DOCSLIB.ORG

Complete Issue (PDF; 1MB)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Complete Issue (PDF; 1MB) Challenges in Sustainability Special Issue Urban Agriculture: Fostering the Urban-Rural Continuum Volume 4 (2016) | Issue 1 Basel, Switzerland ISSN: 2297-6477 librello Challenges in Sustainability | 2016 | Volume 4 | Issue 1 Challenges in Sustainability is an international, open access, academic, interdisciplinary journal, published by Librello. Cover image Urban garden at Bercy, Paris (Source: Wikipedia). Special Issue: Urban Agriculture: Fostering the Urban-Rural Continuum Proceedings of the 5th Rencontres Internationales de Reims on Sustainability Studies Invited Editors: François Mancebo, International Research Center on Sustainability at Rheims University , France Sylvie Salles, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris Val de Seine, France Scope: There is an urban arrangement that can address this urban-rural continuum while deeply trans- forming urban systems conditions to foster a more sustainable future: Urban agriculture. Urban agriculture postulates that some type of agriculture may flourish within the city. It considers that urban multifunctionality should also include farming. As a matter of fact, urban agriculture is not such a fresh idea. It existed for centuries in very different places around the world, such as the chinampas in Tenochtitlan—the actual Mexico city—since the 15th century or sooner, the hortillonnages in Amiens—a French city north of Paris—for more than twenty centuries, or the in- terstitial gardens (agriculture d’interstice) of Yaoundé—Cameroon’s capital—which accompanied the foundation of the city in the 19th century. But what should be the objectives of urban agriculture in planning? Community gardens, kitchen gardens, food farming, for example, are three different things, completely. The types of urban agriculture that exist in a city vary a lot according to the climate, the cultural background, the economic and social situation of the city, etc. In many urban areas of Central America or India, urban agriculture is essentially a food security issue, related to fight against poverty and malnutrition. The situation is quite different in European or North American cities. There, urban agriculture is mainly seen as a social innovation that contributes to improving the quality of life, fostering social links among neighbors, and enhancing urban landscapes. It is not so much about food, really. The main expressions of this approach are community gardens and kitchen gardens. These last years in developed countries, there has been a growing proliferation of projects promoting urban farming architectures, such as Agritecture, or Tree-Like Skyscrapers and Vertical Farming—cultivating plants or breeding animals within tall greenhouse buildings or vertically inclined surfaces. At the same time, urban rooftop farms are epitomized by the mainstream medias as the paragon of urban agriculture. Is it still urban agriculture, or is it something else? Besides, may urban agriculture be the cornerstone that helps reconfigure urban areas, and the backbone of a new and more sustainable urban arrangement to foster urban transition to sustainability in the urban-rural continuum, or not? Here are some of the issues that will be tackled at the 5th Rencontres Internationales de Reims on Sustainability Studies. About Challenges in Sustainability Focus & Scope Challenges in Sustainability (CiS) is an international, open access, academic, interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the publication of high-quality research articles and review papers on all aspects of global environmental and transformational change toward sustainability. Research articles, reviews, communications or short notes and films are welcomed. Manuscripts must be prepared in English; they will undergo a rigorous peer review process, and they will appear online immediately after final acceptance. We especially encourage submissions from early stage researchers. Objectives & Aims The objective of the journal is to be a front-runner for original science that stimulates the de- velopment of sustainability solutions in an era of global environmental change. CiS defines its place at the interface between natural, socio-economic, and the humanistic sciences, creating a unique platform to disseminate analyses on challenges related to global environmental change, associated solutions, and trade-offs. The journal helps to further the field of sustainability science by bridging gaps between disciplines, science and societal stakeholders while not neglecting scientific rigor and excellence. The journal promotes science-based insights of societal dynamics, and is open for innovative and critical approaches that stimulate scientific and societal debates. Examples of topics to be covered by this journal include, but are not limited to: Environmental and resource science • Governance for sustainability • Transition experiments and pathway studies • Education for sustainability • Future and anticipatory studies • Transdisciplinarity • Sustainable urban systems • Sustainable