Optimising Crop Selection for Small Urban Food Gardens in Dry Climates

Urban Farm DB summary

A two-stage linear programming model examined the net value of urban agriculture across different climates and water prices, treating crop type and yield as decision variables constrained by dietary food-group bounds, protein and energy requirements, and area per person. The model found optimal crop regimes to be similar across climates and water prices because high-profit-margin crops were consistently selected, and that smaller per-capita garden size was optimal for water-use efficiency and net value, with a modest, well-chosen food garden shown to be cost-effective even under conservative yield and water-use assumptions.