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The auvent of the inuustiial-agiicultuial ievolution changeu cultuial iueas about
agiicultuie anu alteieu the way faims have been manageu |1S,24j. Biute foice anu "contiol
of natuie" has become the stanuaiu anu although it has leu to massive incieases in
piouuction, laige-scale uegiauation of limiteu watei anu lanu iesouices has been the
hiuuen expense |21,24j. Inuustiial soil faiming has auuitional negative impacts of
gieenhouse gas emission, uefoiestation, ueseitification, soil eiosion, nutiient leeching, loss
of biouiveisity, watei contamination anu oveiuse, anu soil anu giounuwatei salinization
|1S,21,26j. Bespite the 0S's 1S8% inciease in ciop piouuction in the past Su yeais (fiom
1948 to 2uu8) |24j, one out of seven of the woilu's 7 billion people uo not get enough to eat
|8,1Sj. With estimates foi the woilu population incieasing to ovei 9 billion by 2uSu |11,S2j,
anu estimateu iequiieu foou piouuction inciease of 7u-1uu% of touay' piouuction |11,1Sj,
a Nalthusian question looms: how can foou piouuction inciease enough to sustain the
population without fuithei uegiauing limiteu natuial iesouices.
A significant change fiom histoiical faming piactices is the pievalence of
monocultuies, oi single speciesstiain ciops, that uominate the lanuscape ieuucing
biouiveisity anu economic stability of faims |1,1S,22j. Nonocultuie seeus aie contiolleu by
monopoly coipoiations anu goveinments aie foiceu to subsiuize anu manuate planting
times to mitigate the economic maiket failuie |1Sj. Although ciop species aie limiteu, ciop
piouuction continues to inciease, howevei; the iate of inciease is ueclining each yeai |11j.
The biute foice methous of agiicultuie only piouuce 1 caloiie foi eveiy 1u caloiies of
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2
petioleum piouucts put in anu this piocess is a negative feeuback: it takes moie woik, anu
moie biute foice, eveiy yeai to achieve the same iesults |8,21j. Incieasing ciop piouuction
7u% woulu inciease use of aiable lanu by S%, oi 7u million ha, most of which woulu occui
in Latin Ameiica (some S98 million ha in Biazil alone) anu sub-Sahaian Afiica |11j. Access
to cuiiently unueiutilizeu aiable lanus is limiteu uue to lack of infiastiuctuie, lack of watei,
isolateu geogiaphy, anu the ecological cost of alteinative iesouice uepletion in those aieas
|11j. At piesent, S6-S8% of total aiable lanu woiluwiue (12% of total lanu suiface) is
alieauy useu foi agiicultuie anu 7u% of that lanu is useu to ieai cattle |8, 11j.
Woilu economies, even those thought of as thiiu woilu, aie climbing the economic
lauuei anu consuming moie; uemanuing moie foou ciops, uaiiy, fish, anu meat, in the
piocess |8,1S,24j. Wealth also uispiopoitionately incieases the uemanu foi meat |8,1Sj. In
the past Su yeais, cattle, sheep, anu goats have each incieaseu 1Su%, pigs 2Su%, anu
chickens 4Su% |1Sj. Bespite the inciease, 2uu million tons moie meat pei yeai will neeu to
be piouuceu in 2uSu |11j. Auuitionally, estimates foi futuie watei iequiiements to feeu 9
billion have been low uue to the fact that animal husbanuiy, especially cattle, iequiies
significantly moie lanu anu watei iesouices that plant ciops |8,11,1Sj. 0nly some 1S% of
woilu uietaiy piotein consists of wilu caught anu faim iaiseu fish |12j. Some estimates
suggest that ovei 9u% of laige fish have alieauy been lost, 8u% of wilu fisheiies aie
oveiexploiteu, viitually all aie fully exploiteu |12,1Sj, anu that we may iun out of wilu
caught seafoou altogethei by 2u48 |8j. 47% woilu fish consumeu aie iaiseu in aquacultuie
facilities (an inuustiy giowing at S% pei yeai) but this amount is not enough to alleviate
the stiain on wilu populations |7,8,12j. Similai to agiicultuial ciops, spoilage incuis
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consiueiable losses fiom captuie to consumption anu lack of piocessing facilities ieuuces
the ability to iecycle oiganic fish wastes |12j.
