Today is the second day of the Urban Agriculture Summit 2013
’Transformative solutions on how we feed people in the urban
era’ currently being held in Linköping, Sweden (29-31 January).
So why this specific gathering on urban agriculture? A recent UN
report estimated that the Earth’s population will increase by
40% and exceed 9 billion people by the year 2050.
Simultaneously, 80% of the world’s population will live in
cities. This rapid urbanization goes together with a rapid
increase in urban poverty and urban food insecurity. With
traditional farming practices and increases in consumption, the
Earth’s arable land will soon no longer be sufficient to produce
enough food for the growing population. Urban agriculture can
provide a complementary strategy to reduce urban poverty and
food insecurity and enhance urban environmental management.
Urban agriculture is primarily concerned with seven specific
matters: - The transformation of an area from rural to urban
farming practices ahead of actual urban physical ex