Abstract
This paper addresses the question under which conditions small-scale urban agriculture (UA) initiatives can accelerate a sustainability transition of the global food system. It develops the notion of a glocal garden, a large number of likeminded local initiatives with a global impact and forms of worldwide collaboration. Taking a transition perspective, the glocal garden, producing vegetables and fruits, is a niche that has to overcome barriers to compete with the dominant food regime. Since a sustainability transition restructures (policy) sectors, institutional domains including knowledge systems, the paper explores which innovations are needed for the glocal garden to succeed. It discusses the glocal garden as an environmental, a social, an economic and a global project. As an environmental project, the glocal garden will link sustainable production of food with renewable energy production. As a social project, it will be organized into a consumers’ cooperative. As an economic project, it will strive for profit, increasing the yield in a sustainable manner. As a global project, it will enhance collaboration between local cooperatives in the North and the South, as well as with rural agriculture. Under these conditions, the glocal garden can develop into a power, able to resist a possible future food regime that splits societies, in terms of quality standards and food products, into haves and have-nots.
Highlights
This paper addresses the question under which conditions small-scale urban agriculture (UA) initiatives can accelerate a sustainability transition of the global food system
The glocal garden, producing vegetables and fruits, is a niche that has to overcome barriers to compete with the dominant food regime
The glocal garden can develop into a power, able to resist a possible future food regime that splits societies, in terms of quality standards and food products, into haves and have-nots
Summary
Small scale sustainability movements, including the widespread initiatives for urban agriculture (UA), are considered part of a sustainability transition. This raises the question as to whether a sustainability transition of (part of) the global food system can be accelerated by increasing the share of UA This question does not imply that, eventually, UA would entirely replace (large scale) rural agriculture. It does imply that two main features of UA, i.e. small scale gardening and substantial involvement and ownership by the (nearby) community who uses the products of the garden, can trigger an acceleration of a sustainability transition of the current food system. For a good An important synergy for agriculture in an urban context understanding of the far reaching impact of system change is the production of renewable energy This is especially for the food system, it is critical to focus on the interaction important in countries that suffer from regular electricity between different domains. This earth has been found in Amazonia and parts of Western Africa and goes back to 2500
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