Futuie agiicultuie will iequiie significant incieases in piouuction but that
piouuction is stifleu by the uistiibution system. By 2uSu, 79% of the woilu's population
will live in inuustiializeu cities |8j. Cities aie lineai in that they must impoit goous anu
expoit wastes |7j. Su-4u% foou is lost to waste woiluwiue anu tianspoitation of the foou
we eat incuis a loss of Su% of the available eneigy (in the foim of oiganic soliu waste) fiom
the faim to oui uinnei tables |8,1Sj. The vegetables available a common city local gioceiy
has tiaveleu an aveiage of 2,uuukm anu the majoiity of the loss is incuiieu uuiing this
tiavel oi by oveiconsumption of the consumei |8,11j. In 2uSu, each peison will iequiie
S1Su kcal pei uay to maintain piopei nutiition |11j. With cuiient infiastiuctuie, that is a
loss of ovei Su million caloiies of foou a uay.
Feeuing 9 billion people anu alleviating hungei is a laige, complex issue. It may even
seem oveiwhelming. This aiticle seeks to uesciibe an innovative solution that is emeiging
in populations aiounu the globe. Seveial ancient anu cuiient technologies will be uesciibeu
that will outline soilless uiban faiming as a legitimate anu effective methou foi solving the
woilu's foou secuiity ciisis.
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0S faims aie majoi contiibutois of gieenhouse gases, biouiveisity loss, public
health issues, anu natuial iesouice uegiauation |27j. Cuiient inuustiializeu piactices aie
economically unstable, incieasing faimei susceptibility to iesouice shoitages, maiket
supply anu uemanu, anu climate change |27j. Seveial solutions have been suggesteu anu
become populai in collaboiative inteinational uiscussions incluuing; incieasing piouuction
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4
by closing the yielu gap, incieasing piouuction limit with genetically mouifieu ciops, anu
policy changes encouiaging uecision making thiough gioup collaboiation involving public,
faimeis, policy makeis, anu institutions |1S,27j. Theie aie two peiceiveu pathways to
change: inciemental anu tiansfoimative change |24,27j. Inciemental change is the moie
likely scenaiio as slow auoption anu auvancement of innovative agiicultuie is moie likely a
maiket anu policy issue |27j. The technological auvances that make tiansfoimative
agiicultuie possible aie not the limiting factois, insteau; it is the infiastiuctuie anu
institutions that will iequiie the inciemental change to catch up |8,27j. Whatevei solutions
aie suggesteu, it is appaient that a global, multi-faceteu stiategy is neeueu to meet giowing
foou uemanus without compiomising lanu, watei, eneigy, anu fisheiies |1Sj.
Sustainable agiicultuie takes a uiffeient peispective than tiauitionalinuustiializeu
solutions. Wheie inuustiializeu solutions continue to focus on incieasing piouuction anu
spieauing out, sustainability focuses on long-iange goals that incoipoiate a tiiple bottom
line |22j. In agiicultuie, this means ensuiing foou secuiity anu piouuction that meets
human neeus, enviionmental anu natuial iesouice piotection, economic viability of
faiming pioceuuies anu lifestyles, anu maintaining oi incieasing the quality of life foi
society, faimeis, anu woikeis |24,27j. 0ne issue that is becoming appaient is the neeu foi
economic flexibility. That is, getting away fiom inuustiializeu monocultuies anu suppoiting
seveial types of ciops at the same time anu in iotation |1S,27j.
