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Tyler Beauchamp12 December 2013Global Issues

Urban Agriculture in Today's ociety

The contro!ersial issue o" urban "arming may not necessarily be the ne# cra$e% but many people around the #orld are beginning to !oice their opinions about this critical en!ironmental issue&

Inherently this topic comes #ith connotations such as big cities% #hich are no#n "or ha!ing many

large buildings and industries that cause a great amount o" pollution& There is also the stigma that many

large cities are dangerous and crime ridden& (hile this may be true "or some% it allo#s the opportunity

to discuss the ad!antages o" bringing urban agriculture to these areas in order to decrease crime%

increase )obs% as #ell as security o" the community& *ne o" best things about e+panding urban "arming

is that it can be done on !acant land in many o" these si$able cities&

There are many di""erent opportunities to incorporate urban "arming% one o" them being to

change gray roo"tops o" buildings to green roo"s #hich are able to gro# !egetables, this is one idea that

Dr& ara (il inson has "or ydney% Australia& This could be !ery suitable in places that ha!e #arm

climates year round and also allo#s "or a greater usage o" rain #ater instead o" going through the

gutters% do#n the drain and to the ocean& -.ggleton% 2013/& (il inson's idea to con!ert roo"tops is

progress in urban "arming e!en though Australia is already considered a de!eloped country% #hich does

not ha!e the hunger issues that the ma)ority o" the #orld does& (il inson argues building green

ma+imi$es a building's per"ormance% #hich in turn deli!ers on the triple bottom line -.ggleton% 2013/&

The triple bottom line is people% planet% and pro"its and also should lea!e no uestion #hether or not to

commence "urther #ith this plan&

In the article (hy an't 4eople 5eed Themsel!es6 7app8 states that one cannot thin o"

underde!eloped countries as an entity that has started that #ay and does not ha!e the possibility to

ad!ance% but rather a process through #hich the minority -de!eloped countries/ ha!e changed the

ma)ority -7app8% 19::/& ;any o" these underde!eloped countries ha!e !ie#ed intra

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mainly as a source o" problems% or at best as a sur!i!al option "or the urban poor in times o" crisis

-=eeu#% 2011/& This means that less de!eloped nations get pushed do#n by the highly industriali$ed

countries% then "ind it hard to branch out and try ne# things in order to ad!ance en!ironmentally and

agriculturally& But #ith the increase in globali$ation and technology% poorer countries ha!e the accessto ma e cheap but e""ecti!e urban "arms& This in turn helps underde!eloped nations to ad!ance in all

"acets o" society&

In Bang o % #here they ha!e been #or ing on their urban en!ironment% organi$ations ha!e

#idened pro)ect scopes "rom solely building greenspace to enhancing community a#areness% capacity

building% and empo#erment -5raser% 2002/& ;any people say that urban en!ironment is percei!ed as

ha!ing only marginal importance to the urban economy and the people engaged in this sector are

seldom people #ith in"luence on the city management le!el -Bryld% 2003/& But currently% cities are

considered to be mainly "ood consumers% contributing to a large amount o" garbage in land"ills and

#ater streams& I" go!ernments agreed to compost #aste to be used as "ertili$er% this #ould help urban

en!ironments prosper% and #ould ma e "ood more readily a!ailable in the cities% along #ith reducing

the ecological "ootprint&

Although dense cities could not e+ist #ithout highly producti!e rural areas pro!iding the bul

o" "ood -4hilpott% 2010/% it is important that large cities are resource"ul #ith their #aste and de!elop

#ays o" being e""icient and e""ecti!e in progressing the agricultural business in urban settings& This is

highly important because the socially accepted #ays o" production and consumption are detrimental to

our en!ironment and li"estyle&

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>e"erences

Bryld% .& -2003/& 4otentials% 4roblems% and policy implications "or urban agriculture in de!elopingcountries& Agriculture and Human Values %20-1/% :9