Current Status and Trends in Urban Agriculture

By 2050 the global population is predicted to exceed 9 billion and nearly 70% of these people will live in cities. Much of this growth will occur in Asia, Africa, and South America. How can this urban population be fed sustainably, especially in the face of the uncertainties associated with climate change? Urban agriculture is advanced as part of the answer, yet many of the necessary inputs required for agricultural production that are supplied by nature in rural areas (soil, water, light and available space) are limited within cities. Cities are inherently heterotrophic, with far larger resource footprints than their demographic area. The development of urban agricultural practices that are productive, ecologically sustainable, and economically profitable will require an innovative synthesis of research beyond traditional disciplines. Manuscripts can approach this topic from a wide range of perspectives including, but not limited to:

• Ecology
• Agronomy
• Food justice
• Food distribution
• Community development
• Human well-being
• Economics
• City and regional planning
• Land tenure
• Engineering
• Vertical farming
• Hydroponics
• Human nutrition

Manuscripts should strive to be quantitative wherever possible and may address current empirical research, modeling, and historical analysis and should include recommendations for future research partnerships and approaches. Submissions from all regions of the globe are encouraged.