Urban agriculture could provide 15% of food supply to Sydney, Australia, under expanded land use scenarios

McDougall, Robert; Rader, Romina; Kristiansen, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104554

Cited by 42 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…It could also improve the environmental footprint of urban food consumption [3] and create opportunities for other social and environmental benefits associated with UH [4]. Research into mechanisms and opportunities for upscaling the amount of food production taking place within city limits has recently found promising results regarding potential food provisioning [5,6]. Some cities already produce a large proportion of their fruit and vegetable needs within the city limits; for example, Shanghai produces 60% of the vegetables consumed by its residents [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Direct Resource Requirements of Urban Horticulture in the United Kingdom: A Citizen Science Approach

2021

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Interest in urban food production is growing; recent research has highlighted its potential to increase food security and reduce the environmental impact of food production. However, resource demands of urban horticulture are poorly understood. Here, we use allotment gardens in the United Kingdom to investigate resource demands of urban horticultural production across the country. We conducted a nationwide citizen science project using year-long allotment ‘diaries’ with allotment gardeners (n = 163). We analysed a variety of resources: transportation; time; water use; inputs of compost, manure and topsoil; and inputs of fertilisers, pest control and weed control. We found that, overall, an allotment demands 87 annual visits, travelling 139 km to and from the plot; 7 fertiliser additions; 4 pest control additions; and 2 weed control additions. On average, each kilogram of food produced used 0.4 hours’ labour, 16.9 L of water, 0.2 L of topsoil, 2.2 L of manure, and 1.9 L of compost. As interest in urban horticultural production grows, and policy makers build urban horticultural spaces into future sustainable cities, it is of key importance that this is carried out in a way that minimises resource requirements, and we demonstrate here that avenues exist for the diversion of municipal compostable waste and household-level city food waste for this purpose.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Direct Resource Requirements of Urban Horticulture in the United Kingdom: A Citizen Science Approach

2021

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“…In this sense, the New Rurality approach allows for improving local productive processes and permeates towards the consolidation of an economy with a vision towards sustainability, with better results for all. In Australia, the production of urban agriculture per unit area has been quantified, concluding that it can be highly profitable and even supply food for Sydney [64]. In the rural communities of Guasave, it has been found that backyard farming in its agricultural (vegetables and fruit trees) and livestock (various species of poultry and quadrupeds) variants is capable of providing basic food for self-consumption, and even generates surpluses for sale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Backyard Agricultural and Farm Activity as an Option of Socioeconomic and Food Improvement in the Rural Towns of the Municipality of Guasave, Sinaloa

et al. 2021

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The analysis of the economic problems of the population in Latin America in the face of unemployment and inflation, which have become permanent in these economies, gives rise to the generation of proposals for the solution of social deficiencies, as well as sustainable factors that govern the behavior and culture of production today. The objective was to establish the importance and contribution that backyard activities can have to reach positive socioeconomic and nutritional levels in the rural area of the municipality of Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. An exploratory analysis was carried out, to diagnose the problem, applying interviews to describe the socioeconomic and backyard perspectives, finding that more than 70% of those consulted carry out this activity in relation to livestock and/or agricultural dynamics. Two variables with positive economic effects stand out: self-consumption and commercialization, which are relevant socioeconomic aspects in the relationship between production and family economy, as well as the promotion of self-employment and preservation of family traditions in rural communities.

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“…When upscaled to encapsulate potential citywide incorporation of UA, the energy savings compound. The reduction in GHG emissions from increased backyard use for UA was 3.23%, 5.25% and 7.26% for land use of 25%, 50% and 75% UA [12]. While this linear regression model is speculative and optimistic, it does provide a scalable objective for UA in Sydney.…”

Section: Energy and Labour In Urban Agriculturementioning

confidence: 93%

“…Because of Australia's unique geography, the current predominant UFS is characterised by distinctly long supply chains, rural production and centralised food distribution [10,11]. One of the main advantages of AFNs is the achievement of greater resilience and sustainability due to the shortening of food supply chains [12,13], which is facilitated through various local food production methods including UA. In Fig.…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Use of products with lower embodied energy is a means of decreasing absolute energy use in UA and often necessitates more circular use of materials. Decreasing the carbon footprints of water transportation via wastewater harvesting, use of organic waste instead of mineral fertilisers and multifunctional agriculture are all proven methods for reducing energy demand in UA [12,21,39,41]. Input-output analysis as a means of identifying such energy efficiency increases has shown its applicability in UA.…”

Section: Energy and Labour In Urban Agriculturementioning

confidence: 99%

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A Unique Perspective of Materials, Practices and Structures Within the Food, Energy and Water Nexus of Australian Urban Alternative Food Networks

Cronin

Halog

2021

Circ.Econ.Sust.

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Established and emerging alternative food networks (AFNs) are providing developments to circular economy within the Australian urban food system. In identifying and evaluating areas of AFNs providing positive externalities contributing to circularity, this systematic review provided an engineering and management science perspective on AFNs. Key foci were urban agriculture, emergent technologies, community gardens and prosumer practices and how their use of food, energy and water affect sustainability, ecosystem services and cleaner production in the transition towards a circular economy. Analysis of how flows through the food-energy-water nexus were utilised from food production, consumption and distribution processes was one aspect of this review. Alternative food networks are not always inherently benign; however, efficient and informed use of technologies and best practices have the potential for significant reductions in the current environmental impact of urban agriculture, community gardens, farmers' markets and supply chain advocates. AFNs within the urban food system promote environmental benefits through innovative and diverse incorporation of resources, energy, technologies, practices and structural dependencies. This study reviewed the state-of-the-art of features of AFNs that create value both for the prosumer and for the environment. Concepts identified within this review can pioneer the transition of the food network from the current high-impact state into a low-impact future in a predominantly productivist system. In creating value in AFNs by lowering associated economic, energy, area and resource costs, and making AFN systems more resilient, self-sufficient and localised, a circular economy can be grown, even from one's very own backyard.

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Urban agriculture could provide 15% of food supply to Sydney, Australia, under expanded land use scenarios

Cited by 42 publications

References 49 publications

Assessing the Direct Resource Requirements of Urban Horticulture in the United Kingdom: A Citizen Science Approach

Assessing the Direct Resource Requirements of Urban Horticulture in the United Kingdom: A Citizen Science Approach

Backyard Agricultural and Farm Activity as an Option of Socioeconomic and Food Improvement in the Rural Towns of the Municipality of Guasave, Sinaloa

A Unique Perspective of Materials, Practices and Structures Within the Food, Energy and Water Nexus of Australian Urban Alternative Food Networks

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