Growing Food in Cities: A Report to Highlight and Promote the Benefits of Urban Agriculture in the UK

THE AIM OF this report is to show that urban agriculture can yield benefits such as community and economic development, environmental, health and educational improvements, stimulating leisure activities and sustainable neighbourhoods. In addition to highlighting some of the constraints on urban agriculture, and ways of overcoming them, the report also makes recommendations to policy makers on how they can support food-growing initiatives in cities. The report is illustrated with case studies of projects around the UK.

The report starts by addressing questions on why food should be grown, why in cities and why it should be encouraged now. It is argued that, as an urban nation, the population of the UK has lost contact with ways of producing food, and local and regional foods are disappearing. By growing food in cities, the countryside can be brought to the town and the quality of urban living improved.

The potential benefits are outlined in the second section of the report. By growing food in cities, people can regain pride in their identity, develop a positive self-image, and discrimination and crime can be reduced. Urban food growing may develop skills and create jobs, stimulate innovation and local goods and services. In education, growing food can bring behavioural and creative benefits, and can encourage community participation in school activities.

Another potential benefit is argued to be the restoration of some of the biodiversity that has been lost under the current food production system, and organic agriculture can encourage wildlife. The health benefits of urban agriculture include improvements in diet and improved levels of physical activity and mental health, whilst leisure benefits include volunteering, sustainable tourism and the development of arts and crafts. A final benefit is argued to be the development of sustainable neighbourhoods through the revival of allotments, the diversifying of parks and the regeneration of housing developments. The final section of the report outlines issues affecting food growing in cities, such as land availability and the need for organizational and management skills. The report ends with a list of sources of information.