Is Urban Farming Sustainable?

Urban farming is becoming more popular nowadays. With the climate change we are experiencing and unsustainable food production, growing food in small urban environments like rooftops, balconies and even walls seem the key to a more sustainable future.

The food system at a global scale and local level is profoundly unsustainable. Although it is hard to calculate, it is estimated that the food system is responsible for at least 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. At local scale, the food system accounts for 40 percent of ecological footprint. The food system in developing countries is undergoing rapid transformation, characterized by increased presence of imported, highly processed foods, lengthening supply chains and the increased presence of large-scale formal retailers. The overall trajectory is towards a less sustainable food system characterized by greater chemical inputs, greater carbon emissions across the value chain, more waste and other externalities. At the urban scale the privileging of this system increases food and food packaging waste, increases energy demand, increases the overall carbon footprint through increase transport and undermines local food economies. It is in this context that the latest enthusiasm for urban farming and its potential sustainability contribution is situated (Battersby, 2016).

Plenty grows its crops vertically indoors

There are many potential benefits of urban farming including the support of social movements, economic development, creation of local businesses and jobs, environmental education, community building and local food security (Maddox, 2016). Urban farming has a potential to contribute significantly to urban sustainability by reducing its dependence on the conventional way of growing our food far from the city.

Urban farming will help cities produce more of its own food sustainably given that climate change might affect the food and food systems. But will such farms ever be able to produce enough to feed the world's growing populations?

Built-up areas in the city may not seem like the best places to run gardens, but reducing the distance and time the food supply travels before it reaches the household makes a good environmental impact as it reduces pollution from the vehicles used to transfer the food.

And if the global population grows to 9.8 billion by 2050 as expected, 70% are forecast to live in cities - up from 55% today (Fry, 2018). So urban farms, where produce is grown indoors on stacks of shelves is becoming more popular. With the fast-growing urbanization and climate change go hand in hand, we can't rely on the existing food production anymore.

Urban farms are useful because they tend to use less water, fertilizer and pesticide than conventional production systems. But space limitations may prevent enough food being produced to supply the world's burgeoning urban populations. Constraints to producing food in controlled environments include costs for initial investment, LED lighting and continuous energy supplies (Fry, 2018). It may seem expensive with all the technologies associated on growing your food indoors but with less water consumption, no fertilizer and pesticide needed, readily available right at your house and no transport pollution it is very economical and feasible.

We must learn to innovate and grow food without creating a huge environmental footprint. We must also adapt to new ways and technologies to fit new environments like our balconies, roof decks and blank walls.

If we managed to grow food in a concrete urban environment, there is a huge potential for wider-scale innovative food production. If we are to improve food security and reduce the contribution of food systems to climate change, we need to become more adaptable and start using all the space have.

REFERENCES:

Simon Fry (August 2018). The world's first floating farm making waves in Rotterdam. BBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45130010

David Madox (July 2016). Urban agriculture has many benefits. Is one of them a contribution to urban sustainability? The Nature of Cities. Retrieved from: https://www.thenatureofcities.com/

2016/06/30/urban-agriculture-has-many-benefits-is-one-of-them-a-contribution-to-urban-sustainability/

Jane Battersby (July 2016). Urban agriculture has many benefits. Is one of them a contribution to urban sustainability? The Nature of Cities. Retrieved from: https://www.thenatureofcities.com/ 2016/06/30/urban-agriculture-has-many-benefits-is-one-of-them-a-contribution-to-urban-sustainability/