Urban and Peri-Urban Systems
The core work of this Centre is to conduct research relevant to farming systems located in urban and peri-urban settings.
Urban and peri-urban agriculture is growing, with more than half of the world’s population living in urban areas in 2007 and two-thirds of the world’s population projected to be living in urban areas in 2050. Agricultural production in these settings is necessary because as pressure for natural resources increases, more efficient uses of land, such as food production, will be essential.
Organic production is desirable because it is relatively environmentally-friendly while fitting the needs of agriculture practiced in close proximity to human settlement. Urban agriculture is characterized by high competition for land, limited space, closeness to markets, and a high degree of product specialization.
Such farming systems include, among other things, commercial farms, community gardens, backyard gardens, balconies, decks and rooftops, school gardens, publicly owned land, roadside land, riverbanks, vacant plots, roadway land, and ponds. Use of yard and food waste, grey water for irrigation, and livestock, particularly poultry and egg production is common. There are also many opportunities in urban agriculture to reduce food wastage along the supply chain, from processing to consumption, due to the more contained setting in which production occurs (e.g. community gardens).
The proposed Key Topics are: Landscaping and Gardening & Compost and Waste.
Further information
Institutions
- FAO.org/OrganicAG: Institutions that undertake research relevant to organic agriculture in urban and peri-urban systems
Links
- OrgPrints.org: Results for keyword search for "urban" and "periurban"
