, food sources and points of connection long after the first season.
Rhuanito Ferrarezi, professor of controlled environment agriculture, said Georgia is well-positioned to become a regional hub for the industry, supplying neighboring states through shorter transportation routes.
“In the next five to 10 years, we’ll see more crops coming out of controlled-environment farms,” Ferrarezi said. “That will make fresh produce and ornamental plants more accessible, affordable and sustainable.”
Structural pest management program trains Georgia’s pest control professionals to keep unwanted roommates in check
Pest management looks different when insects cross from natural systems into built environments. In fields and forests, insects are part of functioning ecosystems. In homes, schools and businesses, they raise concerns about structural damage and human health.
The program provides research-based training for Georgia’s pest control industry, preparing professionals to manage pests where control options must balance effectiveness with safety.
Through courses at UGA-Griffin’s Structural Pest Control Training Facility, practitioners learn to identify pests, assess risk and apply management strategies grounded in current science. This program works with the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Structural Pest Division, supporting state licensing and certification.
The center also supports “Getting the Best of Pests,” a webinar-based professional education series that draws hundreds of attendees nationwide each month. The program offers 18 webinars annually, featuring experts from land-grant universities. Revenue is reinvested in county Extension efforts, directly supporting local programming.
These efforts help protect public health, property and quality of life as Georgia’s built environments expand.
Georgia Certified Landscape Program strengthens Georgia’s green industry
A vast green industry shapes Georgia’s landscapes in nearly every community. The sector, which includes nursery and greenhouse production, sod farms, landscape services and garden retail, consistently ranks among the state’s top commodities. In 2022, ornamental horticulture generated more than $1.28 billion in farm-gate sales, making it Georgia’s third-largest agricultural commodity, behind broilers and cotton.
Urban developments, suburban neighborhoods and rural communities all depend on the same supply chains, expertise and skilled workforce. As demand has grown, so has the need for trained professionals who understand plants, soil, water and pest management.
Workforce development is a core focus of the Center for Urban Agriculture. Through certification and training programs, landscapers, nursery professionals and crew members across Georgia have access to professional advancement without requiring a four-year degree.
“Cities depend on landscapes that are both beautiful and resilient,” said Melba Salazar Gutierrez, coordinator of both programs. “These programs give industry professionals the tools they need to support plant health and long-term landscape performance.”
Bethany Harris, the director for the Center for Urban Agriculture, speaks with Turfgrass Extension Specialist Clint Waltz about robotic automowers and the scientific benefits they provide for turfgrass. (Photo by Lavi Astacio)
Beautiful lawns start underground: Root health is key to a sustainable yard
Turfgrass may be the most common landscape feature in Georgia and one of the most intensively studied. At the Center for Urban Agriculture, turfgrass scientists examine how lawns function as living systems.
Extension Turfgrass Specialist Clint Waltz often describes himself as a “turf nerd,” focused on what happens below ground. Decades of research have produced turf varieties that require less water, resist disease and tolerate heavy foot traffic. But genetics alone don’t determine whether a lawn is sustainable — management matters just as much.
By pairing improved turfgrass varieties with smarter management tools, researchers are redefining how lawns fit into sustainable landscapes.
Most homeowners mow once a week or less. Waltz is studying a different approach using autonomous mowers that clip grass lightly and frequently. The change is subtle above ground but significant below it. Continuous mowing encourages deeper, denser roots, increasing the plant’s ability to access water and nutrients.
Deeper roots translate to lower water demand, especially during hot summers when irrigation systems are pushed to their limits.
The benefits extend beyond water conservation. Automated mowing reduces labor demands in an industry facing persistent workforce shortages while supporting healthier turf that recovers more quickly from stress.
“In Georgia, if we can get from one rainfall event to the next without turning on irrigation, that’s meaningful,” Waltz said.
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