Urban agriculture is one of the latest trends in urban development. It’s become so popular that it has even been called the “next logical step for sustainability” by some. But why? What are the benefits of urban farming, and how can you make it work in your city?
What is urban Agriculture or Urban farming?
This article will explore what urban agriculture is all about and how to make it a part of your community.
Urban agriculture can support the well-being of individuals and communities in multiple ways: developing local food systems, contributing to food security, promoting economic development, strengthening social integration and improving urban biodiversity and environmental health.
The below chart is to show the difference between Conventional Farming and Urban/Sustainable Farming.
Urban Agriculture Makes Up One Aspect of a City’s Food System
| CONVENTIONAL/INDUSTRIAL FARMING | ALTERNATIVE/SUSTAINABLE FARMING |
| National/international production, processing and marketing | More local/regional production, processing and marketing |
| Concentrated with fewer farmers | Dispersed with more farmers |
| Large, capital-intensive production | Smaller, low-capital production |
| Impersonal, Consumerism | More personal, Community self-sufficiency |
| The competition focused – on farming as a business-only | Community-focused – farming as rewarding, a way of life |
| Domination of nature | Harmony with nature |
| Production maintained by agricultural chemicals – synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides | Production is maintained by the development of healthy soil, use of integrated pest management techniques |
| Specialization: monoculture crops with single-cropping in succession | Diversity: polycultures with multiple crops grown in complementary rotations |
| Separation of crops and livestock | Integration of crops and livestock |
| Standardized production systems | Locally adapted production systems |
| Exploitation: reliant on nonrenewable resources focuses on short-term benefits over long-term consequences, external costs are often ignored | Restraint: consideration of all external costs, concern with short-term and long-term outcomes, focus on renewable resources and conservation of nonrenewable resources |
Each component – production, processing, or distributing – and associated activities from each type—personal consumption (e.g., home gardens), institutional (e.g., school lunch programs), educational (e.g., university extension programs), for-profit (e.g., urban farms, processing plants), nonprofit or otherwise—is linked to a variety of community benefits.
Successful community-based urban farming projects require considerable planning and commitment that grows out of the interests of a particular neighbourhood or community.
In addition to its potential for improving food security among urban residents, urban farming has been linked to a range of health benefits. Providing affordable access to fresh produce, especially in neighbourhoods with few grocery stores or supermarkets, not only may foster interest in trying new foods, it may help reduce consumption of processed foods.
We need to start by acknowledging that urban agriculture is a complex social enterprise driven by values other than profit maximization. These activities are increasingly undertaken to address environmental, economic, and social challenges in urban areas. Urban farming projects can contribute to food security, promote economic development, strengthen social integration and improve urban biodiversity.
Urban farming provides diverse benefits for individuals and communities: developing local food systems, contributing to food security, promoting economic development, strengthening social integration, and improving urban biodiversity and environmental health.
However, successful community-based initiatives require considerable planning, which grows out of interest from one particular neighbourhood or community. Does it depend on how much people care about their neighbourhood and what will be done? How big will be the size of this project? What kind of food one can grow there, and is that crop going to be sufficient for populations dependent on it?
We can make urban agriculture more sustainable by using renewable energy sources such as solar panels to power agricultural equipment that yields a substantial amount of electricity per day.
Conclusion
Urban agriculture is the practice of growing food in urban areas. It helps to improve the health and well-being of people living in cities by increasing access to fresh, healthy food.
According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and Duke University, city dwellers who participated in urban agriculture had higher levels of physical activity than those who did not. Another study published in “Environmental Science & Technology” also found that participants who grew their own food reported better mental health as well as improved social relationships with neighbours and friends.
Urban farmers are also known for their ability to reuse waste materials like leaves, grass clippings, sawdust and wood chips into compost or mulch which they can use for gardening purposes. This creates a closed-loop system that eliminates the need for extra resources such as fossil fuels or chemical fertilizers while reducing water usage by up to 90%.
All these benefits make urban farming an ideal way for improving public health while reducing carbon emissions and helping mitigate climate change. We hope this article helps you understand urban Agriculture.