URBAN AGRICULTURE: A STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

URBAN AGRICULTURE: A STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

Author: Nivedha.N   Co-author: N.Pooja

Introduction

Agriculture is a livelihood which never ends. It has to be increased in terms of production by using minimal space, as the population is increasing day by day.

Urban Agriculture is such a concept which is in trend in many countries and is such, to give importance to meet the growing population and urbanization. For developing nations with increased urbanization rate, agriculture production with same nutrition’s and strength, as of rural areas, is very much important.

Lack of employment in other sectors, urban agriculture can provide a good employment opportunity for millions of unemployed people.

Limited resource and increase in urbanization along with population explosion is resulting in shortage of basic resource like food. Along with urbanization arises problems like urban heat island, land scarcity, pollution. Price fluctuation, poverty and increased demand for food arises along with increase in population. Another fact is, the available food is undernourished and lack required nutrition.

Agriculture is always seen as a rural concept but today’s practice of urban agriculture or farming has changed people’s thoughts. A new trend in urban areas taken up as a hobby, business, need for nutritious food along with other urban related advantages such as waste water management, solid waste management. It also acts as solution for sustainable growth, poverty alleviation in urban areas and meet the demand.

Urban agriculture is practiced in the form of rooftop gardens, peri-urban farming, community farming, indoor farming, vertical farming, city farming. This type of practices is observed in some cities of India like Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Methods/Types:

·       Rooftop production or farming

·       Hydroponic farming

·       Vertical faming

·       Community farming

·       Organic farming

·       Balcony gardening

·       Sustainable agriculture

·       Green houses

Benefits:

·    Reduce pollution: Cut downs transportation from rural to urban and packaging which in turn reduces carbon emission

·    Acts as green spaces: especially in developing areas urban agriculture can be a part of zoning where land is allocated to carry out farming and agriculture activities.

·     Sustainable solution: innovative methods of farming by efficient use of water, energy and resource. Eg: Reuse of vegetable washed water and compositing organic waste from households.

·       Better control over food security and quality which in turn improves public health.

·       Helps create opportunity for both education and employment.

·       Economic growth: improve local economy

·       It benefits highly during pandemics which we are facing presently.

·       We can, not only market at local and city level but also supply to disaster hit areas.

·       Encourages community building and community participation

·       Can reduce the supply chain links

·       Zero budget farming

·       Energy efficient

·       Reduction in ozone and particulate matter

·       Peri-urban agriculture helps in maintaining urban-rural continuum

·       Gateway for innovation of modern technologies and techniques for faster, easier and better urban farming.

Challenges:

1.        Water Supply
2.        Polluted environment
3.        Availability of inputs such as saplings, seeds etc.
4.        Lack of Skilled farmers or farming
5.        Bad condition of soil in the urban areas, with less fertility or no fertility, due to bad environmental condition in urban area. 

Suggestions to encourage Urban Agriculture:

·       Legalize Urban Agriculture for zoning of urban land.

·       Allocate place for community composting

·       Facilitate the use of treated water from sewage treatment plant for agriculture

·       Marketing facilities to be provided at local level by the government. Eg: HOPCOMS established by Horticulture department in Karnataka

·       Providing incentives for farmers who use waste water and treated water for irrigation along the peri-urban areas.  

·       Incentives on judicious use of water which can be accessed by meter system.

·       Sustainable irrigation methods: Drip Irrigation, Capturing and Storing Water, Irrigation Scheduling, Drought-Tolerant Crops, Dry Farming, Compost.

Stage 1

Home based organic farming on small plots around their houses for subsistence purposes.

Individual actions do affect the planet. Let the planning intervention begin at individual site level.  Urban agriculture practice at home should be started by individuals to satisfy the average household requirement of food including vegetables, greens, fruits, etc which can be grown easily, with less effort and minimum requirement. Other urban agriculture practice involve aquaculture, agroforestry, urban beekeeping, fish farming, animal husbandry and horticulture. Water management at this level can be done by using vegetable washed water, harvested rainwater. Compost pit can be set up to obtain humus using organic waste generated at home. This kind of practice can be pursuit as a recreational activity in the form of balcony gardening, backyard gardens, roof farming.

Starting initiatives can be taken by the government, NGOs, and other interested individuals in supplying toolkits for starting up the home based farming at the terraces and open spaces around the houses. This toolkit can consist of basic seeds, saplings, vermicomposting, guideline book and other essential things to start the home based farming for the common people.

Stage 2

Community based gardens, livestock, farms etc. at the community level.

Also called as micro farming at neighborhood level can be practiced are community parks, public land or private land in the form of community participation. Community based farming projects can be taken up for encouraging urban agriculture. Different form of practices can be incorporated from other countries. For example, allotment garden model (North America), kitchen gardens, roof top farms.

1.        Community composting
2.        Judicious use of water, water recycling
3.        Sharing the responsibilities and the harvest

Stage 3

Group of communities or neighborhoods

Agriculture at town level may include vineyards and wineries, pick tree fruit and vegetable crops, farm markets, field crops, forest crops, landscaping and nursery stock, greenhouses, dairies, fiber products, hydroponic produce, orchards and large-scale gardens. The scale of farming is more than community requiring better planning, facilities and initiatives along with skilled labor, technological knowledge, abilities and resources which can be provide through capacity building. Financial strategies should be laid out to help large scale farming. Agriculture township is another type of practice to integrate farming in townships making them self-resilient and self-sufficient. At this community level the surplus produce can be easily exchanged with each other as per the needs like in the olden days.  

Stage 4

At the City level

At a larger scale like city level, agriculture can be incorporated in land use plan. While preparing Development Plan and Strategy Plans certain percentage of public land can be allotted for urban agriculture or per-urban agriculture or in the form of green belts, city farms along with processing and market facilities. This kind of initiative will not only increase green space in the urban areas but also improve economy.

"THINK GLOBALLY ACT LOCALLY"