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Urban Agroecology: Designing Biodiverse, Productive and Resilient City Farms

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Urban Agroecology: Designing Biodiverse, Productive and Resilient City Farms Altieri & Nicholls / Agro Sur 46(2): 49-60, 2018 DOI:10.4206/agrosur.2018.v46n2-07 Urban Agroecology: designing biodiverse, productive and resilient city farms Agroecología urbana: diseño de granjas urbanas ricas en biodiversidad, productivas y resilientes Altieri, M. A.a*, Nicholls, C. I.b a Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley. b Global Studies, University of California, Berkeley. A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Keywords: Urban agriculture (UA) has been bolstered as a major sustainable alternative to enhance food Agroecology security on an urbanized planet. Although it has been estimated that UA can provide 15–20% Urban agriculture Soil quality Biological control of global food, it is questionable weather UA can significantly contribute the level of food self- productive,sufficiency ofand cities, resilient due tourban low yieldsfarms. reachedHerein we in mostdescribe existing the principles urban farms. and Agroecology practices used can in help the Original Research Article, redesignenhance theof urban productive agriculture potential featuring: of UA (a)by increasingproviding keysoil principlesquality via forenhancement the design ofof soildiversified, organic Special Issue: Agroecology and Sustainable Agricultural Systems soil nutrients and water and (b) enhancement of plant health through biological control and plant *Corresponding author: productivitymatter content via and optimal biological planning activity of crop that sequences lead to protection and combinations against pathogens. and efficient use of Miguel A. Altieri E-mail address: [email protected] RESUMEN La agricultura urbana (AU) ha surgido como una importante alternativa sostenible para mejorar la seguridad alimentaria en un planeta urbanizado. Si bien se ha estimado que la AU puede proporcionar entre el 15 y el 20% de los alimentos a nivel mundial, se cuestiona si acaso la AU puede contribuir significativamente al nivel de autosuficiencia alimentaria de las ciudades, debido ya losresilientes. bajos rendimientos Aquí describimos alcanzados los principios en la mayoría y las deprácticas las granjas utilizadas urbanas en existentes. el rediseño La de agroecología la agricultura puede urbana ayudar mediante: a mejorar (a) aumentoel potencial de productivola calidad del de suelola AU ala través proporcionar de la mejora principios del contenido claves para de elmateria diseño orgánica de granjas y la urbanas actividad diversificadas, biológica que productivas conduce a la protección contra patógenos y al uso eficiente de los nutrientes y el agua del suelo y (b) mejora de la sanidad vegetal a través Palabrasdel control clave biológico: Agroecología, y la productividad agricultura vegetal urbana, a travéscalidad de del la suelo,planificación control óptimabiológico. de secuencias de cultivos y combinaciones. INTRODUCTION Given this grim scenario, urban agriculture (UA) has been bolstered as a major sustainable alternative By 2030, 60% of the world’s urban population to enhance food security on an urbanized planet. Pro will live in cities, including 56% of the world’s poor duction of fresh fruits, vegetables, and some animal and 20% of the undernourished (De Bon et al., 2010). products, within cities can improve local food security- Today, for a city with 10 million people or more, over and nutrition of consumers, especially in underserved 6,000 tons of food has to be imported every day, trave communities (Smit et al., 2001). UA has spread rapidly. ling an average of 1,000 miles (De Zeeuw et al., 2011). - ntries by 3.6% annually and >30% in the past 30 years inFrom the 1950-2005United States UA (Siegner has expanded et al., in2018). developing Although cou it- luresA significant in industrial rise in agriculture, food prices, increased if not food energy shortages costs has been estimated that UA can provide 15–20% of andcan bedemographic expected with pressure, compounding and as factorsmultinational such as cor fai- global food, an important question remains: what le porations increase their control of the food system - tain through UA. A survey with the goal of providing- vel of food self-sufficiency can cities realistically ob- (Holt-Gimenez, 2017). AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS 49 Altieri & Nicholls / Agro Sur 46(2): 49-60, 2018 300 g day per capita of fresh vegetables, found that African towns and cities produce much food in urban -1 vegetable gardens which may include livestock such recommended nutritional target (Clinton et al., 2018). as cattle and poultry (Zezza and Tasciotti, 2010). For In51 addition,countries UA have would insufficient require urban30% of area the tototal meet urban the area to meet the global demand for vegetables, a spa ce that may not be available due to land tenure issues holdsexample in that60% country of milk aresold involved in Dar es in Salaam,UA. Dakar Tanzania, produ and urban sprawl (Martellozzo et al., 2014; Badami and- cescomes 60% from of theUA. nationalSixty-eight vegetable percent consumption of