About this Research Topic
Urban agriculture has emerged as a critical area of research due to the increasing pressures of population growth, rapid urbanization, climate change, and land use changes on agricultural productivity and food security. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the vulnerabilities in global supply chains, leading to limited food availability and underscoring the need for resilient local food systems (LFS). LFS, which involve locally or regionally produced food sold directly to consumers, offer a promising approach to ensuring a steady food supply during crises. This transition towards more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems can enhance access to safe and healthy food, benefit farmers, boost local economies, reduce dependency on imported food, promote environmentally friendly production, conserve local biodiversity, and mitigate climate change. Policymakers, planners, and advocates are increasingly recognizing the broader benefits of LFS, including community building, diversified economies, civic engagement, and climate resilience. Urban agriculture, through community gardens and urban farms, plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development goals such as reducing urban poverty, improving health and well-being, creating sustainable cities and communities, mitigating climate change, preserving life on land, and fostering partnerships among stakeholders.
This research topic aims to document and disseminate knowledge on urban agriculture as local food systems from both the Global North and South. The primary objective is to explore the various forms of urban agriculture, such as community gardens, home gardens, and urban gardening, and their contributions to the local economy, sustainability, and well-being. By addressing the existing research gap, particularly in the Global South, this research seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the state, history, and future of urban agriculture through the lens of LFS. Comparative case studies from different regions will help identify the functions, pathways, and types of urban agriculture that deliver the desired outcomes. The research will also examine the contributions of LFS properties to the well-being of urban populations and identify the challenges and opportunities for scaling up urban agriculture to create healthier food landscapes.
To gather further insights into the range and limitations of urban agriculture as local food systems, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• State, history, and future of urban agriculture through the lens of local food systems (LFS) in developing countries of the Global South
• Comparative cases of urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS) across the Global South and Global North
• Functions and pathways of urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS)
• Types and characterization of urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS)
• Contribution of the local food system (LFS) properties of urban agriculture to the well-being of urban people
• Insights, promise, and challenges of understanding urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS) and identifying the ways forward
This research topic aims to document and disseminate knowledge on urban agriculture as local food systems from both the Global North and South. The primary objective is to explore the various forms of urban agriculture, such as community gardens, home gardens, and urban gardening, and their contributions to the local economy, sustainability, and well-being. By addressing the existing research gap, particularly in the Global South, this research seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the state, history, and future of urban agriculture through the lens of LFS. Comparative case studies from different regions will help identify the functions, pathways, and types of urban agriculture that deliver the desired outcomes. The research will also examine the contributions of LFS properties to the well-being of urban populations and identify the challenges and opportunities for scaling up urban agriculture to create healthier food landscapes.
To gather further insights into the range and limitations of urban agriculture as local food systems, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• State, history, and future of urban agriculture through the lens of local food systems (LFS) in developing countries of the Global South
• Comparative cases of urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS) across the Global South and Global North
• Functions and pathways of urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS)
• Types and characterization of urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS)
• Contribution of the local food system (LFS) properties of urban agriculture to the well-being of urban people
• Insights, promise, and challenges of understanding urban agriculture as local food systems (LFS) and identifying the ways forward
Keywords: Local food, Urban farms, Farmers, Transitioning food systems, community gardens, Global South, Global North
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
