Peri-urban agriculture

Peri-urban regions can be defined as 'superficial' rural areas that are within the orbit of immediate urban hubs, in other words, areas that surround large population centers. These regions can also be referred to as 'exurban areas', 'the rural-urban fringe' or the 'fringe', they include the transition zones between the outer limits of the commuter belt and the edge of newly constructed suburban areas. Peri-urban agriculture is generally defined as agriculture undertaken in places on the fringes of urban areas. However, peri-urban agriculture can be described differently depending on the myriad of urban-rural relationships, and the different farming systems within the various cities and contrasting regions around the world. For instance, the focus of peri-urban agriculture in developing countries is primarily concentrated on the relief of hunger and poverty, hence, food security, as for industrialized countries the emphasis is on ecological and social values. There is no universally agreed definition, and usage of the term generally depends on context and operational variables. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines peri-urban agriculture as "agriculture practices within and around cities which compete for resources (land, water, energy, labour) that could also serve other purposes to satisfy the requirements of the urban population." The term “peri-urban” used to describe agriculture, while difficult to define in terms of geography, population density, percentage of labor force in agriculture, or any other variable, often serves the purpose of indicating areas along the urban-rural continuum. These are places with dynamic landscape and social change and are often invoked in conversations about growth of cities. Peri-urban agriculture is first and foremost "the production and distribution of food, fiber and fuel in and around cities". Nevertheless the leading "feature of urban and [peri-urban] agriculture which distinguishes it from rural agriculture is its integration into the urban economic and ecological system"

History The concept of peri-urban has become prevalent as a result of limitations in the dichotomy between rural areas and urban areas. Historically, rural and urban land have been viewed as two separate economic systems with few interactions. Often, these arguments refer to the disappearance and urbanization of rural land. Peri-urban land falls along the continuum of urban to rural land and recognizes links between the two.

Implementation Urban and peri-urban agriculture is expected to become increasingly important for food security and nutrition as rural land is built up. It is predicted to be particularly key for growing perishable produce accessible to the approximately 700 million urban residents already living in developing countries, especially because most growth is expected to take place in urban areas of developing countries. Urban and peri-urban agriculture tend to differ in their form and their purpose. "Urban" usually refers to small areas such as vacant plots, gardens, balconies, containers within cities for growing crops and raising small livestock or milk cows for own consumption or sale in neighbourhood markets. Peri-urban farming more often consists of units close to town which operate intensive semi- or fully commercial farms to grow vegetables and other horticulture, raise chickens and other livestock, and produce milk and eggs. Peri-urban livestock production is often based on small ruminants such as goats and sheep, which occupy less space than cows and bulls, are subjects of virtually no religious taboos, can provide both meat and milk, and generally reproduce at two to three years old.

Benefits Peri-urban agriculture provides environmental benefits by preserving or creating urban open space in city edges where green space may be threatened by expanding urbanization. In addition to aesthetics, preservation and creation of green space has positive climatic effects including augmenting carbon sequestration, reducing the urban heat island effect, and providing a habitat for organisms. Peri-urban agriculture may also help recycle urban greywater and other products of wastewater, helping to conserve water and reduce waste.

Ecosystem services Urban and peri-urban agricultural systems can improve urban environments through provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are "the benefits human populations derive from ecosystems". Through the use of vacant lots and open spaces in urban and man-made environments, urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) contribute to the increase of ecosystem services in these otherwise low providing areas. Additionally, urban and peri-urban agriculture may prevent the extension of agriculture in rural areas, therefore, allowing the preservation and protection of threatened ecosystems and their ecosystem services. Also, the increase of food production capacity in urban and peri-urban areas allows the decrease of the conversions of non-agricultural land to farmland. Moreover, the level of degradation or revitalization of ecosystem services depends on whether an agricultural system is being managed in a sustainable way. For agricultural sustainability is not only about agricultural production but also about managing the landscapes surrounding the agricultural activities. Some of the ecosystem services provided by urban and peri-urban agriculture are inter alia, wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling, temperature regulation, carbon sequestration, water filtration and flood prevention, cultural information, and recreation.

Supporting Urban and peri-urban agriculture zones are key drivers for sustainability and urban biodiversity. Biodiversity favors resilience by supporting and mitigating the negative impacts of the built environment by hosting a diversity of fauna and flora. Also, small urban and peri-urban managed systems have higher quality soil formation than agricultural soils, because of the regular inputs of organic matter, such as composts and manures.

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