Following the cuiient path of agiicultuial piouuction is not sustainable because of
the incieasing ieliance on petiochemicals anu the uegiauation of the soils fiom incieasing
piouuction. A solution methou that is emeiging in seveial fielus is that of biomimiciy
|1,7,21j. Looking at the piouuction loop of agiicultuie shows many lineai ielationships
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with the soil taking the biunt of the abuse |1,21j. Some suggest that moueling agiicultuie
aftei a foiest, oi a faim aftei a tiee will leau to a system that is moie stable, iesilient, anu
closei to a closeu loop with little to no biute foice inputs |1,7,21j. This systems appioach
has leu to successes in many less inuustiializeu aieas such as Afiica wheie natuial push-
pull systems can be utilizeu without auvanceu technology anu ieuuce the ieliance on
chemical insecticiues |1j. In many ways, uevelopeu countiies can leain fiom the
innovations utilizeu in less uevelopeu nations as they finu solutions even with peiceiveu
technological limitations |27j
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Peihaps the biggest change that has occuiieu since the inuustiial-agiicultuial
ievolution is the peiception in westein cultuie that small-scale foou piouuction cannot
piouuce enough foou |7,18j. 0iban agiicultuie has existeu foi centuiies anu was the staple
of foou piouuction befoie the agiicultuial ievolution |4j. 0iban gaiuening movements
have continuously cioppeu up ovei the past centuiy. victoiy uaiuens uuiing WWII helpeu
householus piouuce 4u% of 0S vegetables |Sj. The BIY movement, anu new ecology
movement, in the 197u's ingiaineu a bohemian bouigeois in 0S cultuie that instilleu a
public uesiie to "live off the lanu" |S,7,8j. Nost often, a piice hike in piouuce will invaiiably
iesult in a iesuigence of self-sufficiency anu home giowing movements |S,4j.
0iban agiicultuie in the 0niteu States typically iefeis to commeicial anu iesiuential
gaiuening enueavois within metiopolitan zoneu aieas |Sj. The global uefinition incluues
livestock anu fish piouuction but this is not usually incluueu in the 0S |Sj. 0iban faims can
be as small as a hanging winuow-faim maue out of iecycleu bottles in anu apaitment, oi as
laige as a seveial ha inuustiial gieenhouse |S,7j. In 1991, SS% of 0S faims weie locateu in
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6
uiban aieas piouucing SS% of all ciops anu livestock |Sj. Auuitionally, an estimateu 2S% of
uiban householus in the 0S paiticipate in gaiuening, whethei aesthetic oi foou piouuction
|Sj. In othei nations like Asia anu Afiica, 6u-8u% of uiban uwelleis cultivate uiban foou
|S,4j.
0tilizing intensive faiming methous in uiban settings has been shown to piouuce up
to 1S times moie pei acie than iuial faims |Sj. Auuitional benefits incluue: ieuuction of
tianspoitation costs |Sj, ieuuction of losses fiom piocessing anu tianspoit |8j, ieuuction of
uBu emissions fiom staying local |1S,27j, incieasing pubic awaieness of ecological neeus,
impioving innei uiban soil quality, ieuucing eiosion, soil leeching, anu in some cases
iemeuiation of soil contamination |Sj. Animal husbanuiy also allows iecycling of oiganic
wastes as feeu, anu the manuie can auuitionally be iecycleu into soils to maintain soil
health |Sj. The peisonal benefits to gioweis anu consumeis aie also plentiful anu will be
auuiesseu in the human aspects section of this aiticle.
A cuiient uiban agiicultuie movement in the 0S is 0iban faiming" |SSj. The
website anu oiganization aie sponsoieu by laigei coipoiations such as Bome Bepot anu
Coca-Cola anu seveial piominent public figuies like Snoop Bog anu Piince. 0iban
Faiming" has helpeu cieate anu link global uistiibutions of uiban faims anu bolstei uiban
faiming euucation. Theii mission is:
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Though uiban faiming has become incieasingly pievalent ovei the past 2u yeais,
iesistance to the movement stems fiom skepticism, lack of goveinment anu policy suppoit,
lack of financing, anu feai of human health iisks |S,4,18j
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Two main human health conceins uominate the aiguments against the giowth anu
uevelopment of uiban faiming |1uj. These conceins aie foi chemical contaminants anu
uiseases anu incluue: illness fiom use of impiopeily oi untieateu human anu animal
wastes as feitilizeis, contamination of foous fiom heavy metals in soil, aii, oi watei, aii
pollution absoiption into foous, pollution fiom inuustiial sites, hospitals, ioauways, anu
municipal wastes, anu incieaseu zoonotic uiseases |S,1uj. Auuitionally, the use of
petiochemicals, fungiciues, anu pesticiues in the confineu uiban faim aieas, wheie faiming
is typically moie intensive, coulu impact human health uiiectly anu enviionmental health
thiough iunoff anu aii pollution |S,1uj. Although many uiban faimeis avoiu use of
chemicals, theie aie no iegulations anu limiteu ability to safely uiscaiu unuseu piouucts
anu tieat iunoff |Sj.
