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Urban Food Sustainability

Urban  Food  Sustainabilityfood 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 toFood sufficiency was demonstrated in China
address problems of urban food supply and lowduring the early 1930s. Shanghai City was
income give homegrown solutions Cityable to feed its 3 million residents with its
dwellers need inexpensive and ample suppliesown food harvested in the city within a
of fresh and enriching food. And this need100-km radius. The food was not costly and
builds up fast as time goes by while arablejust raised at adjacent areas. This kept
urban lands ideal for food productionprices and transit cost very low. In Latin
undoubtedly shrink. Consequently, the demandAmerica, Haiti has joined urban gardening.
for food in not so- distant future becomesHere, residents of some of the under
more constraining. This imminent problem hasprivileged urban areas use recycled scraps
created urban food raisers in built-upsuch as tires, baskets, kettles, pails, and
vicinity. Not only food plants, these newother types of containers in growing food
farmers also rear livestock, poultry, andplants, which consequently have improved
even fish in so compact an area. Citytheir health, income, and nutritional
residents especially those from the lowercondition. Improvements came in Haiti
brackets feel insecure about their foodbecause of training sessions conducted by
supply because food is fast becoming a veryvarious community-based and non-governmental
costly item. In developing countries such asorganizations in establishing gardens in
India, Thailand, Bolivia, and Egypt, sourceslimited spaces. The objective of the training
revealed that about 69 to 89% of residentis aimed at reducing their reliance on
income is spent on food. Some factorspurchased food, which absorbs almost 50% of
trigger the stepping up of urban farming suchhousehold expenses. Haiti's average annual
as reduced household income, inflation,per capita income is less than CA $ 350.
quick-paced urbanization, uneven foodAverage residents, for instance, in
distribution, drought, negligent cityPort-au-Prince, Haitian capital, eat no more
ordinance, among others. About 200 millionthan 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 700eating-places. Besides zoning laws, urban
million people. In 1980, about 25% of allraising of food plants are limited by other
urban household in the U.S.A. was producingfactors such as access to land, and access to
food. Similarly, about 57% household in sixgood 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 toirrigating water, growers may resort to using
70% households. Some cities supply theirpolluted water, which may directly expose
residents by growing their own food.both growers and consumers to possible
Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Karachidanger. Pollution of the water table, on the
deliver about 25 to 85% of their own fruitsother 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 fromresort to compact agriculture where systems
the produce. Growers save from 18 to 60% inare 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 unsuitedarea, 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 someof hydroponics growing promises fresh greens
bodies of water. Some under-used areasin compact space such as those found in
useful for farming could be used for growingapartments, balcony, and the like. The
food plants. In 1980, Metro Manila had aboutsimplicity of container gardening using
203 km ² of such land; Bangkok had 338recycled scraps, on the other side, must also
km²; Karachi had 4,850 hectares; Sao Paolobe 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 urbansystems, 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 hindervery near future, global urbanization seems
grower who wants to use his own or hisinevitable as more and more people will
neighbor's land. A study in Kampala, Ugandareside in the cities, trailing behind the
has identified the four rationales whynumber of population in rural areas. It is
residents join urban food plant growing. Theytime now that planners, researchers, and
participate in urban agriculture because theypoliticians 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 theFreelance Journalist and Plant Pathologist,
above-mentioned reasons, the last rationalefrom the University of the Philippines, who
hinges on the fact that other participantswrites about food and agriculture for local
have no other recourse, or simply they raiseand international journals.



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