Urban Agriculture involves the production of food and the rearing of domestic livestock within or immediately adjacent to built-up settlements. Within this context, urban agriculture has long been recognized for the critical role it plays as an urban survival strategy in the cities of the world.
It plays a key role in supplementing the food budget and often serves as a source of income and livelihood for urban residents.
Urban agriculture is a source of supply in urban food systems and one of several food security options for households; similarly, it is one of several tools for productively using urban open spaces, treating and/or recovering urban solid and liquid wastes, saving or generating income and employment, and managing freshwater resources more effectively.
In practice, urban agriculture has become a sizeable supplier of certain foodstuffs to growing urban sectors, poor and not so poor, and a critical factor in poor households’ nutrition.
Additionally, it is conveniently managing open spaces, reducing disposal and treatment of urban wastes, generating supplemental income and/or affording cash savings, and providing employment.
In contrast to the benefits of urban agriculture presented above, the farming system carries health and environmental risks that include: potential use of contaminated water, land pollution, bad odour and smells, noise pollution, inappropriate use of pesticides, and raw organic manure that can leak into water sources. These issues and others require proper attention.
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Importance and Benefits of Urban Agriculture in Modern Food Systems
1. Importance of Urban Agriculture in Urban Development
Generally, urban population and rural–urban migration are increasing in the world. In many developing countries, however, the urbanization process goes along with increasing urban poverty and polluted environments, growing food insecurity and malnutrition especially for children, pregnant and lactating women and increasing unemployment.
Urban agriculture represents an opportunity for improving food supply, health conditions, local economy, social integration, and environmental sustainability altogether.
Thus, urban agriculture is recognized worldwide for its significant benefits and services to humanity. The social, cultural, technical, economic, and environmental dimensions of the importance of urban agriculture are presented as follows:
2. National and Household Food Security Through Urban Agriculture
Food security means that safe and nutritious food is consistently available, accessible, and reasonably priced. In Africa, urban agriculture improves food security by providing healthy and plentiful substitutes for purchased food, especially for poor households.
Households that practice urban agriculture are also more likely to have access to a wider variety of nutritious foods such as vegetables and animal products.
In addition, urban agriculture makes an important contribution to household food security, especially in times of crisis or food shortages.
The produce from this system is either consumed by the producers or sold in urban markets, such as the increasingly popular weekend farmers’ markets found in many cities.
3. Better Prices and Short Distance Supply Chain in Urban Agriculture
Locally produced food requires less transportation and refrigeration; therefore, urban agriculture can supply nearby markets with fresher and more nutritious products at competitive prices.
Due to this reason, consumers especially low-income residents enjoy easier access to fresh produce, greater choice, and better prices.
4. Employment Generation and Income Creation Through Urban Farming
Urban agriculture provides employment and incomes for poor women and other disadvantaged groups. Horticulture can generate one job every 100 sq m garden in production, input supply, marketing, and value-addition from producer to consumer.
Urban agriculture can also provide people with a primary or supplemental income.
Income from urban agriculture is particularly high in many African cities. In some cities, the economic return to urban farmers has been estimated to be comparable to the income of unskilled construction workers or even more lucrative.
For example, during the dry season, farmers using wastewater irrigation can sell vegetables at more than double the wet-season price, and urban agriculture incomes were estimated to be 50 percent above minimum wage.
5. Solving Transportation Problems and Urban Waste Management with Agriculture
The collective benefits from urban agriculture include solving transportation problems and converting urban waste into fertilizer. Cities have more fresh produce and fewer perishable agricultural products coming from rural areas.
For example, in some towns, almost all the leafy vegetables consumed by poor urban residents are grown in the valleys surrounding the city.
Livestock in many cities produce more than 20,000 tons of manure per year, two-thirds of which is used as fertilizer by farms. These locally available farm “inputs” reduce the need for purchasing more-expensive commercial supplements.
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Benefits of Urban Agriculture for Society, Economy, and Environment
In response to concerns about a lack of food and agricultural knowledge, food insecurity, disparities in access, and corporate control over the food system, many people participate in urban agriculture projects motivated by interests in the social benefits it can provide, including education, increased access to healthy food, community development, and social justice. The benefits of urban agriculture can be classified as follows:
1. Social Benefits of Urban Agriculture
i. Helps bring families and communities together by working toward a common goal that will be beneficial for all
ii. Gives direct links to food production
iii. Creates better living environment by greening up the city and making it more productive
iv. Makes people stronger by putting their food security into their own hands, making them more independent and empowered
v. Teaches people life skills such as how to be more self-sufficient
vi. Creates jobs, income, and food
vii. Helps combat hunger
viii. Educates people, who have been increasingly removed from food production, to participate in and respect its generation
2. Environmental Benefits of Urban Agriculture
i. Greens up the city
ii. Can help to clean air and rainwater
iii. Helps to stop erosion and topsoil removal
iv. Increases the amount of food grown and bought locally, decreasing carbon footprint
v. Facilitates reuse of wastes for food production
vi. Has direct impacts on urban ecology
3. Economic Benefits of Urban Agriculture
i. Creates jobs and income from otherwise completely unproductive space
ii. Can be beneficial to people of any income
iii. Creates a better local economy that does not rely on food from far away
iv. Makes use of valuable resources, such as compost, that would otherwise go to waste in a city
Additional Contributions of Urban Agriculture to Sustainable Urban Living
In addition to the aforementioned, urban agriculture has the potential to decrease cost of maintaining public land, increase local employment opportunities, take advantage of underutilized resources, and offer opportunities for food microenterprises.