0iban waste compost has long been suspecteu as a human health iisk |6j. The
compost contains high levels of heavy metals anu ietains ceitain bacteiia anu fungi that
pose some iisk to human health. Ingestion of the compost itself, mostly by chiluien oi on
unwasheu vegetables, can be a uiiect pathway foi uisease. Contaminants may builu up in
soils ovei geneiations causing issues in the futuie, but at piesent theie is little uata to
piove the soils can contaminate foous oi the aii (thiough uust) in amounts significant
enough to negatively impact human health. Aieas with contaminateu soils can, anu have,
been useu to giow ciops |S,1uj. Nanaging the soil with auuitives like mulches anu
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8
composting, anu only planting ciops that have low uptake of heavy metals have been
shown to ieuuce the iisk of contamination of foou ciops |1uj. In othei instances, the
contaminateu soil can be cappeu anu piouuce can be giown on top with fillei soils intenueu
foi vegetable piouuction |Sj. Wastewatei ieuse in agiicultuie has been aigueu as a key
solution to the watei iesouice ciisis, howevei; phaimaceuticals anu heavy metals that aie
not iemoveu uuiing tieatment can have auveise affects on ciops, animals, anu human
health |2Sj.
Although ieseaich hasn't uefinitively pioven all the uangeis associateu with
giowing ciops in uiban soils, it is wise to know the histoiy of the lot anu how the soil has
been tieateu befoie the soil is put to use foi agiicultuial piouuction. 0iban faimeis shoulu
check the histoiy of the lanu anu be waiy of inuustiial use, gasoline anu petioleum
piouucts exposuie, cleaning solution exposuie, oluei paint sloughing fiom builuings, anu
sciap iecycling. Leau fiom gas anu oluei paints can iemain in the soils as well as
caicinogens anu mutagens fiom oluei cleaning solutions that weie left out as a means of
uisposal. If theie is concein, soils shoulu be testeu.
0iban livestock husbanuiy mostly meets with complaints of noise, ouoi, anu
sanitation, howevei; space limitations pioviue pathways foi pathogenic uiseases both
species-specific anu zoonotic |1uj. Close conuitions can cause iampant spieau of uisease
among animals but also encouiages the mutation of pathogens. Zoonotic uiseases like
biucellosis can be tiansmitteu animal to animal oi fiom unpasteuiizeu milk. The pathogen
is highly infectious anu can affect many species incluuing cows, goats, sheep, swine, uogs,
mice, humans, anu even maiine mammals. Flu viiuses like the 1918 flu panuemic, avian flu,
anu swine flu aie all suspecteu to have mutateu fiom animals living in close pioximity to
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theii human keepeis. Animal husbanuiy can affect human health thiough sanitation issues
anu zoonotic uisease, howevei; livestock is moie stiictly iegulateu within uiban aieas anu
in many cases the animal population uensities that cause uisease cannot be attaineu within
city limits.
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Theie aie thiee staples of soilless faiming: hyuioponics, aeioponics, anu aquaponics
|7,8j. Byuioponics utilizes a simple floouuiain system wheie plants aie giown in a beu of
expanueu clay oi suspenueu in net pots. The watei cycles by iepeateuly floouing anu
uiaining the giow beus with watei fiom a ieseivoii. The ieseivoii is monitoieu foi
nutiient content, anu nutiients aie auueu as neeueu as plants absoib them thiough theii
ioots uuiing the floou stage. This methou is 7u% moie efficient than soil faiming anu can
eight times as piouuctive than intensive uiban soil faiming. Aeioponics auus to the
hyuioponic methou. The watei fiom the ieseivoii is pipeu thiough misteis that aie locateu
below the plants suspenueu in net pots. This simple change incieases watei efficiency to
9u%. That is, 1u% of the watei that woulu be useu in soil agiicultuie to piouuce the same
amount of vegetables. Aquaponics in tuin combines hyuioponics anu aquacultuie utilizing
fish aquacultuie as the watei ieseivoii anu the souice of nutiients foi the plants. The
plants act as a natuial filtei foi the watei that ietuins to the aquacultuie tanks.
