Aside from just being a very fulfilling practice for overstressed metro individuals, urban
A new study throws a wrench in the works, revealing that fruits and vegetables grown in urban farms have, on average, a six times greater
Urban farming is tricky. While futuristic hydroponic systems with multi-level vertical farms might come to mind when visualising the concept, the fact remains that most farms in the city are just simple agriculture beds, with none of this resource-saving tech to show for it.
Since many of these farms are the result of relatively impromptu endeavours, urban farmers often don't invest heavily in the longevity of the agriculture infrastructure. What results is that the constant damage control actually causes higher
The study revealed that food from urban agriculture emitted 0.42 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents per serving on average — far higher than the 0.07 kilograms emitted by usual farming.
Even though the overall picture seems bleak, all is not lost yet. Certain crops, like open-air tomatoes, actually perform better than their greenhouse counterparts in traditional farms. But in order to make
While lowering the carbon footprint is crucial, the study reminds us that urban farms offer more than just food. They improve mental health, diets, and social connections. By maximising these "non-food outputs," urban farms can become truly sustainable parts of our cities.
The findings of this study have been published in Nature Cities.