Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2017·Global

Considerations for reducing food system energy demand while scaling up urban agriculture

Eugene Mohareb, Martin Heller, Paige J. Novak, Benjamin Goldstein, Xavier Fonoll, Lutgarde Raskin

Environmental Research Letters

Urban Farm DB summary

This literature review provided new insight into the energy implications of scaling up urban agriculture (UA) in cities in high-income countries. It noted that limited data quantify resource demand directly associated with UA systems, indicating the literature is not yet robust enough to make universal claims on benefits. Analyzing existing literature data and cases, the review proposed that energy efficiency gains could be realized by co-locating UA operations with waste streams (e.g., heat, CO2, greywater, wastewater, compost).