- 04.03.2022
- 2'15 min
- 1
What is urban agriculture?
As the population grew, the fields gradually disappeared from the city centers. Some plots still occupy the land and are sometimes exploited by city dwellers: we call it urban agriculture. On the occasion of the International Agricultural Show, we went to the Association Terres Urbaines to learn more.
Communications: Hello everyone. This year, one of the flagship themes of the International Agricultural Show was urban agriculture. We met Jordan Bonaty, director and co-founder of the Terres Urbaines association, to find out more.
Hello Jordan, could you explain what urban agriculture is?
Jordan: Urban agriculture encompasses all forms of agriculture that can be found in towns and cities. It can involve growing crops, on the scale of community gardens, where micro projects are implemented to produce food.
Communications: Indeed, we’re hearing more and more about community gardens, urban farms. What kind of needs do these projects meet ?
Jordan: It allows people to reconnect with nature. Producing your own food makes those involved aware of all the difficulties that can arise when producing vegetables. We also introduce the concept of composting, waste reduction, waste recovery… It's a real gateway to a whole lot of knowledge and values for the preservation of our environment.
Communications: This new trend therefore meets many social and ecological challenges, but how does it actually work in practice?
Jordan: Several urban farming projects are being developed in unused spaces, which are being repurposed by creating vegetable gardens, which are also multifunctional places open to the public, to build their environmental awareness, and perhaps (re)introduce them to environmentally-friendly practices such as composting, for example. Extracurricular activities are also arranged in schools. And finally, it includes the concept of production, because we must not forget that urban agriculture serves to feed people. So we set up short food supply chains to help others, not only the beneficiaries of the garden but also people who, for example, do not have gardens or allotments and who could come to cultivate crops in our farms and redistribute them to other associations like Restos du Coeur, for example.
Communications: Who is the initiative intended for?
Jordan: It's for everyone
Communications: So, if I understand correctly, the goal is to bring nature back into urban areas by getting different groups of people involved. Perhaps our city-dwelling colleagues will be the future farmers of tomorrow. Thank you, Jordan. See you soon!