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How Urban Agriculture Can Improve Food Security in Us Cities

posted by martyb on Wednesday February 13 2019, @08:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the Balconies-and-roofs dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Phys.org:

Urban farming has grown by more than 30 percent in the United States in the past 30 years. Although it has been estimated that urban agriculture can meet 15 to 20 percent of global food demand, it remains to be seen what level of food self-sufficiency it can realistically ensure for cities.

One recent survey found that 51 countries do not have enough urban area to meet a recommended nutritional target of 300 grams per person per day of fresh vegetables. Moreover, it estimated, urban agriculture would require 30 percent of the total urban area of those countries to meet global demand for vegetables. Land tenure issues and urban sprawl could make it hard to free up this much land for food production.

Is urban farming a pipe dream, or can appropriating vacant lots for traditional farming or employing hydroponics make it work?

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  • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday February 15 2019, @01:51AM (1 child)

    by Reziac (2489) on Friday February 15 2019, @01:51AM (#801333) Homepage

    A pound of mushrooms per day might not be such a good idea. Even some (maybe all) edible mushrooms contain toxins, and they may be cumulative.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206786/ [nih.gov]

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Friday February 15 2019, @02:04AM

    by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Friday February 15 2019, @02:04AM (#801341) Journal

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaritine [wikipedia.org]

    Agaritine oxidizes rapidly upon storage, however, and is totally degraded after 48 hours in aqueous solution with exposure to air. It has also been shown to decompose readily upon cooking (up to 90% reduction) as well as upon freezing (up to 75% reduction).

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