Taken together, this compendium features stories of change-makers in urban farming in India, identified from 2019 to 2022. It highlights directions for infrastructural, technological, societal, and policy shifts. The case studies highlight challenges and opportunities in implementing, operating, and maintaining UPA models and initiatives, potentially giving others insights on how to adapt the model in their own context. A few case studies highlight trade-offs and synergies between the various outcomes of UPA, which will inform decisions on scaling up or widening its scope. Thus, the authors hope that this repository of cases also allows urban policymakers to value and leverage the benefits of UPA in ongoing urban sustainability initiatives. The plethora of experiences indicates that urban and peri-urban agriculture is gaining in both popularity and impact, and can become a critical strategy for transitioning towards sustainable urban futures.

Urban and peri-urban agriculture as green infrastructure (UP-AGrI), a three-year research project, examines the implications of urban agriculture on human well-being and urban sustainability. The project draws on research in Tanzania and India. The three broad project objectives are:

• To examine the impacts of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) on built infrastructure, ecosystem services, land and water use, using geospatial and forecasting techniques;
• To explore how UPA is socially differentiated and privileges/marginalises certain people/groups with varied human well-being outcomes;
• To co-develop and test strategies that allow UPA to contribute to urban sustainability with a focus on scaling;