Urban Farming Summary
Urban Farming Summary
Urban Farming Summary
Introduction
Today 54% of the worlds population lives in urban agglomerations. According to recent predictions of the
United Nations, the urban population will increase by another 2.8 billion people, so that 6.3 billion people
will live in cities.
Due to the increased population density, the demand for consumer goods like food will also increase. The
result of that development is the challenge, to provide urban residents with enough nutritious food while
acting in a sustainable way. Thus, resource streams into the cities need to be limited which can be
achieved by growing food exactly where they are required: in cities. This way of growing and harvesting
food in urban areas is called Urban Farming.
This seminar thesis deals with the question, whether it is possible to supply the urban population with
vegetable food grown in the way of Urban Farming. In order to find out if this is possible and sustainable,
the city of Munich functions as an example.
Feasibility
The feasibility to supply Munich with Urban Farming depends on the available space, the consumption of
fruits and vegetables as well as the yield, which can be achieved.
Calculation of the available space
Available areas for Urban Farming are either flat roofs, which need to be considered stable enough to
ensure they can carry additional loading, or fallow land.
The calculation takes place by using two reference-boroughs: the first one (Maxvorstadt) represents
central Munich while the second one represents the periphery (Trudering-Riem). By manually identifying
and selecting available areas on Geography-Information-Systems (Google Maps Engine, ArcGIS)
automatically calculate the selected areas in acre. Thus, a relative percentage rate can be determined
which can later be transferred to the whole city of Munich, whereby the area of the downtown-borough
(Altstadt-Lehel) was subtracted as Urban Farming is not possible there, due to the roof-form and the
competition for space.
Thus, 4.44% of Munich is suitable for Urban Farming which is 3.360,63 acres.
Accordingly, it is crucial to see if there are private investors to undertake the initial investment. In general,
it is possible to operate Vertical Farms so that profit can be realized like in a conventional business. An
example is the Sky Green Farm in Singapore.
In addition, the power supply of Vertical Farms is a challenge. Since farming takes place within the
buildings, there is a dependency on artificial light. Therefore, renewable energies should be used;
nevertheless supplying bigger Vertical Farms exclusively with renewable energy is not possible yet as the
efficiency is too low. However, research is being done to work out appropriate technologies, such as the
Fraunhofer-Institut for environment-, safety-, and energy technologies in Germany.
In Munich such farms could be situated in peripheral quarters of the city but also a certain building in
Laim, Munich which has been vacant for 20 years would have been suitable for Vertical Farming.
Important for the localization is in any case the proximity to surrounding residential buildings as this
ensures vegetable and fruit distribution right at the bottom of the Vertical Farm. By picking up the fresh
produce the aim of consumer-related production can be achieved.
Realization of Urban Farming in Munich
As an interim summary, it can be noted, that both Vertical Farming and Outdoor-Farming have their weak
points. Thus, a supply of Munich by one of the two options is not useful. While Vertical Farms are costintensive, the urban population cant be fed by outdoor-farming. Accordingly, various forms of urban
farming should be combined, so that the individual preconditions are being recognized and each form of
space is being used in the ideal way.
Usage of fallow land
On fallow land, it is advisable to create socio-ecological community gardens. The aim of this form of
urban farming is not the efficiency but to establish an urban green space for leisure activity and
interaction for residents. Furthermore, these urban gardens foster exchanges between the atmosphere
and soil which is of great ecological importance, considering the fact that the degree of sealing in Munich
is 44.4 %. In addition, such gardens have a positive effect on the urban climate as the evaporation of
water on the soil or grass reduces the average temperature and improves the city air by photosynthesis.
The ideal cultivation in urban gardens is in mobile raised beds, so that fruit and vegetables dont grow
directly in the soil which can be contaminated.
In order to improve and distribute urban gardens in Munich, the city council should ease their conditions
regarding contracts for urban gardening and by promoting other projects such as ,O'pflanzt is' on
Leonrodplatz in Munich.