Urban farming in EU: perspectives, challenges, and practical implementations
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The thematic unit “Urban farming in EU: perspectives, challenges, and practical implementations” is devoted to the analysis of the EU engagement urban farms and urban food production.
Globally, urbanization is rapidly growing, with more than two-thirds of the 9 billion world population projected to live in cities by 2050 (UN, 2008; WB, 2008; FAO, 2013). In the last 50 years, 50% of arable land per capita is lost. All this reduces our ability to produce food. At the same time, 1.2 billion people in the world are overweight, and 800 million do not have enough food. Global urban expansion and loss of arable lands raises the issue of food security and nutrition quality as an urban problem of high priority and deliberates the importance of urban food production for sustainable city development (Lal, 2017; IFPRI, 2017). Urban agriculture is one of the solutions for the problem of urban expansion and loss of arable land. It is beneficial for a city by providing essential ecosystem services (ESs), e.g., provisioning, regulating, cultural, and aesthetic. However, environmental risks (e.g., soil and water contamination and greenhouse gas emission) and anxiety of city inhabitants to produce and consume urban food constrain the integration of urban agriculture in city development strategies.
CONTENT OF THE COURSE
Urban farming and food security in the EU: overviewing the concept
Presenting case studies from Italy, Netherlands, and Poland
Suitability of urban areas for food production: climatic perspective
Suitability of urban areas for food production: soils perspective
Comparative analysis of climate and soil conditions in Rome and Moscow to evaluate perspectives of urban farming
Socio-economical, cultural and educational benefits of urban farming
Design approaches to enhance the aesthetic value of urban farms
Assessing ecosystem services provided by urban farms
Projecting a conceptual urban farm in Moscow city