urban agriculture. what is it? the cuban definition: all agricultural and animal production that...
TRANSCRIPT
What is it?
• The Cuban definition: all agricultural and animal production that occurs within cities or peripheries that receive direct influence from cities.
Benefits
• Produces healthy food!• Reduces transportation energy and pollution• Requires less pesticides• Purifies air and water • Beautiful!• Wildlife habitat• Biodiversity
More developed in the developing world
• Various countries in Latin America
have well-developed systems
• Cuba has its own Ministry of
Urban Agriculture
• Focus in much of the development
is on traditional plots on vacant land
• Urban Agriculture produces 60% of
veggies consumed by populations
in Accra, Ghana and Shanghai, China
Is it really innovation?
• Much of the momentum for urban agriculture lies in the push for community gardens, or available land so people can create their won small plots.
• Community gardens and plots are amazing
• BUT, this way of thinking is not as innovative and ingenious as it seems
• It is still taking a traditional view of growing crops and trying to force it in the urban settings
• What is vital is that we also combine agriculture/ecology and urbanity rather than holding onto two separate ideals and trying to sandwich them together
Challenges in the developed world
• Developed world has much more
contested land with stricter
property ownership• Established plot gardening still
runs the risk of being bought out
• Because of this we must be more
innovative and focus on adapting
ecology to unwanted or derelict
land.
My Neighborhood! The AnnexBack Alleys, Railroads, and Vertical Thinking
• The neighborhood is already densely developed• There are many people already growing their own food in backyard
plots and even some vertical structures• There are not many areas in which to establish allotment type
gardens, thus neglected areas must be explored