Chapter 22 - Human-centered perspective on urban agriculture

Abstract

Population growth and urbanization have increased stress levels that are causing social problems. Under these circumstances, “nature therapy” has demonstrated that natural environments such as forests and urban green spaces contribute significantly to the relief of mental and physical stress in humans. This chapter proposes the use of nature therapy in the form of next-generation sustainable urban agriculture, in which a human-centered approach would be integrated with the conventional agricultural produce–centered approach, whereby the next generation of urban agriculture is represented by the plant factory. First, the background and hypothesis of nature therapy are explained. Second, the benefits of urban green spaces in nature therapy are discussed, focusing on the most recent research findings. Third, the current status, benefits, and problems of urban agriculture are described.