Resources for plant‐based food: Estimating resource use to meet the requirements of urban and peri‐urban diets

Abstract

The rapid urban growth seen globally in recent years has not been supported by a simultaneous increase in agricultural land and/or crop productivity. Producing crops in (peri‐)urban areas shows good potential to provide the vegetable products for a healthy and balanced diet for the growing population, but it has to deal with the local availability of resources. Thus, meeting the food requirements of the urban population as efficiently and robustly as possible is a challenge. This study developed a methodology to estimate the use of resources of urban farming systems to produce energy‐ and nutrient‐dense vegetables capable of meeting human dietary needs. The method was applied to two extremely different cultivation systems (an open field farm and a plant factory with artificial lighting) for the production of seven crops. The results on the resource efficiencies to meet the annual per‐capita vegetable requirements are discussed in relation to crop type, local climate and cultivation system. The application of this methodology can support farmers' decisions on the choice of crops and the type of urban farming systems that are most efficient in contributing to a plant‐based diet. The results can also be translated into water, energy, and surface area needed to meet the nutritional requirements at a city‐regional level.

The dark side of lighting: a critical analysis of vertical farms' environmental impact

“…A rough estimate for the highest possible WUE in this case can be made by considering that vegetable crops are mostly water, and that this is true for all plant parts. In this case, the highest possible WUE would be equal to the crop's harvest index -the ratio of harvestable plant parts, relative to the total plant weight ( [33], [65]). This is equivalent to a potential WUE of 500-800 gr litre -1 for a tomato crop [66], and some 850 gr litre -1 for a lettuce crop (e.g., [21]).…”

“…Indeed, in such a tomato greenhouse in Saudi Arabia, Tsafaras et al [65] reported a water use efficiency of 500 gr litre -1 . Righini et al ( [33],…”