State of the Art Review RUAF Publications Urban Agriculture Magazine Bibliographic Database

Urban agriculture plays an important role in transforming urban wastes into valuable resources.

Many cities have growing problems to dispose of all solid wastes generated and solid waste management can consume up to 50% of the operating budget of a Municipality. Therefore, Municipalities seek to reduce the costs on waste management. Meanwhile urban and periurban farmers are in need of organic matter as soil conditioner and fertilizer and as a basic resource for the production of animal feed. Because of the high prices of industrial fertilisers and animal feed, and the difficulties of having regular access to it, organic wastes are a valuable resource for urban producers. Intensive vegetable growers, plant and tree nurseries and pig growers are among the sectors that are using large quantities of urban organic wastes.

Also the treatment and disposal of wastewater is a growing problem for many cities in developing countries (and not only there). Meanwhile waterscarcity is quickly growing and water price is quickly rising. Especially in cities in aris and semi-arid areas, urban and peri-urban farmers are increasingly using treated or untreated urban wastewater (including water from polluted rivers) for irrigation water and nutrients.

The socio-economic advantages for the urban and peri-urban farmers and environmental gains of these practices have to be weighed against the potential health risks associated with the resue of urban organic wastes and wastewater.

Such risks have to be actively managed in close cooperation between all stakeholders involved and a combination of regulatory, economical, technical and educational measures have to be drawn up in a collaborative manner based on thorough understanding of the transfer mechanisms involved in each of these health hazards

• For a more extensive introduction and review of literature on this subject please go to State of the Art Review.
• Go to RUAF publications for an overview of RUAF publications on this topic (most of which are available online). You may also view the articles in the Urban Agriculture Magazine on this topic.
• Search the Bibliographic Database for other literature references, abstracts and online documents on this subject.