Urban agriculture also provides open space benefits and an opportunity for people to obtain food not grown in the conventional food system a system associated with adverse environmental impacts.
Urban agriculture offers opportunity for ecological restoration through the restoration of degraded land and reduced stormwater runoff.
Urban agriculture has the potential to increase local biodiversity and provide green space micro-climate benefits such as mitigation of the urban heat island effect, humidity regulation, wind reduction, and shade provision.
From a food system perspective, there are many potential sustainability advantages to local agricultural production, including reduced energy usage, recycling of organic waste, and the use of ecological production methods.
Problems with Urban Farming System
Urban farming offers a promising solution to food insecurity and land use in cities, but it also brings several challenges that must be addressed for sustainability. Below are key issues confronting urban farming systems:
1. Lack of Space in the City
Urban farming is hindered by limited availability of open land in cities. Many urban spaces are already developed, and any available land is often very expensive. In some cases, urban farmers use idle land set aside for future infrastructure or economic development, leading to land use conflicts.
2. High Water Requirement for Agricultural Activities
Urban farming increases water demand, often competing with municipal water supplies. Using potable water for irrigation creates shortages. However, some cities use treated wastewater or adopt efficient irrigation methods like drip systems to reduce water consumption.
3. Soil and Water Pollution Lead to Waterborne Diseases
Overuse of chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, and improper application of raw organic matter, can cause harmful residues in urban soil. These residues may leach into water sources, increasing the risk of diseases such as dysentery, cholera, salmonella, and schistosomiasis.
4. Contaminated Food – Serious Health Problems
Urban soils often contain toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, zinc, and arsenic, mostly from industrial emissions and traffic. These metals can accumulate in food crops, posing serious health risks to consumers. Contamination is worsened by poor hygiene and food-borne parasitic infections in urban areas.
5. Air Pollution
The application of pesticides in dense urban areas can release harmful chemicals into the air, affecting large populations. These chemicals are linked to allergies, cancer, sterility, respiratory and intestinal disorders, and birth defects if not properly managed.
6. Aesthetic Issues
Poorly maintained urban farms may negatively impact city appearance. Examples include livestock kept in unsightly locations or unkempt vegetable plots.
Urban agriculture must be properly designed to maintain an attractive cityscape, requiring the input of landscape architects.
Although these problems are significant, abandoning urban agriculture is not a solution. With proper planning, regulation, and adoption of sustainable practices, these challenges can be turned into opportunities to support food security in growing urban populations.
Gardens in Organic and Urban Farming System
Gardens are essential components of both organic and urban agriculture. They provide space for food production, aesthetic value, and community engagement. The following are types of gardens commonly used in these systems:
1. Home Gardens
Home gardens are private spaces within residential compounds used for growing vegetables, fruits, or herbs. These gardens offer convenient access to fresh produce. However, soil contamination from industrial past activity, lead-based paint, and vehicle emissions remains a concern. Unsafe use of agrochemicals can also pose health risks.
2. Community Gardens
Community gardens are shared spaces divided into plots for individuals or households to grow food. They are often located on municipal or institutional land.
These gardens foster social interaction, encourage sustainable agriculture, and provide food for people without access to private land. Community gardens also serve environmental, educational, and recreational purposes.
3. Rooftop Gardens
Rooftop gardens utilize flat rooftops of buildings for growing plants. Unlike green roofs, which are mainly for insulation and energy efficiency, rooftop gardens focus on food production and aesthetics.
They offer benefits such as temperature regulation, air purification, rainwater absorption, and easy access to fresh produce in urban settings.
4. Kitchen Garden
A kitchen garden, also known as a nutrition garden, is located within the residential compound and is used for cultivating vegetables and fruits needed for daily meals.
These gardens are designed to support balanced diets by producing nutrient-rich crops. Trees should be planted on the northern side to avoid shading and competition with vegetables.
5. Market Garden
Market gardens are small-scale commercial farms located near cities that produce vegetables for sale. These farms are highly intensive and rely on regular soil enrichment using organic manures.
Due to high urban demand, market gardens are strategically positioned close to markets and require good road networks for quick delivery.
6. Organic Vegetable Garden
An organic vegetable garden is managed without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Instead, it relies on natural inputs such as compost, crop rotation, green manure, and animal waste to maintain soil fertility and plant health.
The principle is to nourish the soil, thereby supporting sustainable and healthy food production.
Urban and organic farming systems, especially through different forms of gardening, offer practical solutions to improve food access, reduce environmental impacts, and build stronger communities.
Addressing the challenges in urban agriculture through innovative planning and policy support will help maximize its benefits without compromising urban life quality.
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