Hans Schiere, Barbara Rischkowsky, Eric Thys, Jaap Schiere and Francine Matthys

In: Cities Farming for the Future - Urban Agriculture for Green and Productive Cities

Livestock keeping in and around cities is a practice that can be traced back to ancient times. The functions and forms of urban livestock have changed over time, and after decades of neglect, the roles of urban livestock are now being recognised again by urban officials. This chapter reviews the categorisations, relevance and logic of urban livestock keeping in past and modern society. It stresses that animals can be both a nuisance and a benefit, serving several direct and indirect functions in urban ecosystems, each with different priorities at household, city and national level.

‘For want of a nail the war was lost …’ - ancient story

‘The city requires an awful lot of countryside to be able to breathe’ - Geert Mak