Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture is a concept that encompasses various activities related to the production processing and distribution of food in urban and peri-urban areas. Driven by factors such as rapid urbanization increasing population demand for food and the pursuit of sustainable living urban agriculture is increasingly recognized as a key tool in sustainable urban development policies for creating productive urban spaces and self-sustaining cities. Its scope may include not only the cultivation of food and non-food products but also their processing and distribution processes.

Historical Development

Although urban agriculture is often regarded as a modern concept its practices date back to ancient times. For example the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are dated to the 570s BCE. In the 19th century traditional agricultural systems such as hobby gardens in Europe community vegetable plots established in African colonies and the chinampas of Mexico can be considered early examples of urban agriculture. During major crisis periods such as the World Wars urban agriculture expanded widely across many countries as a solution to food shortages. For instance during World War I millions of urban gardens were established in the United States. In the 1970s growing environmental concerns and interest in alternative lifestyles brought urban food production back into focus and the community garden movement particularly in the United States laid the foundations for modern urban agriculture. In recent years global developments such as rapid urbanization disruptions in food supply chains and the COVID-19 pandemic have further increased interest in urban agriculture.

Types and Forms of Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture can be classified into various types according to its purpose scale and location. Broadly it can be categorized as commercial and non-commercial applications.

Non-Commercial Applications

This category generally includes activities carried out by individuals or communities for their own consumption social interaction education or recreation. Major examples include:

• Private gardens (in home yards balconies).
• Community gardens (also known as hobby gardens); areas where urban residents come together to farm collectively or individually on shared or individual plots.
• Institutional gardens (gardens established within institutions such as schools or hospitals).
• Display and educational gardens.
• Edible landscaping practices and guerrilla gardening (unauthorized greening of vacant spaces).

Commercial Applications

Activities in this category aim to bring products to market and generate income. They include commercial farms and greenhouses established within or around cities mushroom production facilities and beekeeping as well as the infrastructure and organization required for processing packaging and selling these products.

Peri-Urban Agriculture

This refers to agricultural activities carried out in transitional zones between urban centers and rural areas (peri-urban areas). These zones may exhibit both urban and rural characteristics and typically have the potential for larger-scale production on more extensive land than urban agriculture. Peri-urban agriculture can play a significant role in meeting the food needs of cities and in guiding planned urban expansion.

Urban agriculture activities can be implemented in a wide variety of spaces including residential gardens rooftops and balconies of apartment buildings vacant public or private land parks roadside areas schoolyards and even vertical surfaces of buildings.

Methods and Techniques

In urban agriculture traditional soil-based farming methods are commonly used alongside modern and innovative techniques especially in situations where space is limited soil is infertile or contaminated.

Traditional Soil-Based Farming

This is the most common method found in urban vegetable gardens hobby gardens and home gardens. It involves classic agricultural practices such as tilling fertilizing and irrigating the soil.

Soilless Farming Systems

These are methods in which plants are grown without soil using nutrient solutions or neutral growing media. These systems can improve efficiency in water and nutrient use and enable year-round production under controlled environments. Major soilless farming techniques include:

• Hydroponics: A system in which plant roots are grown directly in nutrient solutions or in solid media such as perlite vermiculite or coconut coir that are in contact with nutrient solutions.
• Aquaponics: A symbiotic system integrating aquaculture (fish or other aquatic organism farming) with hydroponics. Fish waste serves as a natural fertilizer for plants while plants purify the water providing a suitable environment for fish.
• Aeroponics: A method in which plant roots are suspended in air and nutrient solutions are sprayed or misted onto the roots.

Vertical Farming

This is a method developed primarily to address space constraints in urban areas. It involves growing crops in stacked layers on structures such as shelves walls or towers. It is typically implemented using soilless farming techniques and controlled environmental conditions (light temperature humidity).

In these modern systems artificial lighting sources such as LED (Light-Emitting Diode) are used to support plant growth when natural sunlight is insufficient or in enclosed environments.

