Selection of Suitable Urban Agricultural Practice for Indian Cities: a Sustainable Method for City Planners

Abstract

Urban agriculture has become a topic of discussion for the last twenty years, due to the alarming increase in the rate of migration from rural sector to urban areas. Urban population in Indian cities is growing very fast and proper urban agricultural policies are essential to face the scenario. In the Indian context, it becomes more complex as the terms urban culture and agriculture seem mutually exclusive in their fundamental definition of activities and appearance. The step-by-step procedure of the selection of suitable urban farming practices among; Open land Agriculture (OLA) and Building integrated Agriculture (BIA) is explained. Through case studies of successfully running urban agricultural practices, the influencing parameters on selection of suitable land for OLA are identified. It is a goal-based paper on ‘achieving food security from within the city’ by promoting urban agricultural activities through emphasising the contribution of OLA to food security. The process involving representation of land in density tower, grading of land, and calculation of yielding capacity of OLA and its share in food security is explained.