Urban Food Sustainability

Urban Food SustainabilitySurvival urban growers include the low-income
earners, some female-headed households, widows,
Some emerging city farmers in their quest to addressand families deserted by primary wage earners. Food
problems of urban food supply and low income givesufficiency was demonstrated in China during the early
homegrown solutions City dwellers need inexpensive1930s. Shanghai City was able to feed its 3 million
and ample supplies of fresh and enriching food. Andresidents with its own food harvested in the city within
this need builds up fast as time goes by while arablea 100-km radius. The food was not costly and just
urban lands ideal for food production undoubtedlyraised at adjacent areas. This kept prices and transit
shrink. Consequently, the demand for food in not so-cost very low. In Latin America, Haiti has joined urban
distant future becomes more constraining. Thisgardening. Here, residents of some of the under
imminent problem has created urban food raisers inprivileged urban areas use recycled scraps such as
built-up vicinity. Not only food plants, these newtires, baskets, kettles, pails, and other types of
farmers also rear livestock, poultry, and even fish in socontainers in growing food plants, which consequently
compact an area. City residents especially those fromhave improved their health, income, and nutritional
the lower brackets feel insecure about their foodcondition. Improvements came in Haiti because of
supply because food is fast becoming a very costlytraining sessions conducted by various
item. In developing countries such as India, Thailand,community-based and non-governmental organizations
Bolivia, and Egypt, sources revealed that about 69 toin establishing gardens in limited spaces. The objective
89% of resident income is spent on food. Someof the training is aimed at reducing their reliance on
factors trigger the stepping up of urban farming suchpurchased food, which absorbs almost 50% of
as reduced household income, inflation, quick-pacedhousehold expenses. Haiti's average annual per capita
urbanization, uneven food distribution, drought, negligentincome is less than CA $ 350. Average residents, for
city ordinance, among others. About 200 million of cityinstance, in Port-au-Prince, Haitian capital, eat no more
residents in 1993 grow food, supplying nourishment andthan two home-cooked meals per week. They rely
income to about 700 million people. In 1980, about 25%mostly on street food vendors and small eating-places.
of all urban household in the U.S.A. was producing food.Besides zoning laws, urban raising of food plants are
Similarly, about 57% household in six Kenyan citieslimited by other factors such as access to land, and
was engaged in food production. Moscow City, on theaccess to good water supply. These depend on the
other hand, had 32.6 to 70% households. Some citiesdesire or idea of city planners. In the absence of
supply their residents by growing their own food.irrigating water, growers may resort to using polluted
Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Karachi deliverwater, which may directly expose both growers and
about 25 to 85% of their own fruits and vegetables toconsumers to possible danger. Pollution of the water
city population; thus, growers generate income andtable, on the other hand, is its indirect effect. To cope
save cash from the produce. Growers save from 18up with such limited space, some cities resort to
to 60% in household food when they grow their own.compact agriculture where systems are integrated. In
With shrinking land space in the city, residents growHong Kong, for instance, poly-aquaculture is integrated
food plant on land unsuited for building including idlewith animal husbandry. In Singapore, with its limited
public lands. Some use small inaccessible vacant land,area, multi-cropping, hydroponics and the use of
streamsides, flood-prone areas, and even some bodiesearly-maturing or short- growing varieties are used to
of water. Some under-used areas useful for farmingkeep up vegetable supply. The use of hydroponics
could be used for growing food plants. In 1980, Metrogrowing promises fresh greens in compact space
Manila had about 203 km ² of such land; Bangkoksuch as those found in apartments, balcony, and the
had 338 km²; Karachi had 4,850 hectares; Saolike. The simplicity of container gardening using recycled
Paolo had 600 km²; and Bombay had 200scraps, on the other side, must also be harnessed.
km². These areas, though suitable for urbanWith the surfacing of new studies on raising foods in
farming, are not accessible to farmers. Zoning laws, onurban sites, new systems, techniques, policies, and
the other hand, may hinder grower who wants to useeven new regulations must be brought about. In the
his own or his neighbor's land. A study in Kampala,very near future, global urbanization seems inevitable
Uganda has identified the four rationales why residentsas more and more people will reside in the cities, trailing
join urban food plant growing. They participate in urbanbehind the number of population in rural areas. It is time
agriculture because they want to produce cropnow that planners, researchers, and politicians to talk,
commercially; others said they want to belisten, and act.link:
self-sufficient; some reasoned self-sufficiency. OutsideThe author is a Freelance Journalist and Plant
the above-mentioned reasons, the last rationale hingesPathologist, from the University of the Philippines, who
on the fact that other participants have no otherwrites about food and agriculture for local and
recourse, or simply they raise food plants for survival.international journals.