energy • Place-based sustainability studies • Resource exploitation • Impact assessment and integrated modeling • Carbon accounting and compensation • Indexing, abstracting and archiving Base, CABI, Cengage (GALE), CiteSeerX, CLOCKSS, DOAJ, EBSCO, GOOGLE Scholar, J-gate, NewJour (Georgetown University Library), OCLC WorldCat, ProQuest, RePEc, ResearchBible, Sherpa/Romeo, SSOAR, UlrichWeb, WorldCat Challenges in Sustainability http://librelloph.com/challengesinsustainability Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief Barry Ness, Centre for Sustainability Studies, Lund University, SE Managing Editor José A. F. Monteiro, Librello, CH Editorial Board Knut Halvor Alfsen, Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, NO Matthias Barth, Institute of Integrative Studies, Leuphana University, DE Marcus Carson, Stockholm Environment Institute, SE Todd L. Cherry, Appalachian State University, USA & Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, NO Ron Cörvers, International Centre for Integrated assessment and Sustainable development (ICIS), Maastricht University, NL Susan L. Cutter, Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, USA Philip C. Emmi, Department of City and Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah, USA Francesca Farioli, Italian Association for Sustainability Science, IT; Interuniversity Research Centre for Sustainable Development, IT Joshua C. Farley, Department of Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont, USA Evan Fraser, Department of Geography, University of Guelph, CA Bernhard Freyer, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, AT José Goldemberg, Electrotechnical and Energy Institute, University of São Paulo, BR John M. Gowdy, Department of Economics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA Grete K. Hovelsrud, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nord University, NO Pierre L. Ibisch, Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, DE Erik Steen Jensen, Department of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricul- tural Sciences, SE Francis Xavier Johnson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE Louise Karlberg, Stockholm Environment Institute, SE; Stockholm Resilience Centre, SE Lorrae van Kerkhoff, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, AU Alexander Lautensach, School of Education, University of Northern British Columbia, CA Christa Liedtke, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, DE; Folkwang Uni- versity of Arts, Industrial Design, DE François Mancebo, International Research Center on Sustainability and Institute of Regional Development and Sustainable Urban Planning, Rheims University, FR Charles Mason, Department of Economics & Finance, College of Business, University of Wyoming, USA Bart Muys, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Leuven, BE Robert K. Niven, School of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of New South Wales at ADFA, AU José Antonio Puppim de Oliveira, Department of Public Management, Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), BR; Institute of Advanced Studies, United Nations University, JP Karen Holm Olsen, Department of Management Engineering, UNEP DTU, DK Martin J. Pasqualetti, Arizona State University, USA Rhonda Phillips, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, USA Asuncion Lera St.Clair, DNV GL Strategic Research and Innovation, NO Asbjørn Torvanger, Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, NO Pieter Valkering, EnergyVille, BE Table of Contents Editorial .....................................................................................1 Urban Agriculture: Fostering the Urban-Rural Continuum 1; 2 Francois Mancebo ∗ and Sylvie Salles 1 International Research Center on Sustainability, Rheims University, Rheims, France 2 Ecole d’Architecture Paris Val de Seine, Paris, France * Corresponding author Research Article .............................................................................3 Building Urban Agricultural Commons: A Utopia or a Reality? Pierre Donadieu National School of Landscape Architecture of Versailles, Versailles, France Research Article ...........................................................................10 Urban Agriculture, Commons and Urban Policies: Scaling up Local Innovation François Mancebo International Research Center on Sustainability, Rheims University, Rheims, France Research Article ...........................................................................20 Action Research: An Essential Approach
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Farming Is Changing Updated in June 2021
