Urban agriculture is the practice of growing crops and raising animals, fish, and even bees in urban and suburban areas. The innovative approach allows not only to provide citizens with fresh food and jobs but also make urban areas greener, slowing down the processes of climate change and improving the ecological situation.
A bit of history
The idea of land cultivating and setting up livestock farms in the city is not new. But if in the past it was addressed as a temporary measure:
- at the beginning of the 19th century in Germany due to the increased poverty of the townspeople;
- in 1893 in Detroit due to lack of food;
- in the USA, Canada, and England during the First World War today, urban agriculture is becoming a common practice and reaches an unprecedented scale.
Advantages
Growing plants and animals in city areas have many advantages beyond the obvious ones (additional food and jobs).
It allows reducing the cost of transportation, so the locally produced products are cheaper. It stimulates entrepreneurial activity and has a beneficial effect on the city's economy. It is less dependent on natural conditions since watering and lighting are artificially regulated.
In addition, numerous gardens on the land and on the roofs of buildings improve the ecological situation and the emotional state of people.
Finally, the urban agriculture economy does not require huge areas it is can be very compact due to the development of «vertical» farms, that have several floors/layers. The same approach is applied in fish and bee urban farms.
