Promoting Urban Farming for Creating Sustainable Cities in Nepal

Abstract

This paper responds to the research question, “can urban farming in Nepal help create sustainable cities?” Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, urban residents have begun to realize that food transported from long distances is not always reliable. Urban farming can help produce fresh food locally and help urban residents become self-reliant by engaging in healthy eating habits and practicing sustainable agricultural techniques in food-desert areas, while creating a positive impact on the environment through regenerative agricultural methods. In doing so, urban farms can help the growers save on food expenditures and even earn some additional income, while also improving air quality and minimizing the effects of urban heat islands. This practice also helps reduce greenhouse gases through plant carbon use efficiency (CUE), as vegetation carbon dynamics (VCD) can be adjusted while supporting the circular economy. As urban lands command higher prices than agricultural land, urban farming usually happens on residential yards, roofs, balconies, community gardens, and dedicated areas in public parks. Rainwater harvesting and redirecting can help irrigate urban farms, which can be part of rain gardens. The national census of 2021 identified that 66% of Nepal’s population lives in urban areas. However, the World Bank (2018) showed that only 21 of Nepal’s population was projected to live in urban areas in 2021. It is not debatable that the urbanization process in Nepal is on the rise. Thus, urban agriculture can play an important role in supplementing residents’ food needs. Many cities in Nepal have already successfully adapted to urban farming wherein residents grow food on their building sites, balconies, and rooftop, often growing plants in pots, vases, and other types of containers. The UN-Habitat, with the support of the European Union and local agencies, published a rooftop farming training manual (2014), showing the feasibility of urban farming in Nepal. This paper discusses how public-private partnership (PPP) can promote urban agriculture and make the process more effective and attractive to urban-farming households. It also analyzes how a PPP approach also facilitates the use of better technology, advisory support, and use of research extension activities. This paper draws on a literature review, uses remote-sensing imagery data and data from National Census Nepal 2021, and the authors’ professional experiences related to best practices in the areas to analyze the benefits and challenges related to urban farming both in Nepal and Arizona, USA. The paper provides recommendations for Nepali cities to maximize the benefit provided by urban farming. It is expected to be useful to Nepali policymakers, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations which promote sustainability, and organic farming with a sustainable supply chain.

Landscaping with Fruits: Citizens’ Perceptions toward Urban Horticulture and Design of Urban Gardens

“…This could be related to the experience of growing their own food at a time when they were working from home and the inability to participate in a large number of activities outside the household, as well as the reduced food supply in markets due to transportation problems, as also noticed by Chari et al [44]. Similarly, Bhattarai and Adhikari [6] stated that since the coronavirus pandemic, people who lived in urban settlements have begun to realize that the delivery of food from distant areas is not always reliable, which indisputably affects the provision of different food products. The results are in line with the findings of Lindsay et al [45], who found that the COVID outbreak had changed people's consumption practices and engagement in different activities not practiced before, such as bread baking, food growing and bicycle riding.…”

“…Although practiced since cities' emergence, the production of food in some contemporary dense and high-rise-filled urban areas is not always residents' first-choice activity [6].…”

State of Urbanization in Nepal: The Official Definition and Reality

“…However, over time, such functional relationships have been weakened because core urban dwellers started consuming imported goods from far away. The COVID-19 pandemic alerted urban planners that the weakening supply chain is not a sustainable path of urban management (Bhattarai and Adhikari, 2023).…”

“…In recent days, the concept of an isolated state coined by von Thunen has become obsolete with the development of modern transportation along with truck farming. However, Covid-19 disrupted the supply chain of food making-urban farming more attractive (Bhattarai and Adhikari, 2023). Promoting local functional specializations with advanced technology can help create circular economies and strengthen connections between rural jurisdictions and urban areas (Minnesota History, 2021).…”

Prospects and Obstacles Associated with Community Solar and Wind Farms in Jordan’s Suburban Areas

“…Facilitating urban-suburban integration with space-efficient solutions: By addressing space constraints in urban homes, where rooftop availability is limited due to the proliferation of flats and multi-story structures, community solar and wind projects serve as a crucial bridge. By capitalizing on the comparatively larger roof spaces in suburban homes, these projects harmonize urban and suburban areas, ensuring efficient and equitable utilization of available space for sustainable energy generation [54].…”