The Issues with Urban Agriculture

 

 Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) occurs within and surrounding the boundaries of cities throughout the world and includes crop and livestock production, fisheries and forestry, as well as the ecological services they provide. Often multiple farming and gardening systems exist in and near a single city.

UPA is estimated to involve 800 million urban residents worldwide in income-earning and/or food-producing activities. The findings of national censuses, household surveys and research projects suggest that up to two-thirds of urban and peri-urban households are involved in agriculture. Much of the food produced is for own consumption, with occasional surpluses sold to local markets.

Farming is done in city core areas, wedge areas and corridors out of the city, and on the periphery. One study of urban agriculture in Nairobi showed the land used for farming was 32% private residential land, 29% roadside land, 16% along river banks, and 16% in other publicly-owned areas.

Part of the reason for the growth in UPA is its adaptability and mobility compared with rural agriculture. As cities expand physically, the frontiers between urban, peri-urban and rural activity are blurring and merging, creating opportunities as well as risks











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