Benefits of Urban Agriculture Development

Urban agriculture is growing quickly in many countries around the world. In developing countries, food is cheap and urban gardens are becoming commonplace. Urban gardening has its environmental benefits as well. This article will discuss some urban farming environmental benefits, urban growth and urban development costs. The costs involved with urban agriculture are not as high as in other areas of farming, but they do exist.

• Environmental Benefits: Urban agricultural growth is a natural way to counteract environmental pressure from rising food demand and growing urbanization. As urban dwellers produce more waste than they consume, their produce acts as a sink for this waste, reducing landfill use and creating organic fertilizer that helps restore soil fertility. Urban farmers also create more open spaces and improved community systems, allowing children to play outside and allowing residents in urban centres to mingle with those in rural areas.
• Economic Benefits: There are many positive impacts on the economy of urban areas that include higher production and employment. More people can be employed in urban farming, which creates more demand for land and natural resources. Higher revenues can be earned through increased sales of farm products and increased tourism, especially in developing nations.
• Social Benefits: Grow your food in a productive and social environment, where you know what you are producing and why. Knowledge sharing allows you to produce what the community needs and desires. Growing urban gardens create bonds among family members and develop neighbourhood markets for fresh food and produce. It teaches you how to respect the land, to care for animals and to have compassion for the people that live in the urban environment. It also allows you to think about the big picture, as urban agricultural development often leads to larger cities and the creation of a better world for everyone.

• The Benefits of Urban Agriculture to People at the Local Community Level: Urban agriculture is an important part of urban life. As urban farming becomes more prevalent and integral to urban development, people who live in the urban environment will benefit from improved health, more free time, and an enriched quality of life. Urban gardens create jobs by promoting better nutrition and community commerce. In developing nations, urban gardens help to eliminate poverty by creating economic activity and employment. Some urban farmers have become quite wealthy through urban agricultural production.
• The Benefits of Urban Agriculture to International Businesses: Urban agricultural production is beneficial to all involved. Large scale urban farming encourages greater investment in technology and the establishment of relationships among urban dwellers and suppliers. This helps urban families to become more self-sufficient and it also leads to international investors’ confidence in urban gardens. Urban farming has created jobs for urban families as well as increased tax income for the urban government. International businesses that operate in urban areas benefit from increased access to urban farmers, consumers and markets. Many international food chains purchase their produce from urban gardens that have been developed through community enterprise.
• The Benefits of Urban Agriculture to Future Food Security: Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in diseases that have affected people in urban environments, such as allergies, water-borne diseases, obesity and diabetes. Urban agriculture helps to reduce the problems associated with these diseases by increasing nutrition across urban communities. It has also helped to reduce the urban burden on public health and nutrition systems. Urban farmers provide safe, healthy and affordable food. Urban farmers use pesticides and chemicals that are much lower than those used in the past which has helped to reduce air pollution caused by pesticides and fertilizers.

The urban garden has grown into an integral part of the daily lives of many urban dwellers all over the world. It contributes significantly to the economic well-being of urban residents, both directly and indirectly. It is estimated that urban agricultural development contributes around 5% of total GDP in some developing countries such as India and China. Urban farmers have largely contributed to the decline in rural poverty and have also improved urban sanitation, hygiene and health by creating green spaces and water bodies. Urban gardens have become an indicator of urban development throughout the world.