The potential of intra-regional supply and demand of agricultural products in an urban fringe area: A case study of the Kanto Plain, Japan

Kurita, Hideharu; Yokohari, Makoto; Bolthouse, Jay

doi:10.1080/00167223.2009.10649604

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Prior to 1968, Japanese urban planning focused primarily on key industrial infrastructure to promote economic growth, and little effort was given to plan or regulate residential development (Sorensen 2000). As a result of rapid economic growth, from the late 1950s onward, urban areas expanded into the agricultural countryside, resulting in the widespread establishment of peri-urban fringe areas across Japan (Ichikawa et al 2006;Kurita et al 2009;Yokohari et al 2010). The 1968 City Planning Act attempted to contain urbanization through distinct land zones which urbanization Fig.…”

Section: Decline Of Food Self-sufficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Strawberry fields forever? Urban agriculture in developed countries: a review

Mok

Williamson

Grove

et al. 2013

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

365

246

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Food production in cities has long been a tradition in many countries around the world and a mainstream activity for many developed countries. While urban agriculture plays an important role in increasing food security and social well-being, it comes with significant costs and constraints. Here, we review the growth of urban agriculture throughout the developed world in order to clarify the different benefits, risks, and hindrances associated with the practice. Through this analysis, we identify the need for better understanding of the following five aspects if urban agriculture is to make a meaningful contribution to food security and social well-being in the future: (1) the impacts of continued urban sprawl and loss of peri-urban agricultural land; (2) appropriate government and institutional support at local, regional, and country levels; (3) the role of urban agriculture in self-sufficiency of cities; (4) the risks posed by pollutants from agriculture to urban ecosystems and from urban ecosystems to agriculture; and (5) the carbon footprint of urban agriculture and use of "food miles." If urban agriculture is to have a legitimate place in resolving the global food crisis as advocates claim, then it is time to take urban agriculture seriously and assess more rigorously both the positive and negative impacts, especially carbon emissions. Only then can the world's limited resources be properly allocated to the development of urban agriculture.

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Section: Decline Of Food Self-sufficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Strawberry fields forever? Urban agriculture in developed countries: a review

Mok

Williamson

Grove

et al. 2013

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

365

246

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Nerima’s large share of UA within Tokyo’s special wards is the result of its slower urban growth rate compared to other wards in the sixties [ 46 ]. Located on the edge of the upland plateau, Nerima’s soil is good for vegetable production [ 47 ], which motivated farmers to protect their farmlands. The government established the City Planning Act in 1968 [ 48 ] and designated open spaces (including farmlands) in Tokyo as Urbanization Promotion Areas (UPA).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Disaster Food and Nutrition from Urban Agriculture: A Self-Sufficiency Analysis of Nerima Ward, Tokyo

Sioen

Sekiyama

Terada

et al. 2017

IJERPH

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Background: Post-earthquake studies from around the world have reported that survivors relying on emergency food for prolonged periods of time experienced several dietary related health problems. The present study aimed to quantify the potential nutrient production of urban agricultural vegetables and the resulting nutritional self-sufficiency throughout the year for mitigating post-disaster situations. Methods: We estimated the vegetable production of urban agriculture throughout the year. Two methods were developed to capture the production from professional and hobby farms: Method I utilized secondary governmental data on agricultural production from professional farms, and Method II was based on a supplementary spatial analysis to estimate the production from hobby farms. Next, the weight of produced vegetables [t] was converted into nutrients [kg]. Furthermore, the self-sufficiency by nutrient and time of year was estimated by incorporating the reference consumption of vegetables [kg], recommended dietary allowance of nutrients per capita [mg], and population statistics. The research was conducted in Nerima, the second most populous ward of Tokyo’s 23 special wards. Self-sufficiency rates were calculated with the registered residents. Results: The estimated total vegetable production of 5660 tons was equivalent to a weight-based self-sufficiency rate of 6.18%. The average nutritional self-sufficiencies of Methods I and II were 2.48% and 0.38%, respectively, resulting in an aggregated average of 2.86%. Fluctuations throughout the year were observed according to the harvest seasons of the available crops. Vitamin K (6.15%) had the highest self-sufficiency of selected nutrients, while calcium had the lowest (0.96%). Conclusions: This study suggests that depending on the time of year, urban agriculture has the potential to contribute nutrients to diets during post-disaster situations as disaster preparedness food. Emergency responses should be targeted according to the time of year the disaster takes place to meet nutrient requirements in periods of low self-sufficiency and prevent gastrointestinal symptoms and cardiovascular diseases among survivors.

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“…In Japan, the extensive area of agricultural land remaining in urban areas provides a foundation for developing local food production and resource cycling systems today. In an analysis of Tokyo's peri-urban periphery, Kurita et al (2009) found significant potential to build microfoodsheds at the neighborhood level by restoring abandoned agricultural plots. These mixed urban-rural areas also bear significant potential to redevelop systems of circulating kitchen waste and agricultural products between residential and agriculture areas.…”

Section: Agriculture In the City Citizens In Agriculturementioning

confidence: 98%