Peri-urban agriculture has brought out two clear impacts on farmers and the rural economy. The fi rst is the long-term impact of rise in land prices associated with reduced size of holding for agriculture, and the second, the short-term impact of rise in agricultural wages. In peri-urban and rural agriculture, the contribution from wage income exceeds 50%. Nevertheless, the per capita incomes of farmers in these scenarios are 50% lower than the per capita income of an average Indian. Steps are suggested to improve the economic situation of peri-urban farmers.

The current global urban population is expected to double by 2050, with 90 percent of urban growth taking place in developing countries. Many cities are ill equipped to handle such large-scale expansion. Various cities are starting to recognise urban
agriculture as an integral part of urban planning, upgrading and design. They are including urban agriculture in land use planning, social housing programmes and slum upgrading. This article describes some examples of their strategies.

The financial crisis of 2007/2008 had far-reaching impacts on developing countries, especially in cities which are more directly embedded in the global economy. Declining economic activity, negative effects on the terms of trade with the rich world and consequent job losses, as well as reduced remittances from family members working abroad, disproportionately affected urban households.

Pig raising is one of the main activities carried out by urban farmers in periurban areas of northern and southern Lima, due to a lack of water for irrigation in the desert climate. The RUAF FStT programme collaborated with the producer organisation
AGROSILVES to improve the productivity and profitability of its farmer members, by applying the production chain approach and strengthening their organisation.

The objective of Agromere, a planning concept for an area situated in the rapidly growing Dutch city of Almere (185,000 inhabitants), was to explore opportunities to re-integrate agriculture into modern Dutch city life, while at the same time
inspiring stakeholders to incorporate urban agriculture in the city’s actual development plan. Through a combined stakeholder and design process, a virtual city district on 250 ha was designed which integrates living space (for 5,000 inhabitants)

Agricultural development towards food, nutrition and livelihood security is high on the political agenda in Sri Lanka. A number of national programmes (e.g. Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu 2007-2010 and Divi Neguma) have focussed on achieving greater self-sufficiency at household level in order to reach a higher GDP in the agricultural sector with higher economic returns. Recently, national priorities have included the development of food-secure resilient cities, and in this regard, the Western Province has been a forerunner, having commenced its urban agriculture campaign already in 2000.

The Yorkshire village of Todmorden has taken local food to heart – and to the street. The planting of food crops at forty public locations throughout the village offer locals, and visitors, the chance to pick their own fresh fruit and vegetables, and it’s all free. From the local police station to the cemetery, from the health centre to the elderly care home (with raised garden beds at wheelchair height), in tubs on the street and in plots dug by the canal, Todmorden is embracing “local edible” with a passion.