FOODCITYBOOST. Exploring Urban Agriculture

The FOODCITYBOOST project aims to expand knowledge on the impact of various forms of urban agriculture and associated policies on communities.

– It also aims to provide tools for creating new, integrated policies tailored to the European Green Deal and the 'Farm to Fork' strategy, which will influence the development of the most beneficial forms of this agriculture – says Dr. Marta Sylla, adding that the project's actions will build on previous ones, such as FoodShift2030, in which she was involved, as well as on EFUA (The European Forum on Urban Agriculture), FoodE (a consortium led by the University of Bologna comprising 24 organizations: universities, research institutes, SMEs, NGOs, and city councils from eight EU countries), New Bauhaus initiatives, and large-scale databases such as the FEW-Meter tool.

According to the project's objectives, FOODCITYBOOST aims to provide integrated tools for the development, evaluation, and monitoring of urban agriculture in various urban environments and its economic, social, and environmental impacts. One such tool will be a multi-level co-design platform (with a user-friendly interface) that will support practitioners on one side and enable dialogue with decision-makers and other stakeholders on the other. The platform will also serve as a source of information on guidelines for implementing local, regional, and European policies.

As Daniel Münderlein, formerly associated with the University of Aachen and since 2022 in Kassel at the Institute of Landscape Architecture, explains, urban agriculture is an extremely dynamic phenomenon that evolves continuously over time and space. He emphasizes that a detailed understanding of urban agriculture is necessary in research, as well as for sustainable implementation and integration of this agriculture in urban planning and development.'

What is "urban agriculture"? It includes urban farms, community parks, DIY gardens/farms, zero-emission farms, community gardens, and social farms. This diversity is inherently linked to spatial planning and the type of agricultural production, as well as social attitudes. The phenomenon of urban agriculture (if one can even call it a phenomenon) is not new: throughout history, it has played a fundamental role in the urban food system. Since the earliest cities were established, their residents needed food from (sub)urban spaces. For example, the "villa rustica", a suburban farm near Roman cities, provided food for local markets. In the Middle Ages, monastic gardens and fields outside city walls served this function. Today, urban agriculture is valued not only for food production but also for the economic, social, and ecological benefits it can provide.

According to Mougeot's definition, "it is an industry located within (inner-city) or on the outskirts (suburban) of a city, town, or metropolis, processing and distributing various food and non-food products, largely (re)utilizing human and material resources, products, and services found in and around the urban area, thereby supplying human and material resources, products, and services primarily for this urban area." – Simply speaking, urban agriculture is defined as food cultivation in and around the city, connected to the city and its residents. Despite significant diversity, all forms of urban agriculture located in urban or suburban spaces often provide food in combination with other services and are socially, economically, and/or ecologically integrated with the urban system – explains Dr. Marta Sylla, adding that the needs of cities, or rather their residents, also evolve.

An urban farmer is also someone with a balcony who grows tomatoes on that balcony, a person with an allotment garden where cucumbers or strawberries are cultivated, or an entrepreneur engaged in mushroom farming in a basement in the city center. In 2021, EFUA created a typology and characterization of urban agriculture based on a study of 112 different initiatives in its scope conducted across Europe. This study characterized initiatives based on a large number of variables (e.g., size, location, cultivated products, and whether they are sold). The conclusions were confirmed in interviews with sixteen urban agriculture experts from eleven different EU countries and based on literature on the subject.

Field research, i.e., in specific farms and initiatives endorsed by non-governmental organizations, led to the identification of types of urban agriculture, and a conducted survey defined its ten key features, which were divided into four main dimensions: spatial, operational, productive, and community.

– For example, farms where, in addition to growing vegetables, activities for children are conducted. Places where it's not just about cultivation, but also about attitudes, understanding what food production, safety, and ecology mean today. In this project, we not only want to promote such initiatives but most importantly support them by providing concrete tools for exchanging experiences with other producers and for a shorter path to decision-makers – explains Dr. Marta Sylla, who has been involved in projects related to short supply chains and food security of city residents since the beginning of her research work at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.
 
 

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  Dr Marta Sylla with the MEN scholarship for outstanding young scientists

  A researcher from UPWr was awarded the scholarship of the Minister of Education and Science for outstanding young scientists for scientific achievements in socio-economic geography and spatial management.

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  FoodSHIFT 2030: a plant-based diet is healthy and puts less strain on the environment

  Promoting local agriculture and organic food, the FoodSHIFT 2030 project will leave behind more than the community and school gardens that have been established in Wrocław in recent years. – We can see that the community is ready to build a more local food system and we are convinced that the last 42 months of work are only the beginning of change, says Dr Małgorzata Świąder from the Institute of Spatial Management at UPWr.