Urban Agriculture?
Why Bother?
Returning to our rural roots won’t save the planet
According
to the New Scientist’s June 17 editorial “Greens instinctively look
back to a pre-industrial pastoral idyll ...Yet, on a planet approaching
7 billion people, cities have to become part of the solution to global
environmental perils. More than that, they could be the key to finding
the solution. Indeed without them there may be no solution. Urban
living can be, and increasingly will be, the green way. It’s a radical
vision, and will need a radical change of approach. Sustainable living
will require a new economic “metabolism” in which waste is reused, not
excreted into the environment. That is not just about recycling ... it
is about turning every waste stream into a feedstock. Where can such a
metabolism be developed, and where would it work best? Not in the
countryside, but in the city, where high population densities and
economies of scale make the goal more achievable.”
In
the the cover story, Fred Pearce writes, “If we are to protect what’s
left of nature and meet the demand to improve the quality of living for
the world’s developing nations, a new form of city living is the only
option. It should even be possible for cities to partly feed
themselves.”
The whole article can be purchased and downloaded from:
The
artist impressions that accompany the article certainly capture the
imagination and excite one to the possibilities of urban food
production and the pleasant ambience it could create in our
cities, but on close scrutiny these images are fanciful and would not
be practical.
Unfortunately
to date very little effort has been put into developing forms of
food production that would be viable in a first world city of the
21st century. We believe that the Ecocity Farm makes a significant
contribution to this vital and emerging field.
Andrew and Hogan
had set up and run the successful Challenge City Farm in Lismore,
Northern New South Wales. Hogan, as a committee member of Tweed
Richmond Organic Producers Organisation (TROPO), was instrumental in
setting up their farmers market - believed to the the world’s first
purely organic farmers market. Andrew specialised in commercial urban
agriculture for his Masters Degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the
University of Sydney. You can download a PDF file of Andrew’s thesis
‘Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Cities’ by clicking here.
The introduction to Andrew and Hogan’s feasibility study for Rivendell can be seen in its entirety by clicking here to download it as a PDF file. The key findings are reproduced below.
Viability of Urban Agriculture
Market
gardens, small family farms, and other forms of farming enterprise
were, until recent decades, a common sight within and around the towns
and cities of Australia and other industrialised countries. Before it
became economically unviable, Urban Agriculture had much to contribute
to cities and their inhabitants:
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•providing fresh-picked produce
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•recycling of urban organic wastes back into food production
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•low energy consumption for distribution of produce to nearby consumers
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•and bringing a sense of ‘connection to nature’ for urban dwellers, and greenery to the cities
Rising
real estate values in and around cities continues to push farms further
and further from their consumers. For urban agriculture to be genuinely
viable, farming systems need to be developed that are as profitable as other forms of urban land use such as residential housing.
Urban
agricultural systems of course must also compete with products grown by
extensive rural farms which have huge economies of scale,
relatively cheap land values and existing infrastructure and
distribution systems.
Though
operating with these advantages the conventional food production
business, under pressure from agents and supermarket monopolies,
has become big scale, high turnover, low margin and high risk.
Almost all their inputs must be bought in at considerable cost - including transport. Then there
is the high cost, (both direct and in-direct) of refrigeration and
transport of their produce to distant markets. A long line of middle
men waits on both the supply and delivery side of this chain. The
systems and technology that make extensive agriculture viable are
largely at the mercy of the elements and also lead to a huge percentage
of waste and spoilage, over 30% in most operations.Due
to the huge capital necessary to run day to day most businesses are
locked into contracts to enable them access to credit. Though this may
appear appealing on one level, it leaves little flexibility for
innovative marketing and the supermarkets are constantly squeezing the
grower knowing that he or she has little if any choice but to take what
is offered.
In contrast to the situation that rural producers find themselves in, the urban environment could be viewed as a diversity of opportunities and resources:
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•abundant nutrients available from the enormous urban waste streams
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•year-round supplies of ‘waste’ water available regardless of rainfall
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•excess heat and carbon dioxide available from industrial processes
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•people wanting to work and people wanting to consume, all close at hand.
Viewed
from an eco-entrepreneurial perspective, every nutrient and litre of
water presents an opportunity to create a yield (at a profit) and then
pass those resources on to other processes in
which further yields and profits can be created, and so on, meeting
human needs on as many levels as possible within a minimal ecological
footprint. In this way it can become possible to create a seamless edge
between the human ecology and the natural ecology in which our
settlements are embedded.
which further yields and profits can be created, and so on, meeting
human needs on as many levels as possible within a minimal ecological
footprint. In this way it can become possible to create a seamless edge
between the human ecology and the natural ecology in which our
settlements are embedded.Design Criteria for Urban Agriculture
The
following are a set of key principles of urban agriculture. The
principles aim to help achieve the three key outcomes for a successful
design:
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•Minimal Ecological Footprint
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•Financial Viability
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•Harmonious integration with residents and the urban environment
Key Principles
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1.Vertical stacking – wherever possible stack yields and functions to achieve maximum productivity on high-value urban land
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2.Diversity – allows direct marketing; minimises losses due to ‘disasters’; creates more stable systems and more options for plant and animal protection.
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3.No Effluent – agricultural effluents are not acceptable in an urban setting – ensure complete cycling and re-use of water and nutrients within system
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4.Local waste inputs – reliance on inputs from distant sources will significantly increase eco-footprint. Create processes for utilising locally available waste-inputs.
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5.Modified environments – use of structures and other approaches to modify and control environment (temperature, pests, microbiology, humidity, etc.) for extended growing seasons, increased growth rates, reduced losses, and integrated plant and animal protection.
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6.Soil-less options – ability to produce crops when no or little soil is available in urban environments, or if soil types are unsuitable for agriculture. Prioritise available soil resources for perennial tree crops and other no-till crops.
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7.Biological – aim for self regulating pro-biotic systems in preference to sterile systems that require continual chemical or technological interventions.
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8.Non toxic – able to comply at a minimum with organic certification standards. Some ‘organic’ substances may also be unacceptable in the urban environment.
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9.Energy efficient – use of renewable energy where possible with low overall energy consumption.
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10.Labour efficient – work can be organised in standard procedures as much as possible.
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11.Appropriate technology – as low as possible but high tech where appropriate.
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12.Value adding – high value products developed from low value inputs and direct marketed to customers, to offset scale disadvantage of urban farming
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13.Harmonious integration with people and housing – an urban farm should be multi-functional and include education aspects, recreation and aesthetic values and should not detract from the urban environment via sprays, chemicals, noise, smells, etc.
The Ecocity Farm™ was a recent episode winner on the ABC’s popular program, The New Inventors
MONDOLITHIC STUDIOS: MARIO TAMA/GETTY
