| Urban Food Sustainability | | | | food plants for survival. Survival urban |
| | | | growers include the low-income earners, some |
| | | | female-headed households, widows, and |
| | | | families deserted by primary wage earners. |
| Some emerging city farmers in their quest to | | | | Food sufficiency was demonstrated in China |
| address problems of urban food supply and low | | | | during the early 1930s. Shanghai City was |
| income give homegrown solutions City | | | | able to feed its 3 million residents with its |
| dwellers need inexpensive and ample supplies | | | | own food harvested in the city within a |
| of fresh and enriching food. And this need | | | | 100-km radius. The food was not costly and |
| builds up fast as time goes by while arable | | | | just raised at adjacent areas. This kept |
| urban lands ideal for food production | | | | prices and transit cost very low. In Latin |
| undoubtedly shrink. Consequently, the demand | | | | America, Haiti has joined urban gardening. |
| for food in not so- distant future becomes | | | | Here, residents of some of the under |
| more constraining. This imminent problem has | | | | privileged urban areas use recycled scraps |
| created urban food raisers in built-up | | | | such as tires, baskets, kettles, pails, and |
| vicinity. Not only food plants, these new | | | | other types of containers in growing food |
| farmers also rear livestock, poultry, and | | | | plants, which consequently have improved |
| even fish in so compact an area. City | | | | their health, income, and nutritional |
| residents especially those from the lower | | | | condition. Improvements came in Haiti |
| brackets feel insecure about their food | | | | because of training sessions conducted by |
| supply because food is fast becoming a very | | | | various community-based and non-governmental |
| costly item. In developing countries such as | | | | organizations in establishing gardens in |
| India, Thailand, Bolivia, and Egypt, sources | | | | limited spaces. The objective of the training |
| revealed that about 69 to 89% of resident | | | | is aimed at reducing their reliance on |
| income is spent on food. Some factors | | | | purchased food, which absorbs almost 50% of |
| trigger the stepping up of urban farming such | | | | household expenses. Haiti's average annual |
| as reduced household income, inflation, | | | | per capita income is less than CA $ 350. |
| quick-paced urbanization, uneven food | | | | Average residents, for instance, in |
| distribution, drought, negligent city | | | | Port-au-Prince, Haitian capital, eat no more |
| ordinance, among others. About 200 million | | | | than two home-cooked meals per week. They |
| of city residents in 1993 grow food, | | | | rely mostly on street food vendors and small |
| supplying nourishment and income to about 700 | | | | eating-places. Besides zoning laws, urban |
| million people. In 1980, about 25% of all | | | | raising of food plants are limited by other |
| urban household in the U.S.A. was producing | | | | factors such as access to land, and access to |
| food. Similarly, about 57% household in six | | | | good water supply. These depend on the desire |
| Kenyan cities was engaged in food production. | | | | or idea of city planners. In the absence of |
| Moscow City, on the other hand, had 32.6 to | | | | irrigating water, growers may resort to using |
| 70% households. Some cities supply their | | | | polluted water, which may directly expose |
| residents by growing their own food. | | | | both growers and consumers to possible |
| Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Karachi | | | | danger. Pollution of the water table, on the |
| deliver about 25 to 85% of their own fruits | | | | other hand, is its indirect effect. To cope |
| and vegetables to city population; thus, | | | | up with such limited space, some cities |
| growers generate income and save cash from | | | | resort to compact agriculture where systems |
| the produce. Growers save from 18 to 60% in | | | | are integrated. In Hong Kong, for instance, |
| household food when they grow their own. | | | | poly-aquaculture is integrated with animal |
| With shrinking land space in the city, | | | | husbandry. In Singapore, with its limited |
| residents grow food plant on land unsuited | | | | area, multi-cropping, hydroponics and the use |
| for building including idle public lands. | | | | of early-maturing or short- growing varieties |
| Some use small inaccessible vacant land, | | | | are used to keep up vegetable supply. The use |
| streamsides, flood-prone areas, and even some | | | | of hydroponics growing promises fresh greens |
| bodies of water. Some under-used areas | | | | in compact space such as those found in |
| useful for farming could be used for growing | | | | apartments, balcony, and the like. The |
| food plants. In 1980, Metro Manila had about | | | | simplicity of container gardening using |
| 203 km ² of such land; Bangkok had 338 | | | | recycled scraps, on the other side, must also |
| km²; Karachi had 4,850 hectares; Sao Paolo | | | | be harnessed. With the surfacing of new |
| had 600 km²; and Bombay had 200 km². | | | | studies on raising foods in urban sites, new |
| These areas, though suitable for urban | | | | systems, techniques, policies, and even new |
| farming, are not accessible to farmers. | | | | regulations must be brought about. In the |
| Zoning laws, on the other hand, may hinder | | | | very near future, global urbanization seems |
| grower who wants to use his own or his | | | | inevitable as more and more people will |
| neighbor's land. A study in Kampala, Uganda | | | | reside in the cities, trailing behind the |
| has identified the four rationales why | | | | number of population in rural areas. It is |
| residents join urban food plant growing. They | | | | time now that planners, researchers, and |
| participate in urban agriculture because they | | | | politicians to talk, listen, and act.link: |
| want to produce crop commercially; others | | | | _____________________________________________ |
| said they want to be self-sufficient; some | | | | ___________________________ The author is a |
| reasoned self-sufficiency. Outside the | | | | Freelance Journalist and Plant Pathologist, |
| above-mentioned reasons, the last rationale | | | | from the University of the Philippines, who |
| hinges on the fact that other participants | | | | writes about food and agriculture for local |
| have no other recourse, or simply they raise | | | | and international journals. |