Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2013·Global

Re-semantizing sustainability through creative agricultural practices in the urban Milieu

Giovanni Allegretti, Stefania Barca, Lúcia Fernandes

Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)

Urban Farm DB summary

This article reviews contemporary experiences in small-scale sustainable agriculture worldwide, framing urban and peri-urban farming as a form of "popular art/craft" practiced in response to the modern agricultural dilemma's alienation of most people, particularly urban residents, from the natural world. It surveys the variety of forms, spaces and social actors involved, focusing on the rise of agricultural gardens in urban areas and the neo-rural transition movement, and discusses the frequent involvement of artists and designers in urban gardening initiatives before closing with critical observations on the state of research on urban agricultural practices.