As North American cities begin to age, our impermanent building methods inevitably lead to urban decay. Much of the housing stock has an expected lifespan and although this can be extended with proper and regular maintenance ultimately, much of this housing will face the bulldozer. Consequently, we are constantly engaged in the continuing cycle of urban revitalization, striving to keep our cities new and novel. This requires an immense amount of reinvestment and for some neighbourhoods, this is not an issue. This is not the case however for neighbourhoods considered to be ‘in distress’ which, face challenges not seen in more affluent areas. Revitalization efforts in at risk areas need to be more sensitive in their approach as they can displace, gentrify, and otherwise exacerbate the problems. This practicum is an exploration of that approach to renewal in grass roots fashion, using urban agriculture as a means to building community.

In Cuba, the act of growing flood in the city has become a way of life. Since the beginning of the "Special Period in Time of Peace", brought about by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, Cubans have engaged in many forms of urban agriculture (UA) to cope with the food crisis affecting the Island. In Havana, the popular garden movement occupies 8% of total urban land in agriculture (3.4% of urban land) and is practiced by 18,000 gardeners who produce vegetables and fruit, and raise small livestock to increase food security and generate income. The purpose of this study was to provide estimates of the user benefits of UA, as well as qualitative and quantitative information related do this activity. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to elicit users' willingness to pay (WTP) for the land they use, that is currently provided at no charge by the stale. The average WTP was estimated at 23.5 pesos/1000 m2/month under current conditions and 34.4 pesos/1000 m2/month with improvements in water and anti-theft services. These amounts represent about 11% and 14% of monthly household income, respectively. Aggregate WTP for popular gardens in the city of Havana was estimated to be 6.88 million pesos/year (344,000 $US) and 10.07 million pesos/year (503,500 $US) with the proposed improvements. The study has produced important results that give an indication of the use and non-use value of UA for gardeners of Havana. Results also suggest that CVM is a non-market valuation technique that can be successfully applied in Cuba, and can provide information to be integrated in cast-benefit analysis frameworks that assess the importance of UA.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Detroit Mercy, 2007. / "28 April 2008". Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-86).

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes special report study entitled : A study on building technologies for an agricultural skyscraper. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 4, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources / Candice A. Shoemaker / In our ever-growing urban environments food security is dwindling. Healthy food may be difficult to find in city centers, but publicly owned land is still common. In many cities, a significant percentage of green space is publicly accessible and regularly maintained. Under appropriate circumstances these green spaces can be utilized to grow edible food and benefit the cities and communities they are placed in. Claims of the benefits of public edible landscapes include: beautification, strengthening communities, food security, ecological services, self-sufficiency, education and may lead to a more positive attitude towards urban agriculture. Existing organizations working with public edible landscapes in three US municipalities of varying size were used as case studies to explore strategies and challenges in proposing, implementing and maintaining public edible spaces. Interviews were conducted with representatives from the Beacon Food Forest in Seattle, WA, the Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park in Asheville, NC, and the Upper Valley Apple Corps in Hartford, VT. These case studies identified common concepts related to the success of public edible landscapes: a presence of community interest, actively involved individuals with a skill set in food production, the presence of an umbrella or advocacy organization, and support from city officials. A discussion of approaches being used by others could provide the foundation for future research into the effects of introducing edible plants into public green space on the local community and environment.

