The population living in cities is continuously increasing worldwide. In developing countries, this phenomenon is exacerbated by poverty, leading to tremendous problems of employment, immigration from the rural areas, transportation, food supply and environment protection. Simultaneously with the growth of cities, a new type of agriculture has emerged; namely, urban agriculture. Here, the main functions of urban agriculture are described: its social roles, the economic functions as part of its multi-functionality, the constraints, and the risks for human consumption and the living environment. We highlight the following major points. (1) Agricultural activity will continue to be a strong contributor to urban households. Currently, differences between rural and urban livelihood households appear to be decreasing. (2) Urban agricultural production includes aquaculture, livestock and plants. The commonest crops are perishable leafy vegetables, particularly in Southeast Asia and Africa. These vegetable industries have short marketing chains with lower price differentials between farmers and consumers than longer chains. The city food supply function is one of the various roles and objectives of urban agriculture that leads to increasing dialogue between urban dwellers, city authorities and farmers. (3) One of the farmers' issues is to produce high quality products in highly populated areas and within a polluted environment. Agricultural production in cities faces the following challenges: access to the main agricultural inputs, fertilizers and water; production in a polluted environment; and limitation of its negative impact on the environment. Urban agriculture can reuse city wastes, but this will not be enough to achieve high yields, and there is still a risk of producing unsafe products. These are the main challenges for urban agriculture in keeping its multi-functional activities such as cleansing, opening up the urban space, and producing fresh and nutritious food. urban and peri-urban agriculture / livelihoods / marketing chains / vegetables / freshness / multi-functional
This article describes the development of vegetable marketing in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), where modern distribution outlets are competing fiercely with traditional traders for wholesale and retail customers. Data from interviews with supply chain stakeholders and a survey of vegetable wholesalers have been used to compare the performance of modern and traditional chains, and the findings reveal the chains as segmented in their product focus, the modern sector focusing exclusively on quality. Modern marketing channels are generally more efficient than traditional ones but still account for only around 2% of vegetable distribution. The article argues that policy-makers should not promote the 'modernisation' of food systems at the expense of traditional channels which meet important consumer needs.
The population living in cities is continuously increasing worldwide. In developing countries, this phenomenon is exacerbated by poverty, leading to tremendous problems of employment, immigration from the rural areas, transportation, food supply and environment protection. Simultaneously with the growth of cities, a new type of agriculture has emerged; namely, urban agriculture. Here, the main functions of urban agriculture are described: its social roles, the economic functions as part of its multi-functionality, the constraints, and the risks for human consumption and the living environment. We highlight the following major points. (1) Agricultural activity will continue to be a strong contributor to urban households. Currently, differences between rural and urban livelihood households appear to be decreasing. (2) Urban agricultural production includes aquaculture, livestock and plants. The commonest crops are perishable leafy vegetables, particularly in South-east Asia and Africa. These vegetable industries have short marketing chains with lower price differentials between farmers and consumers than longer chains. The city food supply function is one of the various roles and objectives of urban agriculture that leads to increasing dialogue between urban dwellers, city authorities and farmers. (3) One of the farmers' issues is to produce high quality products in highly populated areas and within a polluted environment. Agricultural production in cities faces the following challenges: access to the main agricultural inputs, fertilizers and water; production in a polluted environment; and limitation of its negative impact on the environment. Urban agriculture can reuse city wastes, but this will not be enough to achieve high yields, and there is still a risk of producing unsafe products. These are the main challenges for urban agriculture in keeping its multi-functional activities such as cleansing, opening up the urban space, and producing fresh and nutritious food. (Résumé d'auteur
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.