Download Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture and Local Food Systems

Food Security and
Local Food Systems
Climate Change Leadership 19/3 2012
Center for Sustaianable Development (CSD)
Caroline Loohufvud, Human Geographer,
Urban and Rural Farmer
What is the problem?
A food system dependent of fossil fuels
(almost all energy used in farming is fossil)
• Production of chemical fertilisers 40 %
• Tilling/Ploughing 30 %
• Harvesting 20 %
(Edens lustgård tur och retur – framtidsvägar till ett hållbart naturbruk, KSLA, 2008)
 Global GHG emissions among other problems…
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Agricultural emissions , produced on farms: 11-15 % of GHG
Land-use change, deforestation etc: 15-18 % of GHG
Processing, packaging, transportation etc: 15-20 % of GHG
Wastage: 2-4 % of GHG
IN TOTAL Global food system: 44-57 % of GHG
(Food and Climate Change: The Forgotten Link, Grain 2011)
Today (Sweden)
• 50 % of food is imported
• 80 % of fodder is imported
• 93 % of the land is farmed with chemical pesticides & fertilizers
How did we get here
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Access to cheap energy
Increased mechanization & technical development
Chemical pesticides & fertilizers
Industrialization & ‘rationalizations’
Development of refrigerators & freezers
Increased road infrastructure to manage transportation
The evolution of big cities
Weakened interconnectedness with nature, push for low price food
Global challenges
Population growth
We are expected to be 8 billion in 2030,
9 billion in 2050
Urbanization
Today 1/2 live in cities, 2050 2/3 will
Overuse of planetary resources
Phosphorus a.o.
Climate change
Energy
scarcity; peak-oil, -coal & -gas
Tomorrow?
Energy crisis
Climate changes
Food scarcity
Transition Towns
 More local production & consumption
 More cooperations & small companies
Solutions and ways forward
• Small scale & labour intense organic farming
• Agro-ecology
Diversified cropping systems
Incorporation of perennials: trees, bushes, wild vegetation etc
Reintegration of crop and animal production
Nutrient recirculation
• Seasonal diet
• Self-sufficency of greens
Urban Agriculture & Gardening
Foraging
Preserving
• Local markets and cooperatives
• Cookalong parties & Growalong networks
Food sovereignty
&
security
The potential of UA
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Closer relationship between production & consumption
Less wastage
None or short transports
Fresh nutritious food
Food security/food sovereignty
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Smaller scale
Effective land use
Effective recycling of organic waste
Biological diversity & resilience
CO 2 sink
More transparent food system, open to public control
Social coherence & sustainable lifestyles
Job opportunities
Swedish gardens, 300 000 hectares
 vegan diet for 4 millions of people
 mixed diet for 10 millions of people if vegetables are completed with animalic protein.
For example there are in Sweden 400 000 hectares of non-used land that could procuce as much meat as
Sweden now imports (120 000 tons/year)
Growing Power - A Model for Urban Agriculture
http://youtu.be/vs7BG4lH3m4
3,03
Growing Power.mov
http://youtu.be/ozvrp_uTH98
2,54
Urban Initiatives, Urban Farming Movement in Detroit
http://youtu.be/xzoxjWdg-4c
12,16 (5->)
Questions for future climate leaders
Can a true environmentalist eat meat?
Can a true environmentalist be vegan?
Can a true environmentalist drink alcohol?
Use make up?
Fly airplane?
Reproduce agriculture?
Save civilization?
Have children? If so, how many?
Should food self-sufficiency be a goal for a region or country?
Is trade in food acceptable? If so, how much?
Do more people in society need to work with food production?
How much potential is there for urban agriculture?