The Fruits of Diversity Community Orchard, located in Portland, Oregon in an affordable housing neighborhood, is a site of alternative food provisioning in which a group of people, organized by two nonprofits, work together to manage fruit and nut producing plants. Through conversations with volunteers who participate regularly and participant observation, this study explores the questions: What does community mean in the context of a community orchard? In what ways does partnering with a nonprofit from outside the neighborhood influence community and the way the project is operationalized? This thesis situates community orchards within the literature on alternative food networks (AFN) and highlights three key findings drawing on literature about community development and race in AFNs. First, neighbors and non-neighbors who participate in the project propose different definitions of community. Second, neighbor involvement is limited by a number of factors, including neighborhood divisions and organizational challenges. Notably, orchard participants do not reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the neighborhood, putting this project at risk of creating a white space in a majority people of color neighborhood and reproducing inequality rather than fighting against it. Finally, this research complicates the notion of community in alternative food networks and demonstrates how collaborating with an organization from outside the neighborhood impacted the community through increasing non-neighbor participation and through their communications, aesthetics, decision making, and inattention to racial dynamics in the neighborhood and orchard.

No description available.

No description available.

Den snabbt växande urbaniseringen och den ökande befolkningen i världen har bidragit till markexploatering i städer, vilket kan ske på bekostnad av åkermarker. Ett annat fenomen som sker globalt är det ökande behovet av livsmedel som förväntas öka med 70% i takt med befolkningstillväxten. I och med Coronapandemin har det även uppdagats att Sverige endast kan försörja 50% av befolkningen vid en kris. De senaste åren har begreppet Stadsbruk vuxit fram, vilket syftar till kommersiell odling i staden. Stadsbruk har bland annat implementerats i fyra städer i södra Sverige, men för att Sverige ska öka sin självförsörjning bör Stadsbruk även fokuseras på och utvecklas i Norrland. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur Stadsbruk kan etableras i större utsträckning längs Norrlandskusten för att möta den ökade efterfrågan på livsmedel i Sverige, den rådande klimat- och energikrisen och ökande markexploateringen. Målet var att få fram ett ramverk för framtida aktörer vid etablering av Stadsbruk längs Norrlandskusten. Arbetet genomfördes som en fallstudie där tre kustlandskommuner i Norrland valdes ut. Därefter utfördes en dokumentanalys och intervjuer. De aktörer som intervjuades var kommuner, forskare, ett företag inom Stadsbruk och ett riksförbund inom odling. Resultatet visade att både traditionell odling och högteknologisk odling behövs som metoder, men att högteknologisk odling bland annat ger möjligheter för större produktionsvolymer, odling året runt och ökad lönsamhet. Studien visade även att industrier längs Norrlandskusten kan integreras med inomhusodling för möjlighet till energieffektiv uppvärmning från spillvärme. De möjligheter som Norrlandskusten besitter är bland annat stora marktillgångar och möjligheterna för odling året runt inomhus med flera väletablerade industrier som kan bidra med spillvärme. En förutsättning för att Stadsbruk ska kunna etableras i större utsträckning är fler regelverk på nationell och kommunal nivå, ökad kompetens, införande av handläggare i kommunen, att företag inom Stadsbruk prioriteras och ges stöd samt att företagen inkluderas tidigt i planprocessen. / The rapidly growing urbanization and increasing population of the world has contributed to land exploitation in cities, which can occur at the expense of arable land. Another phenomenon that is happening globally is the increasing need for food, which is expected to increase by 70% in line with population growth. With the Covid-19 pandemic, it has also been discovered that Sweden can only provide for 50% of the population in a crisis. In recent years, the concept of urban agriculture has emerged, which aims at commercial cultivation in the city. Urban agriculture has, among other things, been implemented in four cities in southern Sweden, but in order for Sweden to increase its self-sufficiency, urban agriculture should also be focused on and developed in Norrland, northern Sweden. The aim of the study is to investigate how urban agriculture can be established to a greater extent along the Norrland coast to meet the increased demand for food in Sweden, the upcoming climate and energy crisis and increasing land exploitation. The objective of this study was to produce a framework for future actors when establishing urban agriculture in municipalities along the Norrland coast. The work was carried out as a case study where three coastal municipalities in Norrland were selected. A document analysis and interviews were then carried out. The actors who were interviewed were municipalities, researchers, one company within urban agriculture and a farming association. The results showed that both traditional cultivation and high-tech cultivation are needed as methods, but that high-tech cultivation offers opportunities for larger production volumes, year-round cultivation and increased profitability. The study also showed that industries along the Norrland coast can be integrated with indoor cultivation for the possibility of energy-efficient heating from industrial waste heat. The opportunities that the Norrland coast possesses are the large land assets and the opportunities for year-round indoor cultivation with many of wellestablished industries that can contribute with waste heat. A prerequisite for urban agriculture to be able to be established to a greater extent is more regulations at national and municipal level, increased competence, introduction of a manager in the municipality, that companies within urban agriculture are prioritized and given support and that the companies are included early in the planning process.

