from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
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The issue of food security is becoming increasingly prominent in the public domain, particularly in the context of the continuing loss of quality arable land around the world and the current effects of ongoing climate change. This is already fundamentally altering the possibilities for growing agricultural crops, including vegetables, as we know them today, with the prospect of further intensification in the future. Urban agriculture, as a form of meeting part of the food demand, offers the opportunity to increase the natural capital of cities, in addition to food production, which has many other benefits, including environmental ones. If urban agriculture contributes even a fraction to more sustainable and stable cities, then this is a direction that should be considered when drawing up new local plans. On the other hand, it is important to take into account certain risks associated with food production in cities, such as air pollution, increased concentrations of heavy metals, high investments (irrigation, substrate, compost) or the technological performance of buildings. Although urban agriculture faces a number of disadvantages and complications, it can, to a certain extent, be seen as a form of adaptation to climate change.
Thanks to the availability of spatially oriented data, it is possible to analyze the possible production potential of urban agriculture around the world. In a new JAFSCD article, Urban farming as a form of future food security in the Czech Republic, authors Szturc, Mašíček, Navrátilová, and Kozlovsky-Dufková present the results of their research study, which seeks to highlight alternative ways of using urban spaces for potential agricultural production, in contrast to the ongoing permanent soil sealing in Central Europe. Corresponding author Jan Szturc can be contacted at jan.szturc@mendelu.cz.
KEY FINDINGS - Persistent global land grabbing may threaten national food security
- Urban agriculture can be a form of providing part of the food demand
- The brownfields, rooftops, green spaces have great potential for urban agriculture.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY AND RESEARCH -
Legislation (in this case, in the Czech Republic) often insufficiently protects agricultural land. There is a need to introduce more effective instruments for protecting agricultural land, such as stricter regulations in the development of land-use plans and building permits.
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New construction should be directed to existing unused areas, such as brownfields and building voids, instead of using agricultural land.
- The introduction of economic incentives and penalties can encourage the use of lower-quality land for development, thus protecting high-quality agricultural land.
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Increasing education and outreach, and creating programs and workshops focused on urban agriculture, can help urban dwellers acquire the skills and knowledge needed to grow their own food.
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Can urban farming be the key to food security? A case study from the Czech Republic offers interesting insights into finding land suitable for urban agriculture. #UrbanFarming #Sustainability #LocalFood #SoilSealing #GreenInfrastructure #Europe #CzechRepublic Read the full @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.143.009.
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Illustration above: An example of the effective use of urban rooftops for urban farming. Image created using AI and provided by the authors. |
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In a new JAFSCD viewpoint entitled Women: The first farmers, Professor Harpinder Sandhu argues that women were the first farmers, and this should be celebrated and reinvigorated on International Women’s Day. Carol Christ, a historian and theologian, has emphasized that women were the first farmers. The animal domestication process, carefully observed by women, gave rise to agriculture. In ancient times, agriculture kept groups together and became the glue that bound many societies across different parts of the world.
This commentary has implications for practice and policy on managing our global agrifood systems. The main argument is that women were the first farmers, and men took over farming after the invention of the plow, which required physical labor. This has resulted in an unjust food system with high societal and environmental costs. There is a need to revisit the role of women in today’s agriculture and how this can be used to transition global agriculture and food systems that are more equitable and sustainable.
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Women were the first farmers, and this should be celebrated and reinvigorated on #InternationalWomensDay. Professor @HarpinderSandhu at @FederationUniversityAustralia notes that there is a need to revisit the role of women in today’s agriculture and to explore how this can be used to #transition #global #agriculture and #foodsystems to be more #equitable and #sustainable. Read the JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.143.012
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NEWS FROM JAFSCD SHAREHOLDERS |
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Could Mentoring Help People in Your Organization? Whether at a small local food organization or a large land-grant university, people everywhere benefit from mentoring. Brian Raison, a professor and Extension educator with the Ohio State University, recently compiled 40 easy-to-use mentoring tools to help build capacity in people and organizations. This mentoring approach is grounded in nonformal learning theory that meets people where they are and provides highly engaging tools (“conversation-starters”) mentors can use with no training. All are available here as free downloads: https://encouragingmentor.com
Here are the most-downloaded items: - Mentoring Renovation Framework (14 tools): A simple framework that can be overlaid on any existing mentoring program — or use it to launch a new one. (32 pages)
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Mentoring Early- and Mid-Career (12 conversations): Personal and professional development tools anyone can use in mentoring and career-development coaching. These can also work as self-study materials. (13 pages)
- 20 Anytime Mentoring Questions: A guide provides 20 question prompts that anyone can use to enter into mentoring conversations. (1 page)
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(Position #0083067) in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR). Full-time, tenure-track position based in Honolulu with an 11-month appointment. Details here. | | County Administrator for Kaua‘i
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