What is an Agrihood? I came across this term in The National magazine on a train ride home from a visit to the Hudson Valley. A combination of agriculture and neighborhood, ‘agrihoods’ or ‘agri-communities’ are the latest marketing ploy created by developers to profit off the popularity of the farm-to-table, back-to-the-land, wellness trend. And with homes from the 300,000s to 650,000s and up they have certainly created a cash crop.
Until Merriam-Webster inducts “agrihood” into the dictionary the working definition according to Forbes is, “a community that is usually planned around a farm and offers access to unblemished landscapes, locally grown food, and homes built to environmentally friendly standards.”
It’s important to note that these are planned communities, meaning developers carefully designed the placement of the homes in an area that was previously undeveloped. This differentiates them towns with ‘agrihood’ amenities.
Agrihoods were partially born out of the popularity of golf communities where buyer’s paid large sums for views of the green. Instead of being situated strategically around the golf course; however, these homes are situated around a farm and nature areas. A common denominator in all of these communities are the farm stands where neighbors can purchase produce and meat from the farm or pick up their CSA (community supported agriculture) share. They also feature the standard pool and clubhouse but can take wellness a step further than the gym. Aberlin Springs in Dayton, Ohio advertises plans to build a wellness center for the community and the wooded walking trails are popular with residents in the Serenbe community of Georgia.
In many ways these developments attempt to combine life in small town America with the ease of access that city living offers. The community may have a restaurant or two cooking local food from the farm as well as coffee shops and stores all within walking distance. Homes featuring porches and low fences as well as parks, playgrounds and outdoor gathering spaces are in the hopes of creating neighborly interaction. Homeowners tout the benefits of not having to leave the neighborhood that often and that their children know where their food comes from and can play outside.
Where I grew up developments were usually already situated around farm fields as they rapidly replaced farmland with cookie cutter houses and landscaped lawns. Some even took on the perverse practice of being named after the farm which they had replaced. Agrihoods are more appropriate recipients of this practice (see Skokomish Farms in Puget Sound, WA). The farms they surround tend to be small, organic farms that were started during or before the houses were built.
In fact for some landowners choosing to create an ‘agri-community’ is a way to preserve land that likely would have been developed with less foresight. This was the case with Agritopia in Gilbert, Arizona. With rapid suburban development encroaching on the family farm the family took matters into their own hands. This was also the case with the Serenbe community in Georgia which faced development pressure from the suburban sprawl of Atlanta.
While its great to attempt to recreate the connection with the land through walkable communities where you know your neighbor and local farmer, at the end of the day agri-communities are commodifying, rebranding and re-selling the pastoral rural community of yesteryear for an exorbitant sum to the modern suburbanite. Development is still development and building a brand new 2,000+ square foot house with a two car garage is not the model of sustainability. In theory agrihoods may be a step back in the right direction but in practice are they really worth the hype?
Sources:
https://aberlinsprings.com
http://serenbe.com/
http://agritopia.com/
http://willowsford.com/
http://www.skokomishfarms.com/
http://livecannerydavis.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/agrihoods-golf-communities-millennial-homebuyers-2017-10
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/agrihoods-on-the-rise-suburbs-farm-to-table/
http://realtormag.realtor.org/home-and-design/feature/article/2017/05/inside-agrihood-trend
Greens for Greatness 
Didn’t know about this. Thanks Leona. I agree…nothing like the ‘old farms’ I remember from my childhood. Development IS still development. There was a beautiful place in North Carolina….a 200 year old farm…the Coggins Farm that was turned into a B&B. It (and the land) has been purchased for development. I guess the hope would be that if it was sold for ‘development’, at least it could be a ‘Agri-hood’. Great stuff here! Laurie
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