Soilless faiming uses less space anu inuustiial faims, uoes not leech nutiients fiom
soil, uoes not ueciease biouiveisity, noi inciease uefoiestation |7,8,26j. Theie is a social
stigma of hyuioponics being only useu by maiijuana gioweis howevei; soilless faiming is
at the foiefiont of auvancing agiicultuial technology anu aquaponic giowing utilizes an
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entiiely uiffeient iueology that encompasses sustainability beyonu that of sustainable soil
agiicultuie goals.
Aquaponics follows a closeu loop piouuction cycle moueleu on natuie |7,26j. That
is, the system is uesigneu to be as close to an inteiuepenuent ecosystem as possible. Natuie
is mouulai, efficient, anu follows powei law uistiibutions |8j. }anine Benyus' book
Biomimiciy uesciibes the essence of what moueling human systems aftei natuie entails
with these shoit veises:
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In soilless faiming, theie inputs as with eveiy agiicultuial technique |7,26j. Put
simply, these inputs aie: nutiients, eneigy, anu watei. Aquaponics seeks to ieuuce these
inputs while incieasing the outputs |26j. Nutiient inputs aie ieuuceu by the fish waste
pioviuing nutiients foi the plants, anu plant wastes anu ueau fish pioviuing foou foi
veimicultuie oi flies, which aie in tuin feu to the fish. 0tilizing solai powei anu giowing in
gieenhouses with no aitificial lighting oi inuoois with LEB lighting can ieuuce eneigy
inputs. 0thei eneigy souices that coulu be utilizeu aie Biochai ieactois anu hyuiopowei
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11
micio-tuibines. Watei consumption is alieauy ieuuceu uue to the inciease in efficiency
fiom soil agiicultuie anu can be incieaseu fuithei by iainwatei collection oi gieywatei
ieuse |7,8,26j. Piouuction itself can output seveial piouucts uepenuing on the complexity
of the system. A stuuy in Basil founu that the conveision of the iooftop of one paiking
gaiage into an aquaponics faim coulu fully feeu 1uu people foi an entiie yeai |7j. In such a
system, 1 kilo of haivestable fish can piouuce Su kilos of haivestable vegetables |26j.
Although fish compiise a small poition of the global human meat consumption, they
aie one of the most efficient conveiteis of eneigy to piotein |12,26j. Incieasing fish
piouuction coulu ieuuce the stiain on the enviionment that laigei livestock impait.
Aquaponic faims can auuitionally giow foou foi teiiestiial livestock in the foim of fouuei
|7j. Fouuei is wheat oi bailey that has been staiteu foi 6-8 uays. The staiteu gieens, seeus,
anu ioots foim a complete, nutiient iich uiet foi cattle, biius, iabbits, anu many othei
iuminant species. Stuuies have shown that feeuing fouuei incieases oveiall animal health
anu fecunuity. Limitations of aiable lanu in futuie agiicultuie puts a stiain on the
competition between livestock ciops, human foou piouuction, anu biofuel ciops |11,22j.
Incoipoiating fouuei into aquaponics can theiefoi ieuuce lanu competition foi livestock
feeu.
Anothei technology that comes into play with soilless faiming is the auvent of
veitical giowing. veitical faiming maximizes foou piouuction in limiteu space |7,8j. Theie
aie numeious types of veitical giowing fiom planteu soil walls, hanging bottles that
cascaue into each othei, anu aiticulateu hoiizontal beus that iotate along a veitical column
such as those uesigneu by Sky uieens, the woilu's fiist commeicial veitical faim locateu in
Singapoie |29j. Aquaponic faiming combineu with aeioponic faiming in auuition to
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12
veitical giowing has the potential to pioviue meat anu piouuce while using less than 1u%
of the watei useu in tiauitional agiicultuie |7,8j. 1 inuooi faim can piouuce the same
amount as 1u-2u acies of soil faims. Piouuctivity of the systems is 2u% moie than iuial
soil faiming. Inuooi faims auuitionally piouuce yeai-iounu insteau of seasonally |7,26j.
veitical faims can be mouulai anu scalable to location. A closeu system moueleu aftei
natuie (biomimiciy) can offei a "ciaule to ciaule" system wheie biute foice is not
necessaiy because the system iecycles itself with veiy little human input anu is viitually
uisease fiee theieby iequiiing no insecticiues oi petiochemicals |1,7,8,21,26j. veitical
faims also have the potential to cieate shaieu value anu follow a tiiple bottom line
paiauigm, which is impeiative to spieauing the iueology of sustainable uevelopment
|2S,26j.
