Urban farming in cities: A Foresight Perspective
Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing, and marketing food and food products in and around urban neighbourhoods. Urban agriculture also involves animal husbandry, aquaculture, beekeeping, and horticulture.
With a rapidly changing climate affecting the global south and increasing adverse outcomes of current urbanisation trends, urban agriculture is seen as a potential solution to our complex and interconnected problems.
This article examines the history of urban agriculture, current projects, emerging trends, and what is possible for our collective future.
History
3500 BCE Mesopotamia: The first evidence of urban agriculture comes from Mesopotamia. Farmers residing in the cities set aside small plots of land for farming within the city’s walls. Historical evidence shows elaborate irrigation systems were integrated into several ancient Mesopotamian citadels.
2500 BCE Ancient Egypt: In ancient Egypt, fruit and nut trees were a major part of urban farming. These trees not only provide shade but also provide extra subsistence and greenery within growing Egyptian cities.
1100 CE Aztec Farming: Aztecs built a complex garden plot and canal system called chinampas. The chinampas started as small-scale floating gardens maintained by farmers. Eventually, they were implemented everywhere to sustain the growth of the expanding Aztec empire.
1800–1900s London: London became a hotbed of slums, poverty, and inequality. Therefore, the city administration started allotting public spaces as parks to maintain adequate land for residents to use. Low-income families were given land to garden and farm outside the cities' limits.
Moreover, urban planners and designers like Ebenezer Howard’s garden city movement included gardens and larger agricultural fields within walking distance of town. Also, in the 1930s, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City advocated farming uses on each home’s one-acre allotment.
Detroit, 1890s: After the depression of 1893, Detroit’s mayor created the ‘potato patch plan’ to allot quarter-acre plots to urban families receiving public assistance. After Detroit’s industries and population declined, some abandoned city plots were re-established as community farms and organic kitchens.
1910s—1940s Victory Gardens in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany: During World War I and World War II, many countries promoted “Victory Gardens” cultivated by citizens on private and public land. Besides alleviating the strain on the public food supply, Victory Gardens was also a way to boost morale and patriotism.
London, 1970s: Derelict buildings were occupied for vegetable, community, and general communal uses. For example, Londoners took over many demolished properties owned by the cities and borough councils to set up vegetable plots and construct community gardens.
United States, 1990s: In the 1990s, U.S. cities constructed urban farming projects to combat food insecurity and reclaim abandoned properties. Later, these projects became linked to environmental justice activism, local food promotion, urban sustainability efforts, community health campaigns, and food justice activism.
What are we doing today?
Mumbai, India: Different organisations in Mumbai have started several initiatives. For example, Dr Doshi’s method of city gardening is famous in Mumbai, emphasising pure organic production and waste recycling. Locally available agriculture and household wastes, polythene bags, tyre containers, cylinders and soil are used for crop cultivation. The Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) practices organic farming on the rooftop of its central kitchen and distributes food to approximately 3,000 employees per day.
Hyderabad, India: The government is keen on promoting urban farming by providing a subsidy kit worth 360 Rs to interested farmers dwelling in and around the city.
Delhi, India: In Delhi, the farmers living on the banks of the Yamuna River have been producing vegetables for many generations and selling them in the markets. However, their future is vulnerable due to the lack of Government support and the development of metro stations along the Yamuna banks.
Tokyo, Japan: Japan’s Citizen Farms are urban gardening and farming innovations hidden within the city's sprawl. There are rooftop paddy fields, bee farms, vegetable gardens under public transit, and animal farms inside skyscrapers.
Philadelphia, USA: Philadelphia Orchard Project supports over 68 partner sites. With their harvests, they donate to food pantries and sell produce at farmer’s markets at an accessible price.
London, UK: The Orchard Project is a big charity that focuses on creating more urban orchard hubs in the UK.
Copenhagen, Denmark: The local administration of Copenhagen aims to plant fruit trees in public spaces across the city. City officials believe that foraging can connect people with nature, promote local ingredients and culinary dishes, promote a healthy understanding of food systems, and support local biodiversity growth.
Why Urban Farming?
