Over the past decade, a new movement has been sweeping across agricultural research, theory and practice: urban agriculture.  The concept of urban agriculture is wrapped up in two notions: food security and the production of food in the interstices of the urban environment.  The apparent goals of this movement are difficult to argue with: creating a stable base of local food production that is safe, sustainable and is a part of the daily life and fabric of urban areas.  But as we delve into both the dialogue and practice surrounding this movement, it quickly becomes clear that it is much more complex in its motivations than may be immediately apparent. 

The paper focuses on the communal gardening sector of urban agricultural production.  Through an analysis of the dialogue surrounding communal gardening in two case study cities, Vancouver, Canada, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the study focuses on the perception and reality of the importance of communal gardening actions and products in the urban system.  Community gardens and allotments in each city were identified, and comparative metrics developed for each city.  In-person interviews were conducted with gardeners in both cities providing information on the motivations for engaging in the activity of gardening, and site visits were made to a random sample of the gardens and their plots.  The results of the analysis indicate that there are a variety of motivations on the part of urban communal gardeners, most of which surpass food security in their importance.  To ensure the success of the urban agriculture movement, at least in the communal gardening sector, these should be acknowledged and incorporated in the planning for, and land use policy of, communal gardening activities.