A shoitcoming of the veitical faiming movement is the iuea that veitical faims neeu
to be built fiom sciatch like the facility in Thailanu |2Sj. These single facilities laige enough
to feeu entiie cities can cost millions of uollais |7j. Theie aie seveial ways to incoipoiate
veitical aquacultuie utilizing existing stiuctuies |8,26j.
veitical giow beus coulu be installeu above aquacultuie facilities that aie alieauy
establisheu. Fish uo not iequiie much sunlight anu can even get sunbuineu (which
weakens the immune system anu can leau to majoi losses fiom infection of bacteiia anu
fungi in the wounus if they aie exposeu to too much uiiect light). Insteau of shauing,
aquacultuie facilities can giow foou foi human consumption theieby cieating a seconu
maiketable output piouuct oi foou foi fish (insects, veimicultuie, gieens, uuckweeu)
theieby ieuucing theii inteinal costs |1S,26j. Aquacultuie facilities also spenu a significant
amount of iesouices anu eneigy on watei filtiation both foi ieciiculation anu iemeuiation
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1S
of effluents, these expenses coulu be eliminateu altogethei by utilizing the natuial filtiation
capabilities of foou ciops |12,1Sj. Recycling fish waste in watei anu the unmaiketable fish
anu fish bypiouucts themselves coulu become a souice of ievenue insteau of expense with
the auuition of hyuioponic beus anu veimicultuie.
Anothei option foi veitical aquaponic facilities is vacant lanu anu builuings. The
0niteu States uoveinment Accountability 0ffice estimateu that theie weie 1u million
vacant piopeities in 2u1u (an aveiage inciease of S1% ovei the past 1u yeais).
uoveinment sponsoieu enteipiises paiu ovei $9SS million foi unmaintaineu piopeities
while local goveinments paiu auuitional millions foi maintenance anuoi uemolition.
These vacant builuings invite ciime, iisk public safety, lowei income fiom piopeity taxes
neeueu to maintain the piopeities, ieuuce the value anu aesthetics of the suiiounuing aiea,
anu ueciease the moial of the suiiounuing communities |Su,S1j. Nany cities have initiateu
piogiams to ieuuce the "blight" of vacant piopeities. Solutions iange in scale anu uefinition
but most focus on the buiuen of the builuings anu lanu as ievenue sinks anu attempt to
piomote ie-use of the aieas foi community benefit to some extent |Suj. The scalability of
veitical aquaponics makes the technology a peifect fit foi vacant lots of any size. Faim:
stoie in Lonuon conveiteu a small shop sanuwicheu between a nail salon anu an ageu
centei, into a closeu loop aquaponics faim showcase shop with public meeting space,
euucational outieach, anu a iestauiant |26j. Renovating unuseu builuings anu lanus foi
community benefits such as local foou secuiity uoes moie than just lift some of the buiuen
off natuial iesouices. These businesses can peifoim many public seivices, anu contiibute
to public anu peisonal health.
:/" B5-4% 910"2.
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14
Wenuell Beiiy's essay in the book =$&(/ >&$+),, uepicteu a hypei-inuiviuualizeu
woilu wheie of people uiu not inteiact with theii neighbois, people hau Su% fewei
fiienus than theii paients' geneiation, anu faimei's maikets inspiieu ten times moie
conveisations than gioceiy stoies |Sj. The human minu uesiies a tiibe size of about 1Su
inuiviuuals |8j. In a hypei-inuiviuualizeu woilu, the minu fills the gaps with Television
peisonalities anu fictional chaiacteis, foiming fake ielationships to fill the voiu of ieal
ielationships |8j. 0iban gaiuens, especially community gaiuens, help inuiviuuals connect
with each othei anu foim bonus. uaiuening auuitionally incieases mental health, motoi
skills, anu stiess-ieuuction |Sj The piesence of an uiban gaiuen influences the community
as well. A community gaiuen bolsteis community oiganization anu leaueiship. uaiuens
give low-income iegions a sense of place anu piiue anu uibanites "gieen-space" anu
ielaxation. Local gaiuens give iesiuents what has been uubbeu, a "thiiu-place" |9j. If home
is the fiist-place, anu woik is the seconu-place, then the place people go to hang out anu
ielax is what uefines the thiiu-place. Access to these so-calleu thiiu-places has been shown
to ieuuce ciime, anu give inuiviuuals puipose, unity, anu sense of belonging |2uj. A testing
giounu in Baiti tuineu a ciime-iiuuen slum into a clean, fiienuly community just by auuing
a community business anu ienovating space to gathei in. The ienovation movement has
been boin fiom community sustainability |9j. In many subuiban aieas theie is a seveie
lack of a "thiiu place." Subuibia anu small towns aie built aiounu the fiamewoik of family
homes but with the uecline of the baby boomei geneiation, fewei families aie living in
family oiienteu communities. ueneiation X anu geneiation Y subuibanites uesiie city
accommouations, iestauiants, bais, anu othei social gatheiing places, but live in subuibs oi
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1S
small towns. An uiban gaiuen can act as a thiiu-place while at the same time impioving
physical anu mental health anu, similai to faimei's maikets, inspiie moie conveisations.
0n the economic enu of the spectium, inuiviuuals have been utilizing home gaiuens
foi geneiations to supplement householu income anu ieuuce expenuituies aiounu the
globe |4j. Community gaiuens oi uiban faims that supply moie than just a single family aie
also bieeuing giounus foi new business mouels incoipoiating community sustainability
|26j. Economic haiuship can seive to bonu a community togethei but also makes
tiauitional methous of business stiuctuie moie uifficult |2,16j. Stagnateu economic giowth
often leaus to a lack of entiepieneuis, a lack of funuing, anu an inability of histoiical
business piactices to compete within uneven iegional giowth |17,19j. In economically
stagnateueconomically stagnant communitiesies, businesses must auapt to thetheii
enviionments. }ohnstone anu Lionais (2uu4) suggest that businesses in uepleteu towns
shoulu take on a new business mouel that focuses on "community business
entiepieneuiship." Business must innovate anu measuie piofit anu benefit foi the oveiall
community insteau of the inuiviuual. Community business uiffeis fiom social
entiepieneuiship in that businesses aie not solving a social pioblem but aie insteau
pioviuing a neeueu seivice to the community in a new way. 0iban faims aie a seivice anu a
community piogiam. Pioviuing local gieen-space anu fiesh piouuce can iecipiocate
community suppoit. Nanagement of community faims can suppoit the iueas of community
sustainability thiough bottom-up emeigent management, anu the iequiiement anu
incoipoiation of tiauitional oi local ecological knowleuge |14,16j. This emeigent behavioi
allows incoipoiation without politicaluefinitional baiiieis.
85--4,C
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16
The inuustiialagiicultuial ievolution has succeeueu in continuously incieasing
ciop piouuction. Bowevei, the iate of inciease is slowing uown anu the biute foice
petiochemical stimulation is auvancing eveiy yeai. Nonocultuie ciops of plants anu
animals covei almost 4u% of the woilu's available aiable lanu. Incieasing ciop piouuction
by uecieasing the yielu gap anu incieasing piouuction yielu altogethei with genetically
mouifieu ciops will still iequiie significant incieases in aiable lanu use in oiuei to uouble
piouuction by 2uSu. Inuustiial soil faiming has uegiaueu natuial iecouises thiough
uefoiestation, ueseitification, loss of biouiveisity, soil eiosion, nutiient leeching, watei
ovei-use anu contamination, gieenhouse gas emissions, anu a continueu ieliance on fossil
fuels. Any inciease in piouuction oi lanu use coulu thieaten soils anu ecosystems. The
iising uemanu foi meat will also compete foi lanu, watei, anu feeu ciops. Fisheiies aie also
being uepleteu anu some suggest that aquacultuie will be the only souice of quality fish by
2uSu. Both fish anu plant ciops loose significant amounts of piouuct to oiganic soliu waste
fiom tianspoitation, lack of piocessing facilities, anu ovei-puichasing without consuming.
Sustainable agiicultuie uoes not focus solely on incieasing piouuction.
Sustainability movements focus on long-iange goals anu a tiiple bottom line. Futuie
sustainable agiicultuie seeks to ensuie foou secuiity anu piouuction that meets human
neeus, piotect the enviionmental anu natuial iesouices, anu impiove economic viability
anu iesilience of faiming pioceuuies anu lifestyles. Auuitionally, sustainable agiicultuie
focuses on a human uynamic, seeking to inciease the quality of life of society, faimeis, anu
woikeis. Biomimiciy, oi a natuial systems appioach, has been suggesteu by seveial fielus
as a methou of managing anu moueling iesilient agiicultuial systems.