Food Security and Nutritional Benefits: Urban agriculture can contribute to food security by increasing the food available to city people. Even though it may represent a small fraction of total food production, the additional food supply can provide crucial sustenance to many urban dwellers.
Economic and Employment Opportunities: Urban farming can offer significant economic benefits, particularly for the urban poor. As a labour-intensive activity, it creates job opportunities in cities where employment may take a lot of work. This can improve livelihoods and potentially reduce poverty by providing a source of income for families cultivating these urban gardens.
Environmental Impact: Urban agriculture plays a critical role in improving urban environments. It helps mitigate the urban heat island effect, where city regions experience higher temperatures than outlying areas. The plants in urban farms can help cool the air, act as urban lungs, and add greenery, enhancing the visual appeal of often grey urban landscapes.
Social and Educational Advantages: Urban farming helps city residents connect with nature, fostering an appreciation for the environment and biodiversity. This connection is vital in urban settings where nature is limited. Moreover, urban agriculture can serve as an educational tool, teaching residents about sustainable practices and the importance of biodiversity. It also encourages community interaction and bonding.
Recreational Benefits: Urban farming offers a recreational outlet for city inhabitants, providing a sense of purpose and relaxation. The act of gardening is therapeutic, promotes physical activity, and can lead to improved mental health.
Role of Urban Local Bodies
Urban local bodies, or city governments, are instrumental in advancing urban agriculture, offering essential support and resources to these initiatives. One significant action they can take is allocating underutilised public lands for agricultural purposes. By leasing these lands to private entities under agreements that benefit both parties, urban areas can integrate productive green spaces within the cityscape. These spaces beautify the city and contribute to local food production, as seen in planting fruit-bearing trees and utilising vertical farming techniques.
Urban local bodies can designate specific zones for urban agriculture within their development or master plans regarding planning and zoning. These designated areas can be protected for extended periods for agricultural use, ensuring they are not converted to other uses prematurely.
Moreover, urban local bodies can enhance agricultural efficiency and safety by providing technological support and setting agrarian standards. This could include services like soil and water testing and establishing guidelines for using unconventional spaces like rooftops, balconies, and terraces for farming. The example of Singapore, where approximately 10% of food is produced through rooftop farming, illustrates the potential of effectively integrating agriculture into urban environments. This approach is particularly relevant in densely populated cities where land is scarce, making vertical and rooftop farming attractive solutions to food production challenges.
Emerging Trends
Internet of Things and Automation: The Internet of Things (IoT) and automation can monitor and control environmental elements such as temperature, humidity, and nutrition levels in real time. Robotic systems can handle planting, watering, harvesting, and even pest control, decreasing the need for manual labour. This boosts efficiency and allows farmers to scale up their operations and produce more food.
Rooftop Farming: Rooftop farming transforms rooftops into productive agricultural plots, allowing farmers to use the limited land available in densely populated cities. It decreases the urban heat island effect by providing insulation and lowering energy use for cooling buildings. It also enhances air quality, delivers fresh produce to local populations, and boosts food security.
Community Gardens: Community gardens play an important role by building social relationships, promoting food security, and improving the general well-being of urban populations. These gardens are managed by community members, urban local bodies, and non-profits who get together to cultivate and exchange fresh produce.
Microgreens: Microgreens require less growing space and resources, making them an excellent choice for urban gardening. Because these nutrient-dense superfoods can be grown indoors, they are available all year. Microgreens are also in high demand in the culinary business, making them a potentially successful endeavour for urban farmers.
Urban agriculture policy: City governments worldwide prioritise urban agriculture policy initiatives to regulate and promote urban agricultural projects in large metropolitan cities.
Urban agriculture in city master plans: Food technology hubs are included in the urban master plans of major cities in Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East. These hubs will promote AgriTech startups and companies.
How might we adapt our cities to promote urban farming to combat climate catastrophes?
Key trends emerge considering the history and current technological innovations in urban farming.
- Integration of automation and digital technology
- Adoption of Urban agriculture policies
- Transition to a circular economy
There are many more trends to consider. However, the trends above will be used to craft distinct scenarios for the future.
