Nevin Cohen

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Innovative US developers are integrating farmland into their residential areas (subdivisions), providing space for food production and linking residents to their farmer-neighbours, with positive consequences for both. Suburban farms can be an important part of a sustainable regional food system. 

Juan Izquierdo, Gilda Carrasco, Juan José Estrada and Sara Granados

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Urban and periurban agriculture requires the use of appropriate technologies that reduce environmental impacts, are easy to implement by the urban farmers, are low-cost, and use local inputs. Since 1996, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been promoting the use of a number of appropriate technologies.

Erika R. Allen

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Growing Power is a national nonprofit organisation and land trust that supports people from diverse backgrounds and the environments in which they live. Growing Power provides hands-on training, on-the-ground demonstration, outreach and technical assistance through the development of Community Food Systems that help people grow, process, market and distribute food in a sustainable manner.

Berihun Tefera and Getachew Tikubet

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Solid waste management is a major challenge facing the cities in the developing world. The commercial recycling of organic waste into a valuable organic fertiliser called "Bio-compost" is new in Addis Ababa and it is having a noticeable impact on improved organic waste management and urban agriculture

BJ Njokwe and M. Mudhara

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

In Msunduzi Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, backyard gardens are growing in popularity. People use small pieces of land to
produce crops, often municipality-owned open grounds or wastelands in their vicinity. Some councillors encourage this and may provide tools and seeds. This policy support is also based on the realisation that sustainable agriculture can contribute to a reduction in pollution in the city.

Hans Peter Reinders and Hans Repko

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Wine production in the Netherlands is increasing. Since the Netherlands is not a traditional wine-producing region there is a tremendous need for new knowledge. This knowledge is partly imported from other regions with similar characteristics, such as Germany. But since every location is unique, specific knowledge also needs to be developed. Research is limited for such a small sector in the Netherlands, so a lot of innovations are developed by the growers themselves. A good example of an innovative enterprise is the Dutch vineyard El Placer, located in the city of Lelystad.

Awa Ba and Ngouda Ba

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Micro-gardening is an innovative response by farmers to urban constraints, but also to urban demands with respect to the quality of products. The urban context in that sense is conducive to technological innovation because of the numerous developments and interactions which take place.

Claudia Patricia Gonzalez Rojas

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

The population of the Bogota Capital District is increasing rapidly. A major reason for this is internal migration. The need for housing for these displaced people has contributed to the accelerated use of periurban and urban areas for construction of houses, affecting the availability of land suitable for urban agriculture. Meanwhile, there is an increase in the demand for arable land and for food that contributes to a balanced diet.

Roxanne Christensen

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Cities are impulsive, boisterous, spontaneous, and competitive, while agriculture is plodding, tranquil, deliberate and deferential. SPIN-Farming is helping to create a world where for one to be right, the other does not have to be wrong.

Thilak T. Ranasinghe

In: UA Magazine no. 19 - Stimulating Innovation in Urban Agriculture

Home gardening is usually seen as a subsistence-oriented production system. However, in urban and suburban areas land is a precious
resource, which is why home gardening can be turned into a profitable production system. In this context the concept of the Family Business Garden was launched on World Environment Day 2000 in Sri Lanka.