Urban Agriculture Diverse Activities and Benefits for City Society

Most of us live in cities. These are becoming increasingly complex and removed from broad-scale agriculture. Yet within cities there are many examples of greenspaces and local food production that bring multiple benefits that often go unnoticed. This book presents a collection of the latest thinking on the multiple dimensions of sustainable greenspace and food production within cities. It describes the diversity of 'urban agriculture' and seeks a balanced representation between the biophysical and the social. It deals with urban agriculture across scales - from indoor plants to farm-scale filtration of greywater. A range of examples and initiatives from both developed and developing countries is described and evaluated.

Challenging, Multidimensional Agriculture in Cities Food Price Volatility and the Urban Poor Sustainable Urban Agriculture: Stocktake and Opportunities The Multi-Functional Use of Urban Green Space Empowering Residents and Improving Governance In Low Income Communities through Urban Greening Strengthening Capacity for Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security through Urban Agriculture Among HIV and AIDS Affected Households in Nakuru, Kenya Putting the Culture Back into Agriculture: Civic Engagement, Community and the Celebration of Local Food The Emergence of Urban Agriculture: Sydney Australia The Challenges to Urban Agriculture in the Sydney Basin and Lower Blue Mountains Region of Australia Agronomic Considerations for Urban Agriculture in Southern Cities Urban Agriculture and Sanitation Services in Accra, Ghana: The Overlooked Contribution Agriculture on the Edge: Strategies to Abate Urban Encroachment onto Agricultural Lands by Promoting Viable Human Scale Agriculture as an Integral Element of Urbanization Nourishing Urbanism: A Case for a New Urban Paradigm

Craig Pearson is Director of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia.