Science of Life
Urban Agriculture
What is Urban Agriculture?
Urban agriculture is the term for farming carried out in urban areas. This means companies can use traditional farming, which is generally rare in very urban areas, specific modern ways such as vertical farming, as well as individuals and groups starting up their own small farms. There as so many advantages to starting up a small private farm even in developing countries.
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Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the world’s highest levels of urban poverty, over 50% of its urban population struggles from poverty. Farming generally takes up a large part in employment and those who cannot get an agricultural job will generally struggle especially from hunger. Encouraging these people to start simple farms and selling local food within urban areas means the food can always be available, accessible, and well-priced without the cost of transport and the process of bringing the food from further areas. Therefore, poorer families will be able to create better and healthier substitutes for purchased goods by their access to healthier food via animal products or plants.
Source: Liang Dong - City University of Hong Kong
How Does Urban Agriculture Relate to Nutrition?
In places like Uganda and Kampala, experts have linked the improvement in children’s nutritional status to urban agriculture. Families can produce their own food to eat as well as selling the extra as a source of primary or additional income. In multiple African cities, the economic return for urban farmers is quite high. Data gathered from Bamako, Mali, and Dar es Salaam, the return to urban farmers has been estimated to be similar to the income of less skilled construction workers. Through this data, it can be acknowledged that the benefits of urban farming can earn these farmers nearly the same amount of additional income to their household’s existing pay. Urban agriculture incomes were estimated to be 50 per cent above the minimum wage.
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Cheap alternatives to maintaining these farms can be proven to be just as beneficial, farmers can use uncontaminated wastewater to irrigate their farms. Urban farmers utilising this during the dry season in Yaounde, Cameroon, can sell vegetables at over twice the wet season price.
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Urbanising agriculture means that smaller farms can be created to ensure space for an ever-developing world. Local products are also cheaper to buy off people with urban farms, without costs such as transporting the produce. As Africa and developing countries urbanise, these systems of farming can prepare them for the future.
The Pros and Cons of Urban Agriculture
More information about the pros and cons of urban agriculture can be found here.
Pros of Urban Agriculture
New businesses - able to also earn money on the side
Can avoid spending money on food which is where a lot of income goes towards
Communities can share space and knowledge
Supply fresh food and nutrition
Teaching younger children about skills of farming
Farms can be compact and save space for other houses as the population grows
Cons of Urban Agriculture
Space is still essential - some have very little space
High maintenance
One generally needs to invest money to start off
Need a supply of water that is not polluted
Often a lack of experience without help from people who know what to do
Open to damage from pests - if there are little amounts of crops to start with it can mean a loss of money
Should Developing Countries Focus on Urban Agriculture or Industrial Agriculture?
The debate on whether a given area should focus on Urban vs Industrial Agriculture should be based on an individual analysis of each family's own food situation, according to La Trobe University's Associate Professor of Animal Plant and Soil Sciences Dr Monica Doblin. It is a choice for each family as to whether they should work less and get paid less, but spend more time focusing on their own farming to make their own food (which is around the value of what they aren't earning when they work fewer hours); or whether they should get rid of urbanised crops and work harder, relying more on industrial agriculture.
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Focusing on urban agriculture is good because you have free will over what you want to eat and grow, and it is very convenient to just get some food from your garden. You will also never have to fight people to buy food during shortages, as you already own it. But most convincing of all for some people is the fact that it costs next to nothing to get good - just the cost of starting a small farm up (not much) plus the cost of sustaining the crops with water and nutrients. This cost overall is much cheaper than that of industrially farmed goods, but urbanised growing has downsides as well.
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It is almost impossible to grow enough to feed everyone in your family by yourself, with just a small farm to help you. Food just doesn't grow that fast. Additionally, if the food you grow isn't good quality, or it rots, or your farm gets destroyed by some disaster, you're out of luck if that was your only food source. Industrially grown crops are usually very consistent in this way, and you can quite comfortably rely on these crops if you can afford to buy them.
In summary, Dr Monica Doblin suggests that families should use both urbanised and industrialised sources for their food, and also mentions that once combatting overpopulation, people should move away from livestock as large animals are very inefficient. Each family should analyse their own situation and make a move towards one side or the other, but keep options open incase they have to rely on a different source of food.