    Farming is Changing Updated in June 2021 1 Contents Foreword 3 Overview 4 The Basic Payment Scheme, delinked payments and lump sums 6 Agri-environment schemes 10 Animal health and welfare 17 Prosperity and productivity 19 Regulation and enforcement 22 Annex: Summary of new schemes 23 2 Foreword Farming is more than a job. We must cherish the deep personal connection felt by farmers to the landscape, animals and wildlife they care for, and build upon it in the way we support them. This is an exciting time for English farming. We will be phasing out Direct Payments and introducing a new system that rewards farmers and land managers while delivering additional public goods that improve the environment. Changes of this signifcance can be intimidating, and it is natural that many farmers are worried about the phasing out of Direct Payments. We will move to the new system gradually, and make changes where needed if the new policies do not work as intended. It is vital that farmers have time to adapt. We have committed to maintaining the current annual budget in every year of this Parliament. This means funds from Direct Payments will be redirected straight back into Countryside Stewardship and our new schemes. The same amount will be available to the sector, though the way it is distributed will change. We will create cleaner, greener landscapes and we hope to reverse species decline and improve biodiversity signifcantly. At the same time, we will help food producers to stay competitive, helping our farmers to produce the high-quality food that they are renowned for while protecting and enhancing the environment on which a sustainable, productive future depends.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Third Millennium
    I.M. MADALENO FAO/20862/R.Messori Cities of the future: urban agriculture in the third millennium fter the Industrial according to this design in France, Germany, Revolution, urbanites the United Kingdom and the United States, became separated from usually directly linked to heavy industries nature, confined as they and well-known private enterprises (e.g. were to narrow indoor Krupps or Pullman). By the end of the spaces, and prevented century, the Spanish visionary Arturo Soria Afrom feeling the soil under their feet by y Mata expressed his notion of the ideal city modern transportation and urban through a particular form of garden city, i.e. infrastructures. The residence and the linear in shape (Terán, 1982). Residences workplace became separated. Although the were surrounded by woodland and had urban sprawl spread to consume many horticultural spaces and family gardens. The formerly rural spaces, some green areas British planner Ebenezer Howard theorized persisted inside metropolitan areas. Isabel Maria Madaleno has a a concentric model of a garden city, similar The first type of planned urbanization to the satellite towns and green belts of Ph.D. in Human Geography created to bring people closer to nature was twentieth-century cities. the garden city of the nineteenth century, and works at the Instituto de Even so, urban agriculture was seen as designed for low population densities. Small an oxymoron until the 1980s. With the Investigação Científica Tropical houses were surrounded by a garden and evolution of environmental sciences, urban public green spaces were conceived for the (Tropical Institute), Lisbon, planners began to emphasize the whole urban community.
    [Show full text]
  • Considerations for Reducing Food System Energy Demand While Scaling up Urban Agriculture
    Considerations for reducing food system energy demand while scaling up urban agriculture Article Published Version Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 (CC-BY) Open Access Mohareb, E., Heller, M., Novak, P., Goldstein, B., Fonoll, X. and Raskin, L. (2017) Considerations for reducing food system energy demand while scaling up urban agriculture. Environmental Research Letters, 12 (12). 125004. ISSN 1748- 9326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa889b Available at http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/74000/ It is advisable to refer to the publisher’s version if you intend to cite from the work. See Guidance on citing . Published version at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa889b To link to this article DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa889b Publisher: Institute of Physics All outputs in CentAUR are protected by Intellectual Property Rights law, including copyright law. Copyright and IPR is retained by the creators or other copyright holders. Terms and conditions for use of this material are defined in the End User Agreement . www.reading.ac.uk/centaur CentAUR Central Archive at the University of Reading Reading’s research outputs online Environmental Research Letters LETTER • OPEN ACCESS Considerations for reducing food system energy demand while scaling up urban agriculture To cite this article: Eugene Mohareb et al 2017 Environ. Res. Lett. 12 125004 View the article online for updates and enhancements. This content was downloaded from IP address 134.225.69.187 on 05/12/2017 at 11:19 Environ. Res. Lett. 12 (2017) 125004 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa889b
    [Show full text]
  • Cultivating the Capital Food Growing and the Planning System in London January 2010
