Chapter 12 - Amplifying sustainable commercial urban agriculture in Sweden through the Stadsbruk method

Abstract

Interest in urban agriculture is growing. Yet despite its popularity barriers remain, preventing widespread uptake, especially for productive commercial urban agriculture. Stadsbruk is a method developed to foster dynamic commercial urban agriculture movements in Swedish cities. The method uses a brokering organization to: facilitate communication between urban farmers and municipalities; provide training programs for municipalities and farmers; support farmers to access municipal land for growing; and build networks of municipalities and other key actors involved in commercial urban agriculture. In this chapter, we use the city of Malmö as an example to show how Stadsbruk farms have the potential to make a substantial contribution to the city's self-sufficiency in terms of fresh vegetable provision. We then explain how Stadsbruk amplifies commercial urban agriculture by creating more resilient movements in the cities where it operates, increases the speed at which commercial urban agriculture is taken up, and thereby grows the movement itself. As such, the Stadsbruk network and its underlying principles have begun to spread across Europe. Importantly, Stadsbruk is influencing policy and shifting public perceptions of urban agriculture. While the method is promising, there continue to be many institutional barriers to more widespread success, and this is compounded because attempts to gain legitimacy through demonstrating impact can be thwarted by methodological challenges. As commercial urban agriculture is amplified, social and ecological sustainability values must be prioritized to ensure that it remains a genuine contributor to sustainability.