Potential Of Urban Agriculture Research Articles

A global evaluation of urban agriculture potential for pollinator‐dependent crops in major cities

AbstractRecent research is increasingly focusing on the significance of urban gardens, urban agriculture, and rooftop agriculture as viable solutions to address food security issues. The crops cultivated in these urban settings play a crucial role in promoting urban sustainability. However, a considerable number of these crops rely on pollinators, making them key contributors to global food security, especially concerning micronutrient content. Therefore, a pivotal step in the urban planning process for local food production involves estimating the potential and available area for urban agriculture. In this study, we employed species distribution models (SDMs) to globally assess major cities' suitability for urban agriculture. Through the creation of habitat suitability maps for 61 pollinator‐dependent crops using SDMs, we evaluated the potential of 1143 major cities worldwide to cultivate each of these crops. Our findings reveal that nearly half of the examined cities (570) can support 0–10 crops, with approximately 30% (353 cities) able to sustain 11–20 crops. Around 14.5% of the cities are deemed suitable for supporting 21–30 crops. However, only about 4.5% of cities can accommodate between 31 and 40 crops. Across all 1143 cities studied, it was determined that each city, on average, has the potential to support 12.5 crops. This represents approximately 20% of the total percentage of pollinator‐dependent crops (61 crops) considered in this comprehensive analysis. While our research offers valuable insights into the potential of urban agriculture, researchers and urban planners must approach these findings with caution, particularly when extrapolating to regions with limited crop occurrence data. Additionally, we underscore the significance of understanding the distribution patterns of pollinators, especially bees, in urban environments. Relying solely on climatic variables to assess crop suitability in urban areas may be restrictive, considering the vital role of pollinators in crop production.

Carbon emission reduction potential assessment in food transportation by urban agriculture: A case study of main urban area of Nanjing, China.

As an emerging urban green infrastructure and continuous productive urban landscape, urban agriculture can increase the resilience of urban food systems and reduce carbon emission in food transportation. However, there are few studies in China on the potential of urban agriculture and its role in carbon emission reduction. With semantic segmentation and spatial analysis method to identify urban agricultural potential spaces on the ground and rooftops based on satellite images and Lidar point cloud data in the main urban area of Nanjing, we estimated their potential in vegetable production and the CO2 emission reduction effect in food transportation. The results showed that there were 2904.39 hm2 of ground and 2976.96 hm2 of rooftops in the study area with the potential to be used for urban agriculture. Under a scenario with 80% potential space utilization, it could produce approximately 225000 t of vegetables per year, which equated to 43.6% of annual vegetable consumption in the study area. Meanwhile, it would reduce CO2 emission in long distance food transportation by 63700 t per year.

Urban agriculture, local economic development and climate change: conceptual linkages

ABSTRACTGlobally, cities have become hubs for economic activity, productivity, and important platforms for achieving sustainable development goals. The potential of urban agriculture (UA) in improving urban local economies and urban micro-climate has been acknowledged in the literature. The study looked at how the concepts of UA, local economic development (LED), and climate change can be treated in unison. Based on the review of credible published papers on the various concepts of UA, LED, climate change and nature-based solutions (NBS), a proposed conceptual framework was developed in this paper showing the linkages. The paper established that UA could boost LED, build resilient urban settlements, and promote social inclusiveness, but with social challenges. It is therefore recommended that policymakers make UA a crucial aspect of their agenda in the coming years to address the local economic and climate challenges now and in the future.

Right to the city or environmental gentrification? A discussion about risks and potential of urban agriculture

ABSTRACT Recent literature has highlighted the role of urban agriculture (UA) in creating more sustainable and equitable cities through social participation and promotion of food and environmental justice. However, in a context of neoliberal urban development, the overall socio-spatial impact of UA remains a subject of intense debate. In particular, whilst some scholars focus on the social justice possibilities contained in UA projects, others draw attention to how UA unintentionally fosters revalorization and gentrification processes through an esthetic and environmental improvement of marginal and working-class neighborhoods and suburbs. This intervention aims to explore these contradictory interpretations of UA and offers some conceptual tools based on concrete practice and empirical evidence for clarifying and potentially also resolving them.