all urban house of Se- negal whilst urban poultry production amounts to 65%- of the national demand. In Hanoi, Viet Nam, 80% of- UARamankutty, is designed 2015). and Othermanaged estimates (i.e. farm suggest designs, that cropself- fresh vegetables, 50% of pork, poultry and fresh water arrangements,sufficiency could production be achieved, practices but this used, depends size of on plots, how etc.). Several studies estimate that UA may supply from Shanghaifish, as well produce as 40% 60% of eggs, of the originate city’s vegetables, from urban 100% and (Siegner et al., 2018), but the question of how much of ofperi-urban the milk, areas.90% of The the urbaneggs, andand 50% peri-urban of the pork areas and of the30-100% urban producedof city vegetable food is actually demand being in various consumed cities by Bon et al., 2010). poultryUA has meat been (van critical Veenhuizen during timesand Danso, of crisis. 2007; During De ductionlow-income potential food insecureof urban communitiesagriculture when is beyond designed the World War II, United States households produced andscope managed of this review.using agroecological Our focus is toprinciples. examine the pro- enough to meet 40% of the nation’s fresh vegetable de The majority of urban farmers lack ecological hor mand during the “victory garden” movement. In Saraje ticultural skills and do not always optimize crop densi vo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2 years after the blockade- ty or diversity, most suffer pest losses and reach poor- - - was estimated to have grown from 10% to over 40% ces are needed to enhance soil quality, crop health and forbegan vegetables in 1992, and self-reliance small livestock in urban (Brown food and production Jameton, productivity.yields, thus modifications Agroecology can of existinghelp realize cultural the produc practi- 2000). During the “special period” right after the collap tive potential of UA by providing key principles for the se of the Soviet bloc, over 26,000 popular gardens co - vered 2,439 ha in Havana, Cuba, producing 25,000 tons- farms. Herein we describe such principles and their - applicationdesign of diversified, to achieve theproductive, potential and of UA. resilient urban produce about 50% of the fresh food of the island cove ringof food about each 56,000 year. Today ha. More UA andthan peri-urban 39,000 tons agriculture of meat, THE MAGNITUDE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF URBAN - AGRICULTURE duced in more than 300,000 urban farms and gardens. UA787 generates litters of aboutgoat milk 300,000 and 216jobs, million of which, eggs 66,055 are pro are- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated that about 800 million urban dwe and Vázquez, 2016). In Rosario, Argentina, thousands llers are engaged in UA globally, producing 15 to 20% oftaken families by women, were ableand 78,312to feed by themselves young people during (Funes the of the world’s food. In the 1990s this number of people- country’s 2002 economic crisis by growing their own comprised 30% of the global urban population, 200 mi food. More than 800 community gardens proliferated llion of whom produced food for sale (Smit et al., 2001). in the city feeding some 40,000 people. Today Rosario In 1993, just 15% of food consumed in cities world- wide was grown in cities. However, by 2005, that pro of land. Horticulture is practiced on 24 ha of the total portion increased to 30%. In other words, urban food- areahas five where large more innovative than 600 parks gardeners covering grow a total vegetables of 72 ha production doubled in just over 15 years (Martellozzo- for the market and home consumption (FAO, 2015). et al. re continues today. Overall, global estimates of availa PRODUCTIVITY OF URBAN FARMS , 2014). This expanding trend of urban agricultu- 1.4%–11% of the urban area. Projected global produc- Assessments of the productivity potential of urban ble space for UA ranges from 1–7 million hectares or farms have been conducted in many US cities. In 2008, year (Clinton et al., 2018). - Philadelphia’s 226 community and squatter gardens tionData was fromestimated urban at areas100-180 around million the tons world of food indica per grew roughly 900,000 kg of midsummer vegetables and herbs worth $4.9 million US dollars (Kremer and animal intake can be met locally. Studies have repor- DeLiberty, 2011). Running at full bore, Brooklyn’s tedte that that a urbansignificant agriculture portion provides of the local as muchvegetable as 90% and Added Value Farm, which occupies 1,11 ha, funnels of leafy vegetables in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as well- income neighborhood of Red Hook. In Camden, New bles in Beijing. It has been well documented that many around 18,000 kg of fruit and vegetables into the low- as 76% of vegetables in Shanghai and 85% of vegeta- Jersey, an extremely poor city of 80,000 people, com- 50 AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS Urban Agroecology as sustainable alternative munity gardeners at 44 sites harvested almost 14,000 AGROECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES FOR URBAN FARM kg of vegetables, enough food during the growing sea DESIGN son to feed 508 people three servings a day.
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