Urban agriculture | TableDebates

Cities and Agriculture -Developing Resilient Urban Food Systems

As people increasingly migrate to urban settings and more than half of the world's population now lives in cities, it is vital to plan and provide for sustainable and resilient food systems which reflect this challenge. This volume presents experience and evidence-based "state of the art" chapters on the key dimensions of urban food challenges and types of intra- and peri-urban agriculture.

Free webinars: Climate change urban food initiative

This initiative launched by Fondation Nicolas Hulot (FNH), the International Urban Food Network (IUFN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) it aims to highlight the strategic links between sustainable food, sustainable urban development and climate change. The initiative will showcase successful mechanisms and approaches to help respond to the challenges of achieving sustainable urban food systems in a changing climate.

Water seedlings in a raised garden bed. Photo by Jonathan Kemper via Unsplash.

City Region Food Systems – Part II – Who Will Farm?

In this piece, Mike Hamm continues his thread on urban food systems, expanding into the nuances of production.This post is written by Michael W. Hamm, C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at Michigan State University and Director of the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems. Mike is also a Visiting Fellow of Mansfield College and the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, and an FCRN network member.

China’s president Xi Jinping: farmers must have a bigger role in China’s development

Better links between urban and rural areas will ensure that farmers in China are seen as equal to city workers and that they can take a greater part in the country’s development than before, Xi said when addressing the communist party’s policy chiefs at a session of the Central Committee’s Political Bureau.

European Commission brief: Rooftop gardens could grow three quarters of city’s vegetables

This brief argues that rooftop gardens in cities could supply cities with more than three quarters of their vegetable requirements. The brief from the European Commission is based on evidence from a case study from Bologna, Italy.

Urban farmers’ markets may fall short of contributing to health and nutrition compared to neighbourhood stores

This paper discusses urban farmers’ markets in relation to food accessibility, the type and variety of foods they offer and their price and quality. This US based study is the first to itemize farmers’ market products in an entire urban county—in this case the Bronx—and compare them with what is available in nearby stores. It finds that farmers’ markets located in urban areas may not contribute positively to nutrition or health.

Aisle of vertical tomato farm. Photo by Markus Spiske via Unsplash.

Feeding Cities - with Indoor Vertical Farms?

In this piece, FCRN member Mike Hamm critically considers the environmental sustainability of vertical- and indoor farming. In particular, he explores and challenges claims that fully indoor production systems can provide a significant source of food for urban areas at low carbon cost. Ultimately, he argues that there are a number of other urban and peri-urban food growing options that offer greater potential, and deserve more policy attention and support.Michael W. Hamm is a C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at Michigan State University and Director of the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems. Mike is also a Visiting Fellow of Mansfield College and the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, and an FCRN network member.

World’s Largest Indoor Farm is 100 Times More Productive

This article from the Urbanist takes a look at Japan’s indoor farming is portrayed. The successful indoor farming endeavor in Japan is shown through some staggering statistics: 25,000 square feet producing 10,000 heads of lettuce per day (100 times more per square foot than traditional methods) with 40% less power, 80% less food waste and 99% less water usage than outdoor fields.

Urban food strategies: The rough guide to sustainable food systems

In cooperation with 13 European research and policy partners, FiBL (The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) analysed ways in which local distribution channels and new networks between producers and consumers could be supported.