Urban community gardens’ capability to yield aspects of social sustainability has been addressed in previous research. Nevertheless, further studies within this scientific field are requested for, exploring various socio-economic contexts and how such variables impact the outcomes of urban community garden initiatives. By the means of qualitative content analysis of material obtained via interviews and documents focusing on two urban community gardens in Skäggetorp, Linköping, on which a conceptual framework of social sustainability is applied,this study aims to investigate and seek a greater understanding of the potential and challenges of utilising urban community gardens as a planning strategy to foster social sustainability in socio-economic vulnerable neighbourhoods. The study finds that urban community gardens can bring various aspects of social sustainability, which can help meet the needs of socio-economic vulnerable neighbourhoodsin the strive for social sustainability. Many of these aspects are primarily created through the interaction occurring in the gardens. The study further confirms that urban community gardenscan function as educational hubs, allowing residents to practise language skills and learn about societal functions. Additionally, findings indicate that urban community gardens can be of financial significance in socio-economic vulnerable areas, a finding that previously mainly has been identified in studies of developing countries. Moreover, the study finds that urban community gardens allow existing traces of social sustainability to become visible and practised. However, low participation and lacking governmental support can obstruct the utilisation of urban community gardens as a planning strategy to foster social sustainability in socio-economic vulnerable neighbourhoods.

Conducting cultivation on areas that were once well-functioning ecosystems is destroying the planet. Reduced area to cultivate, an increasing population and the consequences of transport and import put high pressure on improving the way food production works. For a few years vertical farming has been a popular solution to this problem. Hydroponic is a soilfree cultivation method that is usually managed indoors in a controlled environment. To stop the devastation of nature and ecosystems, create sustainable agriculture and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, knowledge and an interest in wanting to change old habits are required. By implementing vertical farming in school environments, they could actively work towards a relief of traditional agriculture and introduce new forms of cultivation for future generations. The work seeks to clarify what an implementation of a hydroponic system in a school could have looked like and what use the school could have of the cultivation. This work suggests an idea that vertical farming would be easier to establish in combination with other activities. A combination where the cultivation does not only produce vegetables but also can be used in several ways. In the work schools are proposed to be the activities that vertical farming should be combined with and the aspects of using cultivation as a pedagogical tool is used as an argument for this. In order to overcome the current climate crisis it is necessary that education on this takes place, therefore lessons regarding ecosystems, ecosystem services, agriculture and water management are considered extremely important. These important topics can be applied in all subjects in school and hydroponics would be a good tool to use in teaching about this

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D’après le répertoire des terrains contaminés du MELCC, le Grand Montréal compte plus de 11 000 sites pollués. Une approche pour l’assainissement de ces terrains est la phytoremédiation, une stratégie qui utilise la faculté de certaines plantes pour réduire les concentrations des contaminants in situ. Une contrainte associée à la végétalisation des sites contaminés est le risque de bioaccumulation dans la chaîne alimentaire. Une solution serait l’utilisation de polycultures tirant profit de la combinaison d’espèces végétales aux caractéristiques différentes. L’objectif principal de cette étude était de comparer l’accumulation d’éléments traces d’une plante alimentaire (Solanum lycopersicum—tomate cerise) et de plantes « phytoremédiatrices » (Salix discolor—Saule discolor, Achillea millefolium—achillée millefeuille, Trifolium repens—trèfle blanc) lorsque cultivées en compagnonnage sur des sols contaminés. Quinze traitements ont été examinés : cinq assemblages de plantes et trois sols (technosol à 110 mg Cu kg-1, technosol dopé jusqu’à 2500 mg Cu kg-1 et un sol de jardin non contaminé). Les résultats ont montré (1) que les polycultures incluant T. repens étaient les plus performantes à produire de la biomasse et à phytoextraire le cuivre, (2) que les stress (c.-à-d. compétition et ressource en eau) ont clairement amoindri les performances de S. discolor et (3) la résilience d’A. millefolium d’où l’importance de favoriser sa présence dans les friches industrielles, où celle-ci pousse déjà naturellement. / According to the MELCC’s contaminated land directory, Greater Montréal has more than 11,000 polluted sites. One approach to remediating these lands is phytoremediation, a strategy that uses plants to reduce contaminant concentrations in situ. A restraint associated with the revegetation of contaminated sites is the risk of bioaccumulation in the food chain. A solution would be using polycultures to take advantage of the combination of plant species with different functions. The main objective of this study was to compare the accumulation of trace elements of a food plant (Solanum lycopersicum—cherry tomato) and “phytoremediator” plants (Salix discolor—American pussy willow, Achillea millefolium—yarrow, Trifolium repens—white clover) when grown as companions on contaminated soils. Fifteen treatments were examined: five plant associations (cherry tomato alone, cherry tomato/yarrow, cherry tomato/white clover/yarrow, cherry tomato/discolor willow, and cherry tomato/discolor willow/white clover), as well as three soils (technosoil 110 mg Cu kg-1, technosoil spiked up to 2500 mg Cu kg-1 and uncontaminated garden soil). The results showed (1) that polycultures including T. repens were the most efficient at producing biomass and phytoextrating copper, (2) that stresses (i.e. competition and water resources) reduced the performance of S. discolor and (3) the resilience of A. millefolium and the importance of promoting its presence in brownfield sites, where it already grows naturally.