    Planning and Housing Committee Cultivating the Capital Food growing and the planning system in London January 2010 Planning and Housing Committee Cultivating the Capital Food growing and the planning system in London January 2010 Copyright Greater London Authority January 2010 Published by Greater London Authority City Hall The Queen’s Walk More London London SE1 2AA www.london.gov.uk enquiries 020 7983 4100 minicom 020 7983 4458 ISBN This publication is printed on recycled paper Cover photograph credit Paul Watling Planning and Housing Committee Members Jenny Jones Green, Chair Nicky Gavron Labour, Deputy Chair Tony Arbour Conservative Gareth Bacon Conservative Andrew Boff Conservative Steve O'Connell Conservative Navin Shah Labour Mike Tuffrey Liberal Democrat The review’s terms of reference were: • To assess how effectively the planning system supports and encourages agriculture in London, with a focus on land use for commercial food growing; and • To establish what changes could be made to the planning system to foster agriculture and encourage more food to be commercially grown in the capital. Assembly Secretariat contacts Alexandra Beer, Assistant Scrutiny Manager 020 7983 4947 [email protected] Katy Shaw, Committee Team Leader 020 7983 4416 [email protected] Dana Gavin, Communications Manager 020 7983 4603 [email protected] Michael Walker, Administrative Officer 020 7983 4525 [email protected] 6 Contents Chair’s foreword 9 Executive summary 11 1. Introduction and background 13 2. The importance of agriculture 16 3. Agriculture and the planning system 21 4. Other measures to promote economic viability 32 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Planning Food Waste
    Planning food waste MSc-thesis in Spatial Planning Elina Sirén v v v Wageningen University 2013 This thesis is written as a final assignment for the master Landscape Architecture and Planning, specialization Spatial Planning, at Wageningen University Wageningen, September 2013 Droevendaalsesteeg 3 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands Supervisor: dr. ir. Gerrit-Jan Carsjens Land Use Planning Group Wageningen University Second reviewer: prof. dr. Arnold van der Valk Land Use Planning Group Wageningen University Examiner: prof. dr. ir. Adri van den Brink Chair, Land Use Planning Group Wageningen University Author: Elina Sirén Reg. No. 870429-764-230 Course: MSc Thesis Land Use Planning (LUP-80436) 36 ECTS “What is wasted by society is the direct and opposite expression of what is valued. As a way of understanding the material basis of civilisations, nothing could be more telling.” (Steel, 2008, p.259) Abstract Urban food strategies aim to connect the various food related pub- lic domains within a city region, such as spatial planning, environ- ment and public health. Food strategies are slowly becoming part of the work of spatial planners and food system planning a legitimate field of planning research. However, the emphasis in planning re- search has been mainly on the production, processing and retail parts of the food chain, while research on food waste is lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore ways in which spatial planning could facilitate the recycling of household food waste in urban are- as, taking into account the concept of urban food strategies. The research involved two case studies in London (UK) and Toronto (Canada).
    [Show full text]
  • Food Democracy for All? Developing a Food Hub in the Context of Socio-Economic Deprivation Sebastian Prost 142–153
    Politics and Governance Open Access Journal | ISSN: 2183-2463 Volume 7, Issue 4 (2019) NewNew PerspectivesPerspectives onon FoodFood DemocracyDemocracy Editors Basil Bornemann and Sabine Weiland Politics and Governance, 2019, Volume 7, Issue 4 New Perspectives on Food Democracy Published by Cogitatio Press Rua Fialho de Almeida 14, 2º Esq., 1070-129 Lisbon Portugal Academic Editors Basil Bornemann (University of Basel, Switzerland) Sabine Weiland (Université Catholique de Lille, France) Available online at: www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance This issue is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY). Articles may be reproduced provided that credit is given to the original andPolitics and Governance is acknowledged as the original venue of publication. Table of Contents Editorial: New Perspectives on Food Democracy Basil Bornemann and Sabine Weiland 1–7 Part I. Elaborating and Differentiating Food Democracy Food Sharing Initiatives and Food Democracy: Practice and Policy in Three European Cities Anna R. Davies, Agnese Cretella and Vivien Franck 8–20 Linking Food Democracy and Sustainability on the Ground: Learnings from the Study of Three Alternative Food Networks in Brussels François Lohest, Tom Bauler, Solène Sureau, Joris Van Mol and Wouter M. J. Achten 21–31 Finding Our Way to Food Democracy: Lessons from US Food Policy Council Governance Karen Bassarab, Jill K. Clark, Raychel Santo and Anne Palmer 32–47 Food Policy Councils as Loci for Practising Food Democracy? Insights from the Case of Oldenburg, Germany Annelie Sieveking 48–58 How Civil Servants Frame Participation: Balancing Municipal Responsibility with Citizen Initiative in Ede’s Food Policy Joëlla van de Griend, Jessica Duncan and Johannes S.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Food Initiatives in London by Shumaisa S. Khan
