URBAN AGRICULTURE DIVERSITY IN BRITAIN: BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES

Ailbhe Gerrard (1)

1 UCL - University College of London [London]

Diversity of urban agriculture (UA) in Britain could reduce food security impacts if a crisis occured in industrial food production systems. Industrial agriculture (IA) both causes and suffers from a lack of resilience: environmental, financial and structural. In Britain, the allotment system, previously an important form of UA, now grossly insufficient to replace the output of industrial agriculture, particularly in London. With these points identified, the relationship between diversity and resilience takes on a new clarity. Systems theory shows that diversity in any system is key to resilience. Some lessons can be learnt from international experiences of food crises ammeliorated by different forms of urban agriculture. Examples include : St. Petersburg's dachas, Milwaukee Growing Power farm and Havana permaculture. These examples are chosen to illustrate the potential to rediversify food production systems with urban agriculture. Finally, a discussion about applying aspects of these urban agriculture practices to London and other cities.

Mots clés: urban agriculture; industrial agriculture; resilience; diversity

Domaines: Agriculture, économie et politique

Ailbhe Gerrard. URBAN AGRICULTURE DIVERSITY IN BRITAIN: BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES. ISDA 2010, Jun 2010, Montpellier, France. 11 p. ⟨hal-00520451⟩