Study Note - Urban Agriculture in Sustainable Cities

Sustainable cities, or eco-cities, are designed or managed to reduce their carbon footprint. The use of urban agriculture has recently become an increasingly important way of achieving this goal, as growing food in a city reduces the distance the food has to travel to reach the consumer. It can also be a good use of abandoned land in the heart of cities, or a useful way to increase awareness of environmental issues.

Here, we look at some examples of cities and towns that have embraced urban agriculture in an attempt to achieve sustainability.

Dar Es Salaam – a city experiencing rapid urbanisation

In the late 1980s and 90s a rise in unemployment in Tanzania, coupled with rapid urbanisation from those seeking jobs in the city, forced many to turn to urban agriculture as a way of reducing household expenses and making ends meet. The UN-backed Sustainable Dar Es Salaam Project (SDP) started in 1993, with the aim of coupling the need of the population for food with a sustainable government-led piece of legislation. By the year 1997 an estimated 95,000 litres of milk, 6,000 trays of eggs and 11,000 kilos of poultry were being produced each year, with many tonnes of staple crops such as maize and cassava also being provided by the urban farmers.

Detroit – a city returning from industrial decline

Detroit is sometimes called the ‘First post-American City’, as its history is exemplified by rapid industrial growth in the automotive industry (it is home to Ford, General Motors and Chrysler Group to this day), followed by an equally rapid decline involving unemployment and heightened racial tensions. The mass exodus of people from the city has left large areas uninhabited, consisting of empty, crumbling buildings and overgrown urban wilderness (Detroit has a population of 717,000, and is a city built for over 2 million). Residential groups have sprouted all over the city to try to provide healthy food and safe, open environments, with an aim to becoming 100% food sustainable. Currently, by converting abandoned areas to agricultural land, the city supplies its residents with 75% of the vegetables, and 40% of the fruit, that they need on a daily basis. This scheme is boosted by agriculturally-minded immigrants from Laos and Bangladesh, as well as within the United States.

Todmorden – a Yorkshire town aiming for a self-sustaining future

An example of a successful, local initiative to eat more locally-produced foods is the ‘Incredible Edible Todmorden’ project, in West Yorkshire. In Todmorden, sprouting vegetables have taken over in flower beds and open green areas, as well as graveyards, on roofs, and in disused rowing boats. Voluntary enthusiasts have grown the project from a few unauthorised herbs in a public garden into a sanctioned, well-supported organisation that receives backing from the local council, the fire station, the local hospital and all the local schools. The initiative aims for local sustainability, not just in producing vegetables, but also in producing eggs.