New Forms of Urban Agriculture: An Urban Ecology Perspective

This book investigates the potential impacts of urban resources on New Forms of Urban Agriculture (NFUA), a rapidly evolving movement focused on promoting local food production in cities. It highlights the lack of reliable empirical data on the scale and impact of urban resources on NFUA, which is a critical factor in determining its viability and sustainability. The book presents projects and research from different cities around the world that explore how urban resources such as land, water, labor, and biodiversity can support or hinder NFUA. It offers critical perspectives from diverse disciplines and geographic contexts and provides empirical evidence of how urban resources impact NFUA through an urban ecology lens.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 346 pages
Publication date: 20 February 2023
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

The growing movement of eating locally and establishing an urban-rural food continuum is an exciting development. Integrating multi-functional forms of agriculture, known as New Forms of Urban Agriculture (NFUA), could be a crucial adaptation to strengthen this movement and ensure the sustainability of cities. While NFUA offers numerous benefits to humans, there is a lack of reliable empirical data on the scale and impact of urban resources on NFUA, which significantly affects its viability and sustainability.

In this book, we shift our focus from exploring how NFUA can impact the urban system to investigating the potential impacts of urban resources on NFUA. Access to resources such as land, labor, clean water, and other essential inputs are major barriers to entering the agriculture sector in cities. The chapters in this book present projects or reviews of recent research on the subject from various cities around the world. This edited volume offers critical perspectives from diverse disciplines, expertise, and geographic contexts related to the actual and potential role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in developing and developed countries, where forms, adaptations, and debates around NFUA vary distinctively.

Using an urban ecology lens, the book provides empirical evidence of how urban resources of land, water/waste, labor, and biodiversity impact NFUA. By examining these interconnections, we gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by urban agriculture and the potential for it to contribute to sustainable food systems and urban development.

In conclusion, this book offers valuable insights into the role of urban resources in shaping NFUA and provides a platform for further research and discussion. It highlights the need for more comprehensive data and interdisciplinary collaboration to support the growth and sustainability of urban agriculture in cities worldwide.

Weight: 551g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789811637407
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021