As urban populations continue to increase it is essential to consider ways of reducing their impact in terms of use of natural resources, waste production and climate change. The increasing number of people in cities requires new strategies to supply the necessary food with limited provision of land and decreasing resources. This will become more challenging unless innovative solutions for growing and distributing food in urban environments are considered. The scale of modern food production has created and exacerbated many vulnerabilities and the feeding of cities is now infinitely more complex. As such, the food system cannot be considered secure, ethical or sustainable.

The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at Urban Agriculture. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

Development and planning

• Urban metabolism
• History of urban agriculture
• Integrated urbanism
• Sustainable land use
• Urban and peri-urban enterprises
• Green infrastructures and sustainable urbanism
• CPULs - Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes
• City food chains
• Food sovereignty
• Urban distribution and processing systems
• Market gardens
• Sustainable urban drainage
• Water resources and irrigation systems
• Sustainable food systems
• Organic farming
• Food security

Urban farms

• Patchwork farms
• Pop-up farms
• Roof top farms
• Green roofs
• Vertical greening and farms
• Hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics
• Hydrogardens
• Composting in cities
• Allotment systems
• Guerrilla gardening
• Permaculture and agricultural forestry
• Urban animal farms and bee-keeping
• Greenhouses
• Food networks

Socio-economic aspects

• Community supported agriculture
• Community cohesion and job creation
• Community gardens
• Communities as co-producers
• School and young urban farmers
• Education and training

Innovation and benefits

• Closed loops systems
• Transport and distribution
• Waste food recovery and recycling
• Renewable energy resources
• Healthