The themes
URBAGr'inn Days themes
Sustainable profitability, Innovative UA governance, Collaborative ecosystems, Resilient territorial planning, Resource smart farming...
SUSTAINABLE PROFITABILITY
Although (peri-) urban agriculture (UA) has co-existed with urban life ever since the expansion of early human settlements, current UA is considered a new branch of activities strongly linked to the present urban interest in the provenance of food. Moreover, the recent urban interest in agriculture in (peri-)urban areas corresponds to the expectation that it can counterbalance the pressure on liveability and sustainability in an era of urbanisation. A growing body of evidence suggests that UA fulfils a multitude of valuable functions in the dense urban zones. Hence, UA is valued not only for its food production at local scale but also for the variety of economic, social, health and ecological benefits it provides. Moreover, food production in urban areas itself is being re-evaluated in the light of geopolitical tensions.
Today, UA encompasses a high variety of practices which are continuously evolving. However, the rise of UA concomitantly evokes the question if a certain level of regional food supply is sustainable, economically viable or feasible and socially acceptable given the limited availability of land in and around cities, the limited and sub-optimal production conditions in urban areas, the lack of supportive infrastructures, the fact that peri-urban agriculture has to compete with better equipped food-producing rural areas and the competition with other functions which demand space in urban areas.
Especially in this complex situation, one cannot take a position based on priory assumptions what is efficient and what not, and what is economically viable and socially acceptable and what not. We have the responsibility to appraise if and how UA contributes to social-economic viability in the setting of rampant urbanisation. This responsibility should be borne collaboratively by businesses, policies, research, and civil society, emphasising the importance of collaboration in addressing the contribution and trade-off’s of modern urban agriculture!
Session overview
During this workshop, we will dive deeper into the economic and social contribution of urban agriculture. Firstly, we will set the scene by providing a broad outline of urban agriculture. What are we talking about when we talk about urban agriculture? A sharp definition and typology will bring the playing field into focus. Next, three speakers will highlight the socio-economic contribution (and possible trade-off’s) of urban agriculture, based on their experiences with tangible examples in The Netherlands.
Session outline
The session will start with four key notes, that shed light on the different aspects of the profitability of urban agriculture.
Key note (1): Introduction in typology of urban agriculture: new innovations in urban agriculture beyond community gardens
Key note (2): Innovation in urban farming systems with different levels of citizen contribution: reflection at concepts like CSA farms and citizen led farms (Heren Boeren)
Key note (3): Innovation in retail driven short supply chains that support development of urban agriculture: how can short supply chains of urban agriculture effectively contribute to local food?
Key note (4): Indirect values and social innovations as contributors to socially acceptable urban agriculture.
Subsequently, the second part of the session is a round table discussion with the keynote speakers. We will break into two groups. The first group will discuss the economic perspectives of urban agriculture, while the other group will discuss the indirect, social, value of urban agriculture. Halfway through, the groups will switch so that each can contribute to both facets.
INNOVATIVE UA GOVERNANCE
Urban agriculture is a feature in many towns and cities around the world, but the type and governance model of initiatives varies considerably – as does dominant narrative framing and policy support in different local, regional, and country contexts.
This theme explores various governance forms for supporting the embedding, proliferation, and scaling of urban agriculture, including:
- policies, programmes, and integrated strategies that recognise the contribution of urban agriculture to the goals of multiple departments or policy areas (including environment, social welfare and inclusion, education, economic development, etc);
- urban agriculture as part of wider urban food strategies;
- inclusion of urban agriculture as a viable land use in urban planning;
- models of collaborations between community groups, governments, businesses, that support urban agriculture through access to land, inputs and training, markets;
- the role of universities in research and data on the multifunctional benefits of urban agriculture, to support advocacy over policy support;
- supportive multi-level policy frameworks that foster an enabling environment for the institutionalisation and scaling of urban farming practices;
- trans-local governance, such as networks and city-to-city knowledge exchange, for sharing techniques and experiences, policy models and data, and for collective advocacy
By the end of the session, participants will:
- understand different forms of governance of urban agriculture that have been deployed in various contexts;
- understand the gaps, barriers and challenges faced by urban agriculture practitioners and advocates;
- be aware of strategies to promote support for food growing in cities – both within local contexts and as a global movement;
- be able to identify the role of urban agriculture in addressing various urban issues, and be prepared to engage stakeholders and advocate for governance support.
COLLABORATIVE ECOSYSTEMS
As the world grapples with pressing global challenges – from climate change and resource depletion to food insecurity and the energy transition – the need for innovative, systemic and sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns and increasing pressure on ecosystems are not only affecting the environment, but also endangering global food production, energy systems and livelihoods. Solving these interconnected problems requires collective action, interdisciplinary collaboration and a focus on resilience.
Clusters and living labs have emerged as powerful frameworks to address these challenges by fostering collaboration across industries, sectors and regions.
Together, clusters and living labs form the backbone of collaborative ecosystems that address systemic challenges. By connecting diverse actors, enabling knowledge sharing and fostering cross-border cooperation, they create the conditions for transformational change in sectors such as agriculture, energy and urban planning.
Session Overview
This session explores how clusters and living labs enable collaborative ecosystems to address climate challenges, drive innovation and foster sustainable development.
1. Keynotes: clusters and living labs
- The first keynote will highlight Greenport West-Holland, a leading example of a cluster that integrates the entire agri-food value chain to foster innovation and sustainability. Greenport connects actors from agriculture, logistics, knowledge development and policy, creating synergies that foster solutions for climate resilience, food security and economic growth.
- The second keynote will focus on the role of living labs as experimental and collaborative spaces. These labs enable stakeholders to co-create and test user-driven solutions in real-world contexts, helping to address challenges such as climate adaptation, sustainable resource management and community resilience.
2. Diversity of cluster typologies
Participants will then explore the diversity of cluster models through short presentations, showing how clusters can be adapted to meet specific regional and sectoral needs. These examples will highlight the importance of local and global cooperation to solve complex challenges.
3. Case studies
Three case studies will illustrate how clusters and living labs are driving change:
- RE-Greenhouse: the Interreg RE-Greenhouse project aims to reduce the reliance of greenhouse agriculture on fossil fuels in North-West Europe. With 11 partners in 5 countries, this initiative promotes the adoption of renewable energy through cross-border collaboration and pilot projects, demonstrating how climate-resilient solutions can improve sustainability and competitiveness;
- SUAVE EuroCluster: this project supports SMEs in advancing urban agriculture by addressing environmental, technological and social challenges. By transforming urban spaces into sustainable ecosystems, SUAVE shows how agriculture can reduce the environmental impact of cities while promoting inclusion and economic resilience;
- A living lab case study: a practical example will demonstrate the role of Living Labs in co-creating a project within a Living Lab addressing a solution to real-world challenges, with a focus on user-centric innovation and collaboration, showing the possibilities that a Living Lab offers to such solutions.
4. Collaborative worshops
The session will conclude with an interactive workshop where participants will collaborate to design a cluster or Living Lab tailored to their own region and agri-food sector. This practical exercise will encourage participants to identify key challenges, map stakeholders and co-create concrete strategies to build effective collaborative ecosystems.
RESILIENT TERRITORIAL PLANNING
How to design professional urban agriculture in resilient territories ? From the scale of the urban farm project to the territorial scale, this session will focus on describing, analyzing and questioning the place of urban agriculture in the evolution of the city, with a view to sustainable development. It will help us understand the role of architects, landscape designers, project developers, agronomists and local authorities in the process of creating urban agriculture projects and in city planning.
From the origins of professional urban agriculture projects to their management, this session aims to better understand the mechanisms that have given rise to urban agriculture projects. To this end, we propose to compare the views of several "city-makers" at different levels: the urban farm, the agricultural district, the more edible city, the countryside and its relationship to urban agriculture. We will also question the place of those who have worked on agri-urban projects :
- Project owners: sponsors or developers are questioned about the methods used to bring an agri-urban project to fruition. Who validates and imagines the project's purpose: from projects with an essentially social purpose to those with a commercial purpose, how do project owners position themselves? The perception and integration of local residents in the future project will be considered ;
- Project owners: "traditional" urban designers such as architects and landscape architects are confronted with new urban situations such as farms and community gardens ;
- Project owners: rarely involved from the outset of the project, their position in the project implementation process remains to be found ;
- Agronomists: what about their involvement ? When and at what level can they be involved in the project ?
In a very concrete way, and illustrated on the basis of failures and successes, we will attempt to sketch out viable design solutions for future urban agriculture projects. In view of the extreme complexity of these unusual projects, the round table will conclude with a summary of the skills required to design them. We'll be looking at the training and skills required of these traditional players in the city to integrate urban agriculture issues into their curriculum.
