Urban Gardening as a Multifunctional Tool to Increase Social Sustainability in the City

Koroļova, Alisa; Treija, S.

doi:10.2478/aup-2018-0012

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In urban areas, crop theft is growing at an alarming rate with the damage and the loss of crops at night [48]. Quantitative results revealed that most farmers utilised any open spaces or land within the city for farming.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the Challenges and Opportunities of Utilising Organic Waste through Urban Agriculture in the Durban South Basin

Menyuka

Sibanda

Bob

2020

IJERPH

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Waste management has become pertinent in urban regions, along with rapid population growth. The current ways of managing waste, such as refuse collection and recycling, are failing to minimise waste in cities. With urban populations growing worldwide, there is the challenge of increased pressure to import food from rural areas. Urban agriculture not only presents an opportunity to explore other means of sustainable food production, but for managing organic waste in cities. However, this opportunity is not taken advantage of. Besides, there is a challenge of mixed reactions from urban planners and policymakers concerning the challenges and benefits presented by using organic waste in urban agriculture. The current paper explores the perceived challenges and opportunities for organic waste utilisation and management through urban agriculture in the Durban South Basin in eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. It is anticipated that this information will be of use to the eThekwini Municipality, policymakers, researchers, urban agriculture initiatives, households and relevant stakeholders in the study areas and similar contexts globally. Two hundred (200) households involved in any urban farming activity and ten (10) key informants (six (6) staff from the Cleaning and Solid Waste Unit of the eThekwini Municipality and four (4) from the urban agricultural initiative) were selected using convenient sampling. Descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis were used to analyse data. The significant perceived challenges and risks associated with the utilisation of organic waste through urban agriculture included lack of a supporting policy, climatic variation, lack of land tenure rights, soil contamination and food safety concerns. Qualitative data further showed that the difficulty in segregating waste, water scarcity, difficulty in accessing inputs, limited transportation of organic waste, inadequate handling and treatment of organic waste, and being a health hazard were some important challenges. On the other hand, the significant perceived benefits associated with the utilisation of organic waste through urban agriculture were enhanced food and nutrition security, and opportunities for business incubation. Other important benefits established through qualitative data were an improved market expansion for farmers and improved productivity. Overall, despite the perceived challenges and risks, there is an opportunity to manage organic waste through urban agriculture. It is imperative for an integrated policy encompassing the food, climate and waste management to be developed to support this strategy. All stakeholders—the government, municipal authorities and urban agricultural initiatives should also, guided by the policy, support urban farmers, for example, through pieces of training on how to properly manage and recycle organic waste, land distribution, inputs availability and water usage rights among other things.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the Challenges and Opportunities of Utilising Organic Waste through Urban Agriculture in the Durban South Basin

Menyuka

Sibanda

Bob

2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Ease of site entry and visual connectivity are related to the site perimeter [3,35,65]. More importantly, the site layout and design criterion covers attributes such as flexible layout [17], within-site accessibility [33], site maintenance [45,66], flexible program opportunities [67,68], and the dual functions of urban farming and alternative recreational programs. This is done by separating production and public space functions [36,69], publicizing opportunities for nesting food production and public space programs to varying degrees [70,71], creating a central meeting spot [3,72], having an onsite gathering space [57], and cultivating hedgerow and installing raised planter beds [73,74].…”

Section: Functional Guidelinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-Cultural Appropriateness of the Use of Historic Persian Gardens for Modern Urban Edible Gardens

Amani-Beni

Xie

Yang

et al. 2021

Land

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Historic gardens have the ability to provide several ecosystem services in cities, including provisioning services (i.e., food production). The historic gardens in Iran (known as “Persian Gardens”) have never been considered as places that could be used for food production. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the Iranian historic gardens’ spatial and structural layout is suitable for modern urban food gardening. We conducted field studies in six recognized Persian gardens in four provinces of Iran via qualitative analysis according to socio-cultural guidelines drawn from a literature review. The results suggested that combining the elements of formal landscape design, non-edible decorative plants, and traditional artwork would increase the Persian gardens’ attractiveness. Regarding encouraging users to become involved in urban gardening, we found that separating productive units containing edible plants from public units using a central meeting spot populated by aesthetic plants and items may attract ordinary visitors who are interested in gardening without disturbing anyone’s activities. Furthermore, the Persian gardens’ multifunctionality, aesthetic value, and health-promoting qualities constitute a considerable historic achievement in garden design, making the gardens a suitable model for edible urban gardening. The results of this study can enhance our understanding of the Persian gardens’ spatial and structural design and provide practical implications for sustainable urban planning and landscape architecture.

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Constraints and coping strategies of urban agriculture households in Namibia's informal settlements during COVID‐19

Muzanima,

Shipandeni,

Togarepi

et al. 2024

Urban Agric & Regnl Food Sys

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The global outbreak of the unprecedented COVID‐19 pandemic has posed numerous challenges in the agro‐food systems worldwide urging the need to build resilient food systems for food security. Urban agriculture (UA) has the potential to contribute to resilient and sustainable food systems. This study investigated the impact of COVID‐19 on UA practices in the informal settlement of Windhoek, Namibia. Samora Machel and Tobias Hainyeko constituencies were purposively selected using a stratified two‐stage probability sampling design within each constituency to select the study sites and a sample of 59 households were interviewed using a structured questionnaire with open‐ and closed‐ended questions. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed to identify constraints and coping strategies employed by urban farmers in informal settlements. Households that participated in the study were engaged in UA with 60.4% male‐headed households. Horticultural crop production (67.2%) and mixed farming (18.2%) were the main activities. The major constraints were high input costs (74.6%), inadequate land (61%), and unavailability of water (59%). The major coping strategies were intensified/started production (43%), use of alternative locally available inputs and resources (22%), changed marketing strategy (11%), and reduced hired labor (8%). The community resilience was weakened during the COVID‐19 pandemic. A holistic and integrated approach to urban planning and policy that recognize UA within the broader food system is required. There is a need to strengthen policy on land use and infrastructure planning that incorporates both formal and informal food systems and enhances disaster risk preparedness.

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Urban Gardening as a Multifunctional Tool to Increase Social Sustainability in the City

Cited by 7 publications

References 7 publications

Perceptions of the Challenges and Opportunities of Utilising Organic Waste through Urban Agriculture in the Durban South Basin

Perceptions of the Challenges and Opportunities of Utilising Organic Waste through Urban Agriculture in the Durban South Basin

Socio-Cultural Appropriateness of the Use of Historic Persian Gardens for Modern Urban Edible Gardens

Constraints and coping strategies of urban agriculture households in Namibia's informal settlements during COVID‐19

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