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The purpose of urban food production in developed countries

Caputo, Silvio (2010) The purpose of urban food production in developed countries. In: 2nd European Sustainable Food Planning Conference, 29-30 Oct 2010, Brighton, England. (Unpublished) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:84563)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://www.aesop-planning.eu/activities/en_GB/2011...

Abstract

Food security is now on the UK government agenda. The perspective of fossil fuel scarcity limiting movements of supply, and recent food price rises constitute a warning sign of the unsustainability of current global food systems. UK Government has produced a series of papers on food production, in which food security, food access, and a more environmentally safe food chain are indicated as important objectives. Urban agriculture is not part of the possible strategies mentioned, which aim at diversifying supply sources, foster healthy and affordable food consumption, and reduce emissions. Given the massive carbon footprint of cities, food production in an urban context ought to be considered as a contributor to a low carbon society, as it can deliver crops with zero food miles, possibly accessible to low income groups. However, for this to happen, urban agriculture needs to become economically viable. Research is needed to establish modalities for highly productive food grown in cities, and in particular, business models based on a network of small and medium sized cultivated spaces, which utilise local urban resources (water, compost, sun). This paper makes the case for a new role for urban agriculture in developed countries, which is centred not only on environmental and social benefits, but also on economic opportunities. It does so by reviewing the national definition of food security, the role that non-profit organisations play in promoting urban agricultural practices, and the business model on which they are based.

Item Type: Conference or workshop item (Paper)
Uncontrolled keywords: food production, food security
Subjects: N Visual Arts > NA Architecture
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > Kent School of Architecture and Planning
Depositing User: Silvio Caputo
Date Deposited: 29 Nov 2020 12:21 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:27 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/84563 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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