    Food Sovereignty Praxis beyond the Peasant and Small Farmer Movement: Community Food Initiatives in London by Shumaisa S. Khan A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Natural Resources and Environment) in the University of Michigan 2011 Doctoral Committee: Professor Dorceta E. Taylor, Chair Associate Professor Larissa S. Larsen Associate Professor Gavin M. Shatkin Adjunct Professor Gloria E. Helfand © Shumaisa S. Khan 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people who have made this endeavor possible. I am very grateful to my advisor, Dorceta Taylor, for providing guidance and support from even before I stepped foot on campus. You have been a wonderful advisor, mentor, and friend, and have given me invaluable advice throughout my studies. Thank you also to Gloria Helfand, Larissa Larsen, and Gavin Shatkin for helping me to find a focus amidst the multiple dimensions in this study. I am also grateful to Rackham for funding my education and for support after a family emergency in the last few months; the Center for the Education for Women for a research grant and support in the last few months; and grants from the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Danielle Gwynne and Giselle Kolenic from CSCAR-thank you for your help with GIS. Jennifer Taylor, Diana Woodworth, and Kimberly LeClair in OAP- thank you for all of your assistance over the years. Knowledge Navigation Center folks- you are indispensable in getting the correct formatting. Of course, I am immensely grateful for all of the participants who took the time to share their perspectives with me and to contributors to Open Street Map and open source work generally for making knowledge and knowledge creation more accessible.
    [Show full text]
  • Organic Food and Farming
    Organic food and farming Organic vs non-organic : the facts 2 Acknowledgements The research and publication of this report was The organisations listed below are very pleased to made possible by the financial support of the JMG support the publication of this report. Foundation and the Soil Association. The project was They believe it will make a valuable contribution to co-ordinated and researched by Catherine Fookes, the debate on organic food and farming. with assistance from Kath Dalmeny. Each of the organisations may be indicating its formal agreement only in those areas where it has The following people and organisations gave advice, specific competence. information and support for which we are extremely grateful: Andersen, Jens Otto Kyrikiades, Alec Association of Unpasteurised Milk Producers and Consumers Alexander, Ian Lang, Tim Biodynamic Agricultural Association Altieri, Miguel Leifert, Carlo British Dietetics Association Anderson, Luke Lobstein, Tim Butterfly Conservation Barling, David Long, Adrian Common Ground Barry, Dick Longfield, Jeanette Commonwork Land Trust Bell, Sandra McLaughlin, Alan Compassion in World Farming Benbrook, Charles Meadows, Donella East Anglia Food Links Blake, Francis Meziani, Gundula Ecological Foundation Brenman, Simon Moore, Tony Ecologist Bristol Cancer Help Centre Nash, Steve Elm Farm Research Centre Brown, Lynda Niggli, Urs Family Farmers’ Association Buffin, David Padel, Susanne Farmer’s Link Burton, Michele Molgaard, Jens Peter Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens Burton, Kathie
    [Show full text]
  • EXPLORING BARRIERS to and OPPORTUNITIES for URBAN AGRICULTURE in Bristol, United Kingdom
    EXPLORING BARRIERS TO AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE in Bristol, United Kingdom Emma Hetherington January 2017 1 Exploring Barriers to and Opportunities for Urban Agriculture in Bristol, United Kingdom. ‘The single greatest lesson the garden teaches us is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people can still plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.’ - Michael Pollan Emma Hetherington Groningen, December 2016 Master Thesis - MSc Environmental and Infrastructure Planning Faculty of Spatial Sciences University of Groningen The Netherlands Supervised by: Dr Katharina Gugerell 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Primarily, I would like to thank my supervisor for her support through this research process; your advice and support has been invaluable. Secondly, I am deeply grateful to all those who took time out of their busy lives to assist me with this research by taking part in various interviews. Without these brilliant individuals, this thesis would not have been possible. 3 ABSTRACT As a fundamental starting point, this study recognizes the central role that food now plays in the increasingly interrelated fields of climate, water, land, labour and physical and mental health. Taking previous studies into account that hark the social, environmental, economic and health benefits of UA to communities, this research explores the current state of UA in Bristol, UK, in an attempt to highlight the barriers to and opportunities for growth. Asking the question of why UA develops, this study initially explores previous research concerning AFNs, and the characteristics of quality, SFSCs, and social and territorial embeddedness.
