DEVELOPMENT OF PERI-URBAN AND URBAN AGRICULTURE FOR IMPROVED LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES AND DISSEMINATION OF TECHNOLOGY Anubha Singh St. Mary’s Convent Inter College. R.D.S.O, Manak nagar Lucknow –226011

Background Information  Fast migration of people from rural to urban areas is expected to cause high demands for food production in the urban and peri-urban environment, where population pressure associated with the waste disposal, problems of slum, development and aspirations of high productivity with profitable marketing will be a challenge for developing sustainable livelihoods.  Supplying nutritionally adequate and safe food to city dwellers will become a challenge.  Policy-makers should seize opportunities for integrating resource management and planning efforts.  understanding potential linkages between rural and urban areas, and addressing the changing needs of our citizens – both in rural and urban areas.

Urban Agglomeration : Urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread constituting a town and its adjoining urban outgrowths (OGs), or two or more physical contiguous towns together and any adjoining urban outgrowths of such towns.

Approaches to UPA (i) Improvement of our understanding on how changing rural urban interactions will affect the livelihood of low incomes and vulnerable groups in urban and rural settlements. (ii) Developing appropriate methodologies to address the emerging scenario. (iii) Adequate financial support from government to stakeholders as well as NGOs. (iv) Proper education and vocational training should be given to the farmers/NGOs. (v) Innovative technologies should constantly be percolated down to the peri urban areas for sustainable production.

THE POTENTIALS OF UPA  UPA has the potential to contribute positively to communal health through collaborative agricultural activities, productive utilization of urban waste products.  The provision of a common green space and networking of producers and consumers.  UPA has the potential both to improve agriculture production and to counteract the deterioration in the quality of the physical environment condition.  Less need for packaging, storage and transportation of food.  Potential agricultural jobs and incomes.  Availability of fresh, perishable food.  Waste recycling and re-use possibilities.

Negative Impacts  Over use of pesticides and fertilizers leads to contamination of of the environment.  Human exposures to pathogens and pollutants is becoming a concern  Many zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted through animals to humans and vice-versa are also coming into picture

REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF UPA  Diversification of crops systems for year round market supply and introduction of new vegetable, milk products and ornamental crops and livestock products to target specific market niches.  Development of appropriate and sustainable intensive technologies for increasing horticulture and livestock production to meet year-round market demands.  Promotion of appropriate small agro-processing to value- addition, including peri-urban products where raw materials and market demand for processed products are available.

Basic needs and plan for UPA  Creation of awareness by the government and municipal bodies for UPA.  Identification of stakeholders and institutional framework (prime contact).  Identification of main constraints to agriculture and greening.  Site survey – Identification of current and potential sites for UPA.  Identification of potential of cultivation practices.

EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNING Educating innovative technologies in agriculture under urban and peri urban areas at the School and College level will generate manpower for strengthening the agricultural programmes and increase the livelihood and food production in future generations.

FUTURE THRUST  Strengthening education and research on the peri-urban agriculture by designing courses at school, college and university level so that available technologies are widely disseminated. Such efforts to develop skilled manpower would be able to take up the challenge of safer food production in future.  Campaigning awareness programmes and sensitizing people for wastes and water recycling for crop production.  There is need to create community-based infrastructure for UPA to facilitate on how crops are grown, the food is processed and it is transferred from farmer (producers) to the consumers.