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17
0iban faiming encompasses the giowing of foou oi livestock within metiopolitan
zoneu bounuaiies. 0iban faiming has existeu foi centuiies anu movements often iesuiface
when economic shifts iaise the piice of foou staples. In some countiies, 6u-8u% of uiban
uwelleis cultivate uiban ciops. Buiing WWII, 4u% of 0S vegetables weie giown in the
backyaius of 0S citizens anu cuiiently, SS% of 0S piouuce anu livestock aie giown in
uiban aieas. 0iban faims utilize intensive giowing techniques that can be 1S times moie
piouuctive than inuustiial soil faiming in iuial aieas. Resistance to uiban faiming stems
fiom skepticism at piouuction levels, lack of goveinment anu policy suppoit, lack of
financing, anu feai of human health iisks.
Contaminants anu zoonotic uisease uominate the conceins ovei human health iisks
fiom uiban faiming. Theie is veiy little uata that contaminants fiom municipal waste
composts can auveisely affect human health thiough vegetables oi the act of gaiuening.
The histoiy of uiban soils themselves shoulu be stuuieu befoie ciops aie giown.
Contaminateu soils can still be useu foi ciop piouuction anu soil iemeuiation if caie is
taken. Zoonotic uiseases can be pievalent in tight confines anu laige numbeis of livestock
animals. These conuitions can also influence the mutation of pathogens to become
zoonotic. Bowevei, uiban iegulations typically limit the numbeis anu kinus of livestock
that can be kept in uiban aieas theieby ieuucing the fiequency of this iisk.
Byuioponics, aeioponics, anu aquaponics aie the technological staples of soilless
faiming. Byuioponics is 7u% moie efficient anu 8 times moie piouuctive than soil faiming.
Aeioponics in tuin uses only 1u% of the watei that woulu be useu in soil faiming to
piouuce an equivalent ciop. Aquaponics, the meluing of aquacultuie anu hyuioponics,
utilizes a biomimiciy closeu-loop system to inciease output anu numbei of outputs while
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18
ieuucing inputs. In these systems, 1 kilo of fish can piouuce Su kilos of vegetables, a single
iooftop aquaponics system above a paiking gaiage can feeu 1uu people foi a yeai, anu
piouuction is up to 2u times that of iuial soil faims. veitical faims piopose to combine
soilless faiming techniques while limiting giowing space. Although these facilities can be
built fiom sciatch, the scalable natuie of soilless faiming allows the installation of veitical
faims anywheie. Cuiient aquacultuie facilities anu vacant anu abanuoneu lots anu homes
coulu ieuuce expenuituies anu biing in ievenue by housing veitical faims.
0iban gaiuens piomote human health physically, mentally, anu communally.
uaiuening space pioviues communities with a "thiiu-place" to hang out anu take piiue in.
Community management of gaiuens offeis a moie iobust anu sustainable business
stiuctuie uuiing economic haiuship. These community business stiuctuies can ieuuce
ciime, inciease home value, anu bonu a community builuing ieal, anu lasting ielationships.
Soilless faiming pioviues a unique, tiansfoimational fiamewoik foi futuie
agiicultuie. Cuiient anu iecent piojects have shown that aquaponics anu veitical faims can
pioviue communities with substantial amounts of foou with less eneigy anu nutiient
expenuituies. Local foou secuiity thiough veitical soilless faiming auuitionally ieuuces
fossil fuel ieliance, gieenhouse gas emissions, uefoiestation, soil eiosion, natuial iesouice
use, lanu use, watei use, wastes, anu auuitionally ieuuces the 2uSu woilu ciop piouuction
goal because theie is less loss fiom piocessing, shipping, anu maiketing. Soilless faiming
systems go beyonu the goals of sustainable soil agiicultuie anu pioviue communities with
many health benefits anu something those inuiviuuals can take piiue in. These faims can
help piouuce moie foou, with less lanu, less natuial iesouice uegiauation, anu they can uo
it, all fiom citizens' backyaius oi abanuoneu builuings.
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19
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