Economic Social and Environmental Impacts

Urban agriculture practices are reported to have various impacts on urban life and urban ecosystems.

Economic Contributions

Urban agriculture can provide an additional source of income for individuals and households or contribute to household budgets by reducing food expenses. It can create local employment opportunities and particularly encourage small-scale entrepreneurship. At the same time it can help revitalize local economies through local food production and sales.

Social Functions and Societal Impacts

One of its most important social functions is increasing urban residents’ access to fresh healthy and nutritious food and contributing to food security. Shared spaces such as community gardens strengthen social interaction neighborhood relations and community bonds. They offer individuals opportunities to connect with nature engage with soil and learn new skills (education). They also provide a recreational activity and can positively affect physical and mental health through practices such as horticultural therapy. In some cases they are also used in the rehabilitation process to reintegrate marginalized groups into society.

Environmental Role and Ecological Contributions

Urban agriculture helps increase green spaces in cities thereby improving urban ecosystems. Vegetation can enhance air quality reduce the urban heat island effect and improve stormwater management. It can create habitats that support and enhance biodiversity. Composting organic urban waste for reuse in agricultural production offers a positive contribution to waste management. Shortening the distance between where food is produced and where it is consumed (short supply chains) can reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption associated with food transportation.

Sustainability and Relationship with Urban Development

Urban agriculture is regarded as an essential component of sustainable urban development strategies and efforts to create self-sustaining and more livable cities. It has the potential to contribute at various levels to achieving goals such as ending hunger ensuring healthy and quality life creating sustainable cities and communities adopting responsible production and consumption patterns and combating climate change as outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). When integrated into urban planning processes it can promote more efficient use of urban spaces and enhance the ecological social and economic resilience of cities.

Examples from Around the World and Türkiye

Urban agriculture is practiced in various forms in numerous cities worldwide under diverse socio-economic and geographical conditions.

Examples from Around the World

In Africa and Latin America a significant portion of the urban population is engaged in urban agricultural activities. Cuba is known for its national policies supporting urban agriculture and opening up vacant urban land for food production. In the United States cities such as Detroit and Kansas City are notable for community gardens and agricultural projects targeting migrants while Montreal in Canada hosts extensive participatory community gardening initiatives. In Europe prominent examples include the widespread community gardens in Berlin agroecology projects in the peri-urban areas of the United Kingdom (e.g. The Fringe Farming and the Organiclea Hawkwood Nursery in London) and planned urban agriculture settlements such as Oosterwold in Almere the Netherlands. The establishment of one of Europe’s largest urban farms on the roof of a major exhibition complex in Paris and even experiments in growing plants using soilless techniques aboard the International Space Station (ISS) illustrate the diversity of urban agriculture applications.

Examples from Türkiye

Türkiye has a long-standing tradition of urban agriculture; the historic Yedikule Gardens in Istanbul are the most well-known example. Today contemporary practices include hobby gardens implemented by various municipalities and civil society organizations (e.g. in Eskişehir and Konya) medicinal herb gardens (e.g. the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden) green roof applications and soilless farming experiments at some universities (e.g. Yıldız Technical University). Local government plans such as İzmir Metropolitan Municipality’s Green Infrastructure Strategy and national policy documents such as the Twelfth Development Plan (2024–2028) include targets for developing urban agriculture along the peripheries of major consumption centers.

Policy Planning and Challenges

To fully realize the potential of urban agriculture supportive policies must be developed and effectively integrated into urban planning processes. However urban agriculture practices face several challenges. Among the most important are lack of access to and security of land use rights contamination of urban soils by pollutants such as heavy metals limited water resources and their sustainable management insufficient initial capital and financial support mechanisms and lack of technical knowledge and skills. Local and central administrations play crucial roles in overcoming these challenges and promoting urban agriculture. International organizations such as the Urban Agriculture Network (TUAN) and the Resource Centres for Urban and Agricultural Development (RUAF) also support information sharing and policy development in this field.