Urban Farming and Public Procurement for Healthy Cities

Danish NCD Alliance/CPH 19.03.2012

Outline of lecture

• Urbanization and the changing face of poverty

• Urban Farming as part of a solution

• Present overall project idea:

Healthy cities – Healthy diets: Integrating Urban Farming and Public food procurement

Urbanization:The mark of the 21 century

Urban dynamics

• 60 % of the world is now urban – 70% in 35 years

• Every week a new city emerges with over 1. mio. inhabitants (mostly in developing countries) – Growth of Megapolis 10 mio+

• Every year the population of France migrates from rural to urban

• In only 35 years two more India will have emerged (2.5 billion more people)

Growing Urban Poverty

• Food crisis & rising food prices

• The Urban sector’s share of the poor is rising over time

• Absolute poverty is higher in rural areas (75% of DC’s poor still live in rural areas)

Rising food prices

2 and 3 illustrated

Number of poor (millions) Percent of DW’s population below each poverty line

Urban share of the poor (%)

Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total

1$ a day 1993 236 1,036 1,272 13.5 36.6 27.8 18.5

2002 283 883 1,165 12.8 29.3 22.3 24.2

2$ a day 1993 683 2,215 2,898 39.1 78.2 63.3 23.6

2002 746 2,097 2,843 33.7 69.7 54.4 26.2

The Slum Dog Billion

• > 30% of the world’s urban population –1 billion people –resides in slums

• 90% of slum dwellers live in developing world

Slum population by region

Urban Agriculture as a solution?

• 800 mio. people around the

world make a living from

urban farming – major part in

the metropolis’ of Asia

• 200 mio. people make a living from selling their urban farm products to a market

• Cities around the world are already producing on average 1/3 of the food the inhabitants consume

3 Types of Urban farming• Micro scale farm plots integrated with

social housing or slum projects (often vacant intra city-plots

• Smaller scale multifunctional (agro)forestry in green city-corridors or peri-urban areas (often less favorable areas: Steep slopes, river banks, tree belt to stop desertfication,

utilizing sewage waste)

• Cluster of more intensive high-tech farming with livestock (pork, chicken and fishfarms) or greenhouse produce inter-acting in different forms of cooperation utilizing manure etc

(Often Peri-urban areas)

Social (Inclusive city)

Economical(Productive city)

Ecological (Environmental

Healthy city)

Multifunctional UA

* Organic and diverse agriculture and (agro-) forestry close to consumers•Combination with other functions (recreation, urban greening, microclimate, park management, water storage, education)* CO2 reduction

Subsistence oriented UA

Production of food for selfconsumption* Savings on food & healthexpenditures* Some income from selling ofsurpluses* Part of livelihood strategies of the urban poor

Market oriented UA

* Income generation fromproducing food and non-foodproducts for the market* Small scale family based andlarger scale entrepreneurial enterprises

Operating within three areas

Positive urban farm outcomes

• Poverty alleviation

– Reduces food expences (normally 60-80% of household budget)

– Potential for generating income by surplus sales (30-70$/month compared with minimum wage 20-40$/month)

– Generating linkages to new jobs in inputs, (organic waste collection, composting), processing and marketing, transport, veterinary services etc

Positive Urban Farm cont…

• Healthy city - Urban food security

– Buffer on food hikes and food supplies securing potentially a healthy diet

– Regular food intake

– Mitigating the ’double burden of malnutrition’

wasting (weight/height)

stunting (height/age)

diabetes/obesity

Problems related to Urban farming

• Health risks for producers as well as consumers (inappropriate use of wastewater, contaminated rivers/streams)

• Inadequate management of livestock(confinements for collecting urine,manure risk of attracting rats)

Problems cont…..

• Inadequate supplies of nutrient inputs

• Theft

• Exposure to land, air, water contamination from traffic, industry

• Poor land use security/rights

Project idea: Healthy Cities – Healthy Diets

• Integrating Urban farming with Public food procurement as a driver for social inclusion (School meal programs, hospitals, nursery)

– Children are send to school (free meal)

– Children can stay awake in class

– Higher chance teachers stay at school

– Medicine works (aids, TB etc)

– Educational integration

Urban Farming targeting:

• Social inclusion (garden training, nutrient and pest handling, healthy food education)

• Market sale (marketing training, small shop set up, new service job linkages: organic waste collection, transport, seed or seedling production)

• Environmental services (sanitary awareness,Greening the city, water management,Demonstration plotsn plots

• Agriculture & rural development are still important in mitigating poverty

• But new political initiatives integrating urbanization, poverty and health is needed

• Urban Farming offers quick and concrete solutions targeting and unifying difficult challenges:

– Improved food security– Better sanitary services and Health– Broad range of Environmental services– Organic waste collection and compost making– New job creation– Human & political rights focus

Quick conclusions