Extensive urban development has led to the resurgence of green roofs. These vegetated roofs provide significant ecological and economic benefits including mitigation of the urban heat island effect, reduced storm-water runoff, lower energy costs, increased biodiversity, and improved aesthetics, as well as food production and security. Urban agriculture and food security are becoming increasingly important factors of the green roof renaissance. Due to weight load limitations of potential buildings, the ability to produce quality food in shallow media, less than 6.75 cm, could encourage green roof food production. The effectiveness of a commercially available green roof media and a vermicompost custom blended green roof media was evaluated in two experiments on the roof of the Agriculture building at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In a randomized complete block design, twelve green roof modular trays (six 61 cm x 61 cm and six 46 cm x 56 cm) were filled to the depth of 5.72 cm with each media type. Each block consisted of four treatments with three replications in two locations on the roof. One location received full sun and the other only partial shade. Two commercially-grown annual herbs, sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Thai basil (Albahaca tailandesa) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum; Petroselinum crispum `Krausa'; and Petroselinum crispum crispum) were evaluated during the two experiments. The first experiment ran from mid-May to mid-July, 2011, and the second experiment ran from mid-August to late September, 2011. Media content, mineral analysis, and biomass were recorded for each treatment. Hand irrigation was utilized as needed. In the first experiment, media, and an interaction of sunlight and media produced significant (P< 0.05) results for parameters of shoot height, shoot width and shoot weight. Sunlight, specifically partial shade, produced significant (P< 0.05) for shoot to root ratio. The commercially available green roof media produced more significant results for the parameters measured than the vermicompost-blend. In the second experiment, an interaction was detected for basil shoot width; otherwise all other variables evaluated for basil were insignificant. Media, specifically the commercial green roof media, was significant (p< 0.05) for parsley shoot height, with an interaction of sunlight and media; shoot weight and dry shoot weight, and with an interaction of sunlight and media for shoot width. No significant results were observed with the other parameters measured. The experiments indicated that the production of annual herbs on a green roof environment is possible. Further, the experiments found that the commercially available green roof media performed better than the custom vermicompost blend. Modular tray type had limited effect on results, but the advantage of pre-planting the trays before placement onto a green roof environment is an incentive for its use.

Urban agriculture serves a growing and valuable market in today's food industry yet is challenged by the lack of available space in urban settings. Green roofs are proving not to only offer environmental benefits to buildings, but to also function as sites to grow produce. Adding fertilizer is important for plant health though fertilizer runoff and over application is a concern. Therefore, an evaluation of four Romaine lettuce cultivars (Lactuca sativa L.) comparing the use of three different fertilizers was conducted on the green roof of the Agriculture Building on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus in the fall of 2012 and 2013. The fertilizer treatments were OsmocoteTM (190,000 mg/kg N), Miracle GroTM (16,100 mg/kg N), and a control (no fertilizer). Supplemental water was applied though a drip tape irrigation system as needed. The lettuce cultivars evaluated were: ‘Parris Island Cos’, ‘Rouge d'Hiver’, ‘Rubens Baby’, and ‘Outredgeous’ Romaine lettuce. Results indicated that plant growth measurements of height and width, chlorophyll index, leaf mass and wet/dry weight were greater (P < 0.05) when OsmocoteTM and Miracle GroTM were used as a fertilizer source compared to the no fertilizer treatment. This study indicates that with supplemental nutrients, acceptable lettuce yields can be achieved in a three-inch extensive medium on a green roof. Results of this evaluation will contribute to the emerging interest in urban agriculture, specifically regarding lettuce production on extensive green roofs.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T18:57:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4819.pdf: 7827407 bytes, checksum: cdbddf2de7d3c5f4eb0385533005254f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-15 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The importance of Urban Agriculture (UA) has been increasingly recognized in recent years. It emerges as an important survival strategy, especially for the poorest population who can consume and sell the food produced. It also has other advantages such as occupation of empty spaces, maintenance of green areas and the producers' increase of their self-esteem. But the practice also has certain barriers that require care, as the misuse of pesticides, the possibility of food contamination by water or land, theft of crops and other risks. The municipality of Rio Claro (SP), the object of the present study, is an example of a city that has several types of UA initiatives, however there is still no specific legislation directed to the sector. Thus, we sought to conduct an analysis of these urban gardens in the city considering the optical output and public policies. The field research included observations and interviews, using semistructured questionnaire applied to farmers responsible for the gardens. From the analysis of the results it's noted that the gardens in Rio Claro are still few, occupying a small area. Despite the difficulties, the UA provided, in general, an improvement in the respondents' quality of life. Moreover, the practice of UA has great potential for expansion and could be better exploited in the city. Thus some actions are required by the municipality to encourage urban agriculture in the city, extending its benefits and reducing its drawbacks. / A importância da Agricultura Urbana (AU) vem sendo cada vez mais reconhecida nos últimos anos. Ela surge como uma importante estratégia de sobrevivência, principalmente para a população mais pobre que pode consumir e vender o alimento produzido. Além disso, possui outras vantagens como ocupação de espaços ociosos, manutenção de áreas verdes e aumento da autoestima dos produtores. Entretanto, a prática também tem certos entraves que exigem cuidados, como o uso indevido de agrotóxicos, possibilidade de contaminação dos alimentos através da água ou do solo, roubo dos cultivos, entre outros riscos. O município de Rio Claro (SP), objeto de estudo deste trabalho possui diversas iniciativas de AU. Contudo ainda não existe legislação específica voltada ao setor. Desta forma, buscou-se a realização de uma análise de hortas urbanas presentes no município, considerando as óticas da produção e as políticas públicas. A pesquisa de campo contemplou observações e entrevistas, utilizando questionário semiestruturado aplicado aos agricultores responsáveis pelas hortas. A partir da análise dos resultados, nota-se que as hortas existentes em Rio Claro são ainda de reduzido número, ocupando uma pequena área do município. Apesar das dificuldades, a AU proporcionou, de maneira geral, uma melhora na qualidade de vida dos entrevistados. Além disso, a prática da AU tem grande potencial de expansão e poderia ser melhor explorada no município. Desta forma, são necessárias algumas ações por parte da prefeitura a fim de incentivar a agricultura urbana na cidade, ampliando seus benefícios e reduzindo suas desvantagens.

