Urban Agriculture Oriented towards Self-Supply, Social and Commercial Purpose: A Typology

Abstract

Urban agriculture, a dynamic multifunctional phenomenon, affects the spatial diversification of urban land use, its valorization and its governance. Literature acknowledges its contribution to the development of sustainable cities. The dimension and extent of this contribution depends significantly on the particular form and function of urban agriculture. However, the complexity of interests and dimensions is insufficiently covered by theory. This paper proposes a typology for urban agriculture, supporting both theory building and practical decision processes. We reviewed and mapped the diversity of the types of agriculture found along three beneficial dimensions (self-supply, socio-cultural, commercial) for product distribution scale and actors. We distinguish between ideal types, subtypes and mixed types. Our intention is to include a dynamic perspective in the typology of urban agricultural land use because transition processes between types are observable due to the existence of complex motivations and influences. In a pilot study of 52 urban agriculture initiatives in Germany, we tested the validity of the typology and discussed it with stakeholders, proving novelty and relevance for profiling discussions.

The landscapes of professional farms in mid‐sized cities, France

“…It is especially well documented for megalopolises and metropolises, particularly in the United States, where it is mobilised as an element of local food systems (Campbell, 2016;Rogus & Dimitri, 2015), and for shrinking cities such as Detroit, where agriculture has radical potential as a grassroots response to economic, food, and environmental injustice (Atkinson, 2012;Walker, 2016). Krikser et al (2016) provide an overview of typologies for urban agriculture. The term can be applied to a wide range of situations, from production for auto-consumption to production for commercial sale, and from recreational farm activities without ambitions of profitability to professional farm activities (Mundler et al, 2014).…”

“…Community gardens, allotments, gardens for social reintegration, community farms, and entrepreneurial farms develop in different spatial contexts: in openground, on rooftops, in greenhouses, on building walls, and within buildings. Krikser et al (2016) provide an overview of typologies for urban agriculture. These typologies are based on social, ecological, and economic sustainability, on the scale of production and on the type of professional or recreational engagement in agricultural activity.…”

Individual choice or collective action? Exploring consumer motives for participating in alternative food networks

“…Community‐oriented motives have been researched as well but were not assessed as significant decision criteria (Brehm & Eisenhauer, ). Krikser, Piorr, Berges, and Opitz () have developed a typology of models for urban agriculture based on the primary or mixed motivations of the actors, whereas Scheromm () assembled different types of community‐gardeners. However, no specific typology of AFN consumers has been derived from the motives so far.…”

Mapping Rice Fields in Urban Shanghai, Southeast China, Using Sentinel-1A and Landsat 8 Datasets

“…Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) has gained much recognition as a major source of livelihoods for inhabitants within cities and those along the rural-urban fringe, especially in developing countries [1][2][3]. The increasing trends of rural-urban migration have triggered a population explosion in cities.…”