    [Show full text]
  • The Integration of Agriculture in Urban Policies
    Thematic Paper 7 The integration of agriculture in urban policies THE INTEGRATION OF AGRICULTURE IN URBAN POLICIES Henk de Zeeuw, Sabine Guendel and Hermann Waibel 1. Introduction This chapter summarises the discussions and conclusions of the working groups and plenary sessions which took place during the International Workshop on urban agriculture “Growing Cities, Growing Food – Urban Agriculture on the Policy Agenda”, Havana, Cuba, October 1999. In addition, the thematic papers and case studies presented in earlier sections of this reader are reflected upon in this summary. This chapter will describe a range of policy options identified by the participants as suitable for enhancing the contributions of urban agriculture to urban food security, urban economy and city ecology. 2. Present conditions of urban agriculture Participants consider urban agriculture as a dynamic concept that comprises a variety of farming systems, ranging from subsistence production and processing at household level to fully commercialised agriculture. Urban agriculture normally has a niche function in terms of time (transitory), space (interstitial) as well as specific social (e.g. women and low income groups) and economic (e.g. financial crisis, food shortage) conditions. It has been observed that urban agriculture exists within heterogeneous resource utilisation situations, e.g. under conditions of scarce as well as abundant land and/or water resources. In terms of its contributions to development, urban agriculture enhances food security, provides additional income and employment for poor and middle-income urban dwellers, and contributes to an ecologically sound urban environment. Urban agriculture exists under a range of policy environments that may be prohibitive or supportive to its existence and development.
    [Show full text]
  • Profitability and Sustainability of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Iii
    AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT, MARKETING AND FINANCE 19 AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT, MARKETING AND FINANCE OCCASIONAL PAPER 19 OCCASIONAL PAPER Profitability and sustainability of urban and peri-urban agriculture Profitability and Urban agriculture (UA) is a dynamic concept that comprises a variety of livelihood systems ranging from subsistence production and processing at the household level to more sustainability of urban commercialized agriculture. It takes place in different locations and under varying socio-economic conditions and and peri-urban agriculture political regimes. The diversity of UA is one of its main attributes, as it can be adapted to a wide range of urban situations and to the needs of diverse stakeholders. Despite UA is increasing in cities in developed countries as well as in developing countries, many urban farmers around the world operate without formal recognition of their main livelihood activity and lack the structural support of proper municipal policies and legislation. Appropriate policies and regulations are required to enhance the potential of agriculture in cities and mitigate its potential risks. The challenge is for UA to become part of sustainable urban development and to be valued as a social, economic and environmental benefit rather than a liability. This paper aims to provide pertinent information on profitability and sustainability of UA to a wide audience of managers and policymakers from municipalities, ministries of agriculture, local government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), donor organizations and university research institutions. It aims to highlight the benefits of linkages between agriculture and the urban environment, leading to a more balanced understanding of the conflicts and synergies. It examines how UA can contribute substantially to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in reducing urban poverty and hunger (MDG 1) and ensuring environmental sustainability (MDG 7).
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature of Farming in London and the South East Region
    The Nature of Farming in London and the South East Region The varied soil types of the South East of England give rise to a range of farming systems. Average land quality throughout the region is only moderate with 12 per cent of the land being classified as grade 1 and 2 compared with 16 per cent for England. However, the amount of grade 4 and 5 land is also below the average for England at just 12 per cent compared with 21 per cent for the whole of England. The extensive chalk downland of the North and South Downs supports arable and grazing livestock production. The soil conditions of the weald, comprising silty soils and well drained coarse loamy soils, have given rise to the development of a strong horticultural industry in the south east. For example, deep soils around Canterbury favour top fruit production. The High Weald remains one of the areas traditionally associated with growing hops for beer-making as well as supporting a number of successful vineyards. Field vegetable production is carried out in Kent and coastal areas of Sussex, and brassica growing is practiced in East Kent. In Hampshire, the shallow well drained calcareous silty soils, over chalk, provide good land for cereal growing. Arable, livestock and horticultural production also takes place within outer London. The deep-water port at Southampton provides an important outlet for cereals produced in the South East. The proximity to London of many producers in the South East has provided opportunities for retailing of farm produce through farmers markets and other outlets, as well as supplying hotels and restaurants in the city.
    [Show full text]