Welcome to the Agrihood

As you exit the freeway into the town of Gilbert, Arizona and turn east on Ray Road, the landscape changes from strip malls with big-box stores into one of America’s largest, and arguably first, agrihood – Agritopia. The Johnston farming family’s vision behind Agritopia was to show what a good village, centered on agriculture, looks like. The agrihood design attempts to solve several problems common in current development neighborhoods, from the lack of distinct character to the removal of communal livability, and the elimination of Arizona's agricultural heritage.

“Agritopia provides a touchpoint to agriculture for the people that live here and also for the community at large,” explains Christy Davis, the farm director at Agritopia. “We really want people to know where food comes from, and where, specifically, their food comes from, which is this farm.”

Agrihoods – or communities built around a working farm – are on the rise in the United States as more people are wanting to develop strong communities, have access to fresh food, and live differently.

Farm-Centered Neighborhoods

Often described as farm-to-table living, an agrihood brings farming to community living by building a neighborhood centered on agriculture. Agrihoods are part of a trending movement called “new urbanism” that aims to create walkable, mixed-use communities that prioritize healthy living and meaningful connections. People are increasingly purchasing homes in farm-centered neighborhoods as a way of connecting with the land, getting to know their neighbors, and trusting the source of where their food comes from.

According to a 2018 report by the Urban Land Institute, there were over 200 agrihoods in 28 states. An agrihood is a mixed development that combines agriculture and real estate.The main features of an agrihood are working farmlands and residential properties. Some expand upon this farm-to-table concept by adding other amenities focused on communal living, like coffee shops, restaurants, and other entertainment attractions. Many developers expect this trend to be the new preferred “master plan” approach to neighborhoods and planned urban developments.

How Agrihoods Can Preserve Urban Farmland

Every day across the United States, 2,000 acres of farmland are lost or threatened by commercial and residential development. The farmland being lost the quickest also happens to be the most productive with healthy soil and water access. Agrihoods can work to preserve urban farmland by providing a model of collaborative farming in an urban setting that can be beneficial for developers, farmers, cities, and residents.

For land developers, agrihoods – sometimes referred to as development-supported agriculture in real estate parlance – can often cost less to develop as compared to similar amenity-centered subdivisions. Communities built around unique features— such as a working farm – also bring in a profit premium as compared to subdivisions lacking other amenities. With 73% of Americans considering access to fresh, healthy foods to be a top or high priority when deciding where to live, offering a working farm as part of the neighborhood can be a major asset.

In addition to lower development costs and premiums, an agrihood can provide a variety of tax benefits to developers for preserving green space and keeping agricultural land in productivity. Moreover, a working farm can support a municipality’s goal of preserving green space beyond just parks or trails.

An agrihood’s investment in preserving urban farmland not only keeps more land in food production for its residents and surrounding businesses and communities, it can also help support the livelihood of a farm. Revenue from the sales of agrihood residential properties can directly support farming operations and help to expand the agrihood, or it can help cover costs while it is being established. Working farms near agrihoods that are not directly involved in the communities often see the value of their farmland increase as well.

Building a community around a farm will also save farmers shipping costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as the food can be transported directly to residents and communities through produce boxes, farmer's markets, farm stores, and participating farm-to-table businesses. Agrihoods can also promote agritourism and serve as a featured attraction promoted by the local community, town, or city.

As cities and suburbs rapidly expand around the country, agrihoods can serve as a way to preserve a place’s historical agricultural history, integrate local food production into urban planning, and benefit multiple stakeholders while creating healthier communities.

Bringing the Agrihood to Arizona

Joe Johnston, the visionary behind Agritopia – whose motto is “A Thriving Village” –, performed extensive research around the country on what he wanted Agritopia to look like. He knew that it would be founded on stewardship and provide a space for all life ages at all life stages, centered on preexisting farmland.

“Agritopia was developed on our family farm,” explains William Johnston, Joe’s son and CEO of Johnston & Co. “My grandparents bought the farm from the homesteading family in 1960. Forty years later, in 2000, the master planned development was under construction. We had 4 generations living in Agritopia until 2021, when my grandmother passed away.”

Working with a land planner, landscape architects, and with strong support from the town of Gilbert, Joe developed a land-use design that preserved urban agriculture, as well as encouraged walkability and interaction between community residents. The streets were even narrowed to encourage slower driving in consideration of families with children.

Agritopia, today, consists of 160-acres with roughly 1,100 total dwelling units hugging an 11-acre organic working farm, the heartbeat of the agrihood. There are about 600 single-family residential lots, 120 units at the senior living facility, and another 320 multi-family units at Epicenter, a recent addition consisting of a 50,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial development.

“I love that people want to get connected to their food source, support local agriculture, invest in their health, and be a part of their local community,” shares William. “It is a great way of life that is relatively accessible for the majority of people.”

Residents may work or volunteer at the farm, rent onsite community garden plots, participate in a CSA program, or visit their own farmer’s market. From onsite restaurants and a calendar full of events, there's always neighborly interactions with Agritopia's residents of all ages.

“Agritopia– and the concept of an agrihood – enables people to know where their food comes within the urban sprawl,” says Christy. “Perhaps the agrihood is an update to the concept of a village: it’s a village with the farm inside it versus the village around it.”