Scenarios for the future
The New Garden City
Imagine a city redesigned by urban planners and designers to establish farming districts close to mixed-use residential neighbourhoods and connected to city centres and commercial areas with viable green transportation. These farms, orchards, gardens, and public parks are evenly spread throughout the city, providing shade, reducing the heat island effect, and creating a viable circular commercial food distribution economy where local food grown in the city is sold to residents.
Local government’s waste management units convert organic waste into compost for farming. The presence of farms has reduced vehicular traffic and created a human-scale city where each neighbourhood is self-reliant with adequate amenities for day-to-day functions. The city has reduced pollution levels and successfully transitioned into a green economy.
The Agri-Tech City
Imagine urban planners and designers redesigned a city to establish an AgriTech City district within city limits. The district is home to AgriTech companies specialising in vertical farming, hydroponics, aeroponics, animal husbandry, and aquaculture.
The companies use advanced automation technologies to keep costs low and minimise their use of fresh water and soil with close-loop recycling processes. The district is connected to local commercial complexes visited by local citizens living in the city. The productivity of the AgriTech companies continues to contribute to the city's diversified economy.
A City of Farmers
The local government's urban planning and agriculture policies continue to promote urban farming in public spaces and private properties. Citizens take the initiative to cultivate microgreens and other easy-to-grow crops on their rooftops and temperature-controlled units inside commercial and residential buildings. The policies encourage young adults to take an interest and learn about sustainable farming practices.
Communities have set up farms with public grants to cultivate local edible plants and other ingredients. The city has established farmers’ markets to promote locally-grown vegetables. Large grocery chains and corporations with additional space also contribute to farming with corporate social responsibility initiatives and leasing their properties to be converted into communal gardens. Increasing green cover and community engagement slowly heals the city's environment, decreasing the impact of heat waves, soil erosion, and the urban heat island effect.
Future Considerations
After exploring different future scenarios, a few positives and negatives have been identified. These create a nuanced understanding of the future and can lead to opportunities for further discussion and debate.
What’s right?
Green Belts: Urban farming policies can stop the unrestricted sprawl of our cities and protect peri-urban and rural agricultural lands from urban exploitation. Green belts can further improve the environment and minimise the impact of pollution and resource extraction in our cities.
Productive Parks: Public parks become places of learning and development in our cities. Children raised in the urban jungle will have more opportunities to learn about the natural ecosystem and contribute towards protecting and maintaining community parks, orchards, farms, and gardens.
Social Entrepreneurship: Community-driven initiatives can encourage more businesses and startups to pursue social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurs can operate new ventures as cooperatives and share revenue earned with the community, bringing different people together in a collective fight against climate change.
What’s wrong?
Greenwashing: Urban farming can inadvertently promote greenwashing when its environmental benefits are overstated by entities aiming to enhance their eco-friendly image. This happens when organisations use urban farming projects to project a green facade while continuing unsustainable practices elsewhere or when the resources required for these farming initiatives are disproportionate to the environmental benefits they deliver. This can mislead consumers and stakeholders into believing a company or project is more sustainable than it truly is.
Profit-driven Model: Urban farming can promote a negative profit-driven model of agriculture when it prioritises commercial success over community and environmental benefits. For instance, if urban farms are developed mainly as high-end ventures targeting wealthier consumers, they can contribute to local gentrification, potentially displacing lower-income residents and prioritising profits over local food security. Additionally, if these farms focus solely on high-margin products instead of diverse crops, they might undermine the sustainability and broader social objectives typically associated with urban agriculture.
Degradation of natural ecosystems: Urban farming can potentially promote the degradation of natural ecosystems when it leads to the conversion of natural land or green spaces into agricultural plots within urban settings. This change in land use can disrupt local biodiversity, displace native plant species, and alter the habitat for urban wildlife. Additionally, if urban farming practices involve heavy use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, these chemicals can contaminate the soil and waterways, harming urban ecosystems. Effective management and sustainable practices are crucial to mitigate these impacts and ensure urban farming contributes positively to urban ecological health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it's critical to weigh the pros and cons of implementing urban farming initiatives in both developed and developing urban areas. As city residents, it’s vital that we dedicate time and resources to urban farming and the creation of community orchards, which benefit not only our environment but also future generations. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