The role of the urban agriculture on food security during armed conflicts in the Gaza Strip.

This study aims to assess the potential of urban agriculture (UA) to secure daily needs during the armed conflicts, in addition to assess the contribution of UA in alleviating poverty levels and unemployment rates for its practitioners. A combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in this study. In the quantitative design, 129 randomly selected urban farmers from the area of the survey completed the self-administered close-ended questionnaires, whereas the statistical analysis presents the socio-demographic, economic, and other aspects of the households. The qualitative data collection included interviews with six governmental and nongovernmental officials. The results show that 89.2 percent of the UA practitioners are feeling food security. However, a small percentage of the households who practice UA are still experiencing difficulties with food security. In the meantime, the armed conflict forced most of the urban farmers to evacuate their homes or lands; thus, only 34.9 percent of urban farmers managed to gain food during the 2014 armed conflict. In a nutshell, UA significantly and positively contributes to alleviating household food insecurity in the study area. However, its role was very limited during the 2014 armed conflict.

HORTAS URBANAS NO BRASIL: EVOLUÇÃO, DESAFIOS E PERSPECTIVAS

The significant concentration of the world agricultural matrix in polluting sources and with prices subject to instabilities, such as pesticides, has increased the search of countries for alternative agroecological techniques, including urban gardens, as a way of increasing food and nutritional security in the country. population. Thus, through bibliographic research, the objective of this work consists of a descriptive narrative about the potential of urban agriculture, by studying the evolution, challenges and perspectives, consolidating itself in the Brazilian agroecological matrix and contributing in the long run to greater decentralization of food production with less dependence on pesticides. In this sense, Brazil, benefited by natural factors, has favorable conditions for the exploitation of this form of agriculture and experiences great evolution, with urban gardens being among the fastest growing in the country and being one of the most competitive sources of the Brazilian agroecological matrix. However, the need for incentive policies, awareness of the population, planning of farming spaces in urban environments, in addition to creating a new incentive policy for urban agriculture and making greater investments in research and development appear as important objectives to be achieved so that urban gardens can, in fact, consolidate themselves on the national scene.

The potential of urban agriculture in combination with organic waste valorization: Assessment of resource flows and emissions for two european cities

Abstract Large scale urban agriculture (UA) has been considered as a potential contributor to the sustainability and the resilience of the food system. However, its synergy with the tackling of another main challenge in cities, namely the management of organic wastes, has previously not been extensively explored. The aim of this work is to understand the potential of an integrated food-energy-water-waste system in terms of food production, resource circularity and carbon footprint, in comparison with the current food and waste management systems in cities and an UA system without integration with waste management. Employing spatial analysis and a breadth of process parameters and city-specific data, the monthly material and energy flows were simulated and optimized for two European cities, Glasgow and Lyon. The results indicate a strong dependency of food self-sufficiency, waste assimilation and carbon footprint on the ratio between high-intensity greenhouse growing and urban gardening. For a chosen greenhouse to garden ratio of 1:4, the production of a large share of fruit, vegetable and fish supplied with nutrients from waste products and water from rainwater harvesting is theoretically possible, and the integrated UA systems could assimilate 51.7% and 16.9% of food waste in Glasgow and Lyon, respectively. From a food production perspective, co-located waste valorization could reduce the carbon footprint of the UA system by 7.8% for Glasgow and 12.6% for Lyon. However, overall emissions for the integrated UA system are 75.1% (Glasgow) and 4.3% (Lyon) higher than the current system, primarily due to high heating and lighting requirements for greenhouses in winter, even more so in Glasgow which is colder and with a carbon-intensive electricity grid. However, if a UA system is already in place, the decentralized valorization in combination with UA could provide significant emission reduction benefits compared to existing waste-to-energy schemes, in particular for insect rearing in combination with aquaponics. The outcome may inspire urban policy makers and stakeholders to consider the propagation of urban agriculture in symbiosis with decentralized manage waste strategies, in particular in areas with a low-carbon electricity grid, as a move towards self-sustaining cities and a more circular economy overall.

