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Re-conceptualizing urban agriculture: an exploration of farming along the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi, India

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  • Jessica Cook
  • Kate Oviatt
  • Deborah Main
  • Harpreet Kaur
  • John Brett

Abstract

The proportion of the world’s population living in urban areas is increasing rapidly, with the vast majority of this growth in developing countries. As growing populations in urban areas demand greater food supplies, coupled with a rise in rural to urban migration and the need to create livelihood options, there has been an increase in urban agriculture worldwide. Urban agriculture is commonly discussed as a sustainable solution for dealing with gaps in the local food system, and proponents often highlight the many social, environmental, and economic benefits. We argue that the sustainability of urban agriculture should not be assumed. There is a need for research to take a bottom-up approach, exploring the influence that city-level conditions have on livelihood decisions by farmers and how this shapes the practice of urban agriculture. This paper uses a case study for an in-depth look at urban agriculture in Delhi, India to understand from the farmers’ perspective how urban agriculture is practiced and what factors influence farmers’ livelihood decisions. Using a team-based, multi-method Rapid Assessment Process, data were collected through preliminary key informant interviews, field observations, semi-structured interviews with urban farmers, and geographic information systems mapping. This research provides an in-depth description of market-oriented urban agriculture in a developing country, explores how farmers’ livelihood decisions are embedded in the urban context, and discusses the potential of urban agriculture as a sustainable city-system. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica Cook & Kate Oviatt & Deborah Main & Harpreet Kaur & John Brett, 2015. "Re-conceptualizing urban agriculture: an exploration of farming along the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi, India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(2), pages 265-279, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:32:y:2015:i:2:p:265-279
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-014-9545-z
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    Cited by:

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    2. Jessica Ann Diehl & Kate Oviatt & Amanda Jennifer Chandra & Harpreet Kaur, 2019. "Household Food Consumption Patterns and Food Security among Low-Income Migrant Urban Farmers in Delhi, Jakarta, and Quito," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Hebinck, Aniek & Selomane, Odirilwe & Veen, Esther & de Vrieze, Anke & Hasnain, Saher & Sellberg, My & Sovová, Lucie & Thompson, Kyle & Vervoort, Joost & Wood, Amanda, 2020. "Exploring the transformative potential of urban food: a future research agenda," SocArXiv 4k6dh, Center for Open Science.
    4. Michelle Chihambakwe & Paramu Mafongoya & Obert Jiri, 2018. "Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture as A Pathway to Food Security: A Review Mapping the Use of Food Sovereignty," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.

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