Tomorrow my territory 11 Growing food in my territory

Urban agriculture

November 2019

Agence pour l’Environnement et la Maîtrise de l’Energie (ADEME)

The 20 factsheets in the collection « demain MON TERRITOIRE » have been designed to give candidates and elected officials practical keys to take action, to open up the field of possibilities based on the experiences of other elected officials, from small towns to conurbations, large urban areas or sparsely populated areas. In the four corners of France, both in metropolitan France and in the French Overseas Territories, many of them are taking action, together with the players in their territories, to prepare for the future by taking action to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects. With its knowledge and presence throughout the country, ADEME supports them with its tools, activities and financial aid.

Why support the development of urban agriculture?

In full development all over the world, urban agriculture encompasses a wide variety of practices: from open field projects to above-ground cultivation in aquaponics, permaculture projects, livestock breeding or grazing. Recreational and symbolic, urban agriculture carried by inhabitants allows contact with a certain form of nature and seasonality and encourages citizen participation. It can also play a role in the circular economy and encourage short circuits for a few commodities. As an educational tool, it allows consumers to reappropriate the food production phase, to have access to local products and to encourage them to change their diets by moving towards greater sustainability. However, urban agriculture is not a miracle solution for feeding city dwellers: the most important agricultural challenges lie in preserving rural agriculture and soil quality, notably by fighting urban sprawl and certain farming practices.

How do you do it?

Urban agriculture projects should be considered as a link in the Territorial Food Projects (TFPs). These allow a global vision of the needs of the territory to push the most suitable projects.

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