Is community management of resources by urban households, feasible? Lessons from community gardens in Gweru, Zimbabwe

The poor economic situation in Zimbabwe has forced many households to engage in urban agriculture. With the increasing number of households engaging in the practice, a local NGO in 2009 introduced community gardens in the city of Gweru to vulnerable households as a new development initiative. We examine the feasibility of community resource management in these gardens using a blend of econometrics and community resource management theory. The study finds that sex of head of household, household labour, on-plot area, and off-plot area significantly affected the decision to practice community gardening. Results also show that households characterised by food insecurity tended to be the participants in community gardens. Strong social capital made it possible for these households to participate in community management of resources. However, there is need to remove obstacles such as uncertainty of tenure. Given the potential of urban agriculture in alleviating food insecurity, urban authorities need to consider their position that the practice causes river siltation and include it in their planning processes.

CARACTERIZAÇÃO DO CULTIVO E CONSERVAÇÃO DA AGROBIODIVERSIDADE EM LOTES URBANOS VAGOS EM DUAS PEQUENAS CIDADES NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

<p>A agricultura urbana e periurbana (AUP) é um fenômeno mundial crescente e traz uma gama de benefícios, como a busca da segurança alimentar e nutricional, geração de renda e a possibilidade de conservação de agrobiodiversidade <em>on farm</em>. No Brasil, cidades de pequeno porte e zonas periféricas de metrópoles ainda apresentam características rurais, como espaços intersticiais desocupados, possibilitando a ex-moradores das zonas rurais a manutenção do hábito de plantar. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a agricultura urbana praticada nos lotes vagos em duas cidades do interior do estado de São Paulo, Charqueada (CH) e Santa Gertrudes (SG), abordando os seguintes aspectos: caracterização socioeconômica dos entrevistados; caracterização dos lotes quanto a posse, tempo de cultivo e manejo agrícola; e registro das plantas e variedades cultivadas, com ênfase nas raízes e tubérculos, com vistas a avaliar o potencial para a conservação de agrobiodiversidade <em>on farm</em> nesses espaços. Todos os lotes cultivados na malha urbana foram georreferenciados, para o estabelecimento de uma amostra geral (77 em CH e 43 em SG) para a caracterização da população quanto a aspectos socioeconômicos e relativos à agricultura praticada. Posteriormente, selecionou-se uma subamostra (30 em CH e 20 em SG), para inventário das plantas cultivadas. Os levantamentos foram realizados por meio de entrevistas estruturadas e semi-estruturadas, utilizando-se a turnê guiada nos lotes para o levantamento das plantas. Os agricultores são na grande maioria homens acima de 50 anos de idade, de baixa renda e baixa escolaridade; não há participação efetiva dos jovens. Há uma presença importante de migrantes de outros estados, nordestinos em CH e mineiros em SG. Levantaram-se 102 etnoespécies de plantas cultivadas, principalmente alimentares, sendo as mais frequentes (>40% dos lotes em ambas as cidades) mandioca, mamão e quiabo. Vários cultivos apresentaram etnovariedades, mas o conhecimento dos agricultores sobre as mesmas não é muito aprofundado. A agrobiodiversidade levantada atesta o potencial da agricultura urbana para conservação <em>on farm</em>, porém o desinteresse dos mais jovens e as pressões de ocupação imobiliária do solo urbano podem dificultar sua continuidade. Há necessidade de políticas públicas que ordenem a atividade e garantam um mínimo de estabilidade, bem como da conscientização da população em geral sobre o papel e a importância da conservação da diversidade agrícola. </p>

Urban Agriculture: Passing Fad or New Prospects for Agriculture and Cities?

While urban agriculture might be considered a passing fad, we argue that it is a vehicle to deal with many urgent topics of societal transformation towards a sustainable future. We discuss the potential of urban agriculture to change agriculture and urban life.

The Potential of Urban Agriculture in Montréal: A Quantitative Assessment

Growing food in urban areas could solve a multitude of social and environmental problems. These potential benefits have resulted in an increased demand for urban agriculture (UA), though quantitative data is lacking on the feasibility of conversion to large-scale practices. This study uses multiple land use scenarios to determine different spaces that could be allocated to vegetable production in Montréal, including residential gardens, industrial rooftops and vacant space. Considering a range of both soil-bound and hydroponic yields, the ability of these scenarios to render Montréal self-sufficient in terms of vegetable production is assessed. The results show that the island could easily satisfy its vegetable demand if hydroponics are implemented on industrial rooftops, though these operations are generally costly. Using only vacant space, however, also has the potential to meet the city’s demand and requires lower operating costs. A performance index was developed to evaluate the potential of each borough to meet its own vegetable demand while still maintaining an elevated population density. Most boroughs outside of the downtown core are able to satisfy their vegetable demand efficiently due to their land use composition, though results vary greatly depending on the farming methods used, indicating the importance of farm management.

The No. 1 Ladies' Poultry Farm: A feminist political ecology of urban agriculture in Botswana*

The research draws on a feminist political ecology perspective to demonstrate that agrarian restructuring and rural–urban transformation in Botswana offers women opportunities to renegotiate their marginalised positionality within the commercial urban agricultural sector in Greater Gaborone. Men and women participate in equal numbers, and both perceive of this sector as offering them new and accessible avenues for economic and social advancement. Although there is continuity of women's social and economic disadvantage relative to men from rural to urban contexts, women are actively making claims on land and capitalising on their traditional roles and responsibilities associated with poultry production. This negotiation of continuity and change in gendered positionality reflects and indeed suggests positive changes for women in urban Botswana, pointing specifically to the transformatory potential of urban agriculture despite existing constraints at the sectoral level. The research highlights the ways in which women are (re)defining their constraints, and seeking out alternative opportunities for empowerment and action. To this end gender remains an integral part of and key element to understanding agrarian restructuring and rural–urban transformation in Botswana. El No. 1 Granja de Aves de Damas: Una Ecología Política Feminista de Agricultura Urbana en Botswana. Esta investigación usa una perspectiva de ecología política feminista para demostrar que la reestructuración agraria y la transformación rural–urbano en Botswana ofrecen mujeres oportunidades para renegociar sus posiciones marginales adentro del sector de agricultura comercial en la ciudad de Gabarone. Los hombres y las mujeres participan en cifras iguales, y los dos perciben que este sector les ofrece avenidas nuevas y accesibles para avanzar económicamente y socialmente. Aunque hay continuidad de la desventaja económica y social de mujeres relativa a hombres desde el contexto rural a urbano, mujeres están activamente haciendo derechos de terreno y capitalizando en sus roles y responsabilidades tradicionales asociados con la producción de aves. Esta negociación de continuidad y cambio en sus posiciones de género reflejan y por supuesto sugieren cambios positivos para las mujeres en Botswana, específicamente indicando la potencial de transformación de agricultura urbana a pesar de las limitaciones existente en el sector. Esta investigación subraya las maneras en que mujeres están redefiniendo sus limitaciones y buscan oportunidades alternativos para apoderadamente y acción. En esta vía, género se queda un elemento significado y un parte integral de entender la reestructuración agraria y la transformación rural–urbano en Botswana.

Feeding Africa's growing cities into the 21st century: the potential of urban agriculture

Sub-Saharan Africa is urbanizing more rapidly than any other part of the world and there is an escalating demand for fresh foodstuffs from the urban population. The growing of crops in and around towns and cities is frequently a widespread and long-established activity, yet a greater understanding is needed of the patterns and processes involved. From a survey of literature and detailed empirical evidence from Kano and Dar es Salaam, this paper presents a framework for analyzing urban agriculture and proposes a number of policy recommendations which could possibly enhance its future sustainability. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.