Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
What next?
AGROPOLIS was a major investment on the part of IDRC and we are proud
of the results. In 2007, IDRC launched a new initiative, 'Ecopolis', which
moves to support research on a number of urban environmental issues. These
include UA as well as water and sanitation, solid waste management, urban
vulnerability and land tenure. Ecopolis will not only emphasize traditional
academic research, but will also include resources for designers who are
engaged in technical work that enhances higher value UA production.
Although UA has made great strides in terms of acceptance, now the greater
challenge is to improve architects' and planners' awareness of and sensitivity
to including 'green' and agricultural features into the design process. In
developing countries, where planning systems can be weak, this means
enforcing protective measures that are included in zoning provisions.
The relative importance of UA is on the rise, both as an economic activity
and also as a contribution to environmental management. What is absolutely
necessary - and the chapters of this topic corroborate this conclusion - is for
a continued push to legitimize UA, where it is still illegal in the eyes of policy
makers and planners, and to draw on the positive experiences of some cities
to ensure the viability of the UA economy.
R
EFERENCES
Agrawal, M., Singh, B., Rajput, M., Marshall, F. and Bell, J. N. B. (2003) 'Effect of air
pollution on peri-urban agriculture: a case study', Environmental Pollution, vol 126, no
3, pp323-329
Amoah, P., Drechsel, P., Henseler, M. and Abaidoo, R. C. (2007) 'Irrigated urban vegetable
production in Ghana: microbiological contamination in farms and markets and
associated consumer risk groups', Journal of Water and Health, vol 5, no 3, pp455-466
CAB, Abstracts and academic search premier, http://search.ebscohost.com (accessed April
2008)
Dreschel, P., Graefe, S. and Fink, M. (2007) Rural-Urban Food, Nutrient and Virtual Water
Flows in Selected West African Cities, IWMI Research Report no 115, IWMI, Accra
IWMI (2007) Annual Report 2005-2006, IWMI, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Lobell, D. B. and Field, C. B. (2007) 'Global scale climate-crop yield relationships and the
impacts of recent warming', Environmental Research Letters, vol 1, no 1
Mara, D. and Feachem R. (2001) 'Taps and toilets for all', in Water21, August 2001, IWA
Publishing, Colchester, UK
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Synthesis
Report, Island Press, Washington DC
Mougeot, L. J. A. (2005) Agropolis: The Social, Political and Environmental Dimensions of
Urban Agriculture, Earthscan, London, UK