The aim of this thesis is to provide a differentiated view of peri-urban agriculture in the context of urban population growth in Asmara, Eritrea. Peri-urban agriculture is viewed as a distinct type of broader urban agriculture, and in this case is not as subsistence-orientated as other branches of it. Urban population growth is comprised of three elements, namely, natural population increase, rural-urban migration and outward movement of people to the urban periphery linked to urban expansion. Each receives extensive treatment. Asmara is the capital city of Eritrea and using Weeks (2004:473) phrase can be termed as a “primate city”. As such, it exerts a major influence on the political, economic and cultural life of the country, but has never been subjected to this type of research. The analytical framework that is adopted is that of urban population growth. In order to operationalize it, theoretical insights into each of its three branches were applied. For example, the informalisation of the economy in developing cities was used to explain the operation of peri-urban agriculture in the context of natural population growth. An adaption of the original Harris-Todaro Model by Fields (2004) was used for the migrants, and the Mosaic Model by Bryant and Johnson (1992) for those facing urban encroachment. Primary data were collected in the field by the author with the help of research assistants. This was supplemented by secondary data which involved reports commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Public Works. Focus Group discussions were also held to supplement the data with information, views and insights that do not emerge in one-to-one interviews. This thesis demonstrates that those respondents operating within the context of natural population growth make a viable living from peri-urban agriculture, but that they also recognise that there are considerable challenges to be faced. Three sub-groups of farmers are identified. Of these, poultry farmers are the most vulnerable because of the high costs of the inputs, the uncertainty associated with avian „flu and an undeveloped distribution network. The vegetable producers, on the other hand, have a sophisticated marketing network, but low levels of education, high household numbers and an impending shortage of land and water. The agriculturalists that have migrated to Asmara seem to have created sustainable occupations for themselves over a number of years. However, 75 percent of them felt that migration to Asmara was not worthwhile. This negative view is explained in terms of the struggle it has taken to maintain such a living and the growing shortage of land. This set of farmers achieves lower production levels than its city-reared counterparts, carries considerable expenses and has to hire its land. The farmers who have had to cope with urban encroachment fall into two classes. The first has chosen to remain in peri-urban agriculture despite feeling the pressure to scale down activities and thus have a lower income. The majority of this group are dairy farmers who have to trade off increasing costs of cattle feed against shrinking grazing land. They are unwilling to take the initiative to solve their land problems, but look to the authorities to do so. The second class of respondents in this category have abandoned their agricultural holdings. The majority of these agriculturalists are poultry farmers living in the Eastern side of the city. A shortage of agricultural land, high population densities and high costs of inputs make poultry farming difficult. This thesis, therefore, presents a multifaceted view of peri-urban agriculture. While each set of farmers has to cope with its own particular circumstances, there is a common factor. This is the tension between preserving agricultural land on the urban fringe and the need to expand the city to accommodate its inhabitants.