It is the kind of first-world problem that could only be so hotly debated within one of Melbourne's richest, left-leaning councils: whether to continue funding a $100,000-a-year "urban agriculture officer", to help gardens on public land flourish.

While Yarra Council considers whether it will fund an adventure playground in Fitzroy used by some of the city's neediest children, a more heated debate is raging within over whether to cut a position encouraging guerilla gardens.

A laneway garden in North Carlton, cultivated by local residents for a decade, was ripped out in March by Yarra Council after complaints. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Labor councillors are pushing for the urban agriculture officer role to be axed, with one saying the council had already wasted almost half a million dollars on it.

But they are facing a storm of protest from scores of residents who want the position kept, and who argue the messages councils like Yarra regularly promote about "sustainability" are meaningless unless they are backed by proper support.