Urban Agriculture

What is it? The Cuban definition: all agricultural and animal production that occurs within cities or peripheries that receive direct influence from cities.

Benefits Produces healthy food! Reduces transportation energy and pollution Requires less pesticides Purifies air and water Beautiful! Wildlife habitat Biodiversity

More developed in the developing world Various countries in Latin America have well-developed systems Cuba has its own Ministry of Urban Agriculture Focus in much of the development is on traditional plots on vacant land Urban Agriculture produces 60% of veggies consumed by populations in Accra, Ghana and Shanghai, China

Is it really innovation? Much of the momentum for urban agriculture lies in the push for community gardens, or available land so people can create their won small plots. Community gardens and plots are amazing BUT, this way of thinking is not as innovative and ingenious as it seems It is still taking a traditional view of growing crops and trying to force it in the urban settings What is vital is that we also combine agriculture/ecology and urbanity rather than holding onto two separate ideals and trying to sandwich them together

Challenges in the developed world Developed world has much more contested land with stricter property ownership Established plot gardening still runs the risk of being bought out Because of this we must be more innovative and focus on adapting ecology to unwanted or derelict land.

My Neighborhood! The Annex Back Alleys, Railroads, and Vertical Thinking The neighborhood is already densely developed There are many people already growing their own food in backyard plots and even some vertical structures There are not many areas in which to establish allotment type gardens, thus neglected areas must be explored

An overview

Railroads

Crops instead of garbage

Permeability and Efficiency

Using existing vertical structures

Waiting for the bus could be more pleasant….

Using Vertical Space

Two purposes instead of one

Allotments

There are some good examples too!

A need for creativity in adapting to urban spaces Use whatever you can, where ever you can

I Hope not… The Future?