Le jardinage urbain demeure un objet d'études récent en sciences sociales, mais déjà la littérature sur le sujet semble être divisée en deux positions distinctes : tandis que certain-e-s chercheur-e-s affirment que les initiatives de jardinage sont radicalement progressistes, mobilisant des notions telles que le droit à la ville ou les communs, d'autres ont moins confiance en ces projets, affirmant qu'ils ont tendance à servir un agenda néolibéral. J’affirme que ce débat bénéficie d’une théorisation plus approfondie de la manière dont le politique se déploie dans ces espaces gérés par des citoyen-ne-s. En m'appuyant sur une étude de cas de deux jardins collectifs situés dans l'espace public de Mexico, le Huerto Tlatelolco et le Huerto Roma Verde, je propose d'analyser le potentiel politique des jardins urbains à travers le prisme de la théorie de la démocratie radicale. En examinant à la fois les discours mis en avant par les jardinier-ère-s et leurs pratiques quotidiennes, j'évalue s'ils sont guidés par des principes de contre-hégémonie et de résistance aux structures de domination et s'ils aboutissent à l'établissement de nouvelles formes de relations sociales basées sur la communalité et la relationnalité. J’observe que la réalisation de ces principes de démocratie radicale dépend principalement des intentions des jardinier-ère-s qui ont initié ces projets, et des valeurs sur lesquelles ils et elles s'appuient pour donner forme à leurs initiatives. / Urban gardening remains an incipient object of study in social science, but already the early literature seems to suggest the existence of two distinct positions on the matter : while some researchers argue that gardening initiatives are radically progressive, mobilizing notions such as the right to the city or the commons, others have less faith in these projects, arguing that they tend to serve a neoliberal agenda. This debate, I argue, benefits from further theorizing the way the political unfolds in these citizen-managed spaces. Drawing from a case study of two collective gardens located in the public space of Mexico City, the Huerto Tlatelolco and the Huerto Roma Verde, I suggest analyzing the political potential of urban gardens through the lens of the theory of radical democracy. Looking at both the discourses put forth by the gardeners and their daily practices, I evaluate whether they are guided by principles of counter-hegemony and resistance towards structures of domination and whether they result in the establishment of new forms of social relations based on communality and relationality. I find that the achievement of these principles of radical democracy depends mainly on the intentions of the gardeners who initiated these projects, and on the values on which they rely to give shape to their initiatives.

Last century witnessed an unprecedented growth of cities which has led to the consolidation of an eminently urbanised world population. Meanwhile, agriculture has adopted industrial methods of production in the shape of large-scale, chemical-laden crops in the countryside, which, together with the liberalisation of global trade, have undermined the livelihood of small-scale peasants throughout the world, forcing many of them out of business. The food industry has responded to the high rates of hunger and malnutrition with an extraordinary increase in production that has not solved food security problems, as these have turned out to be more a question of unequal access to food rather than insufficient supply. Furthermore, the activity of large agri-food corporations has resulted in the degradation of natural ecosystems and an increasing pressure over already overburdened critical resources for food production. Consequently, facing the imminent threat of climate change, more and more voices are questioning the sustainability of the current food system and rising against the burgeoning hunger and escalating inequalities resulting from it. Hence, several alternatives to the neoliberal food system are emerging these days with the aim of reducing social inequalities and curbing environmental degradation, being urban agriculture one of them. Precisely, this thesis explores, from a social-ecological justice perspective, whether urban agriculture can address issues of environmental stewardship and disparities in food distribution. Although the many virtues of urban farming might not be enough to subvert the structures of power that are deeply rooted in the foundations of the present food regime, it could still play a significant role in alleviating the gaps in food needs. However, food security comes only after the core reasons of poverty have been addressed and social justice is achieved in the larger society. The pathway towards a greater social and ecological justice seems to require not only to re-examine how to feed the urban population, but also a significant transformation that goes beyond aspects from the whole food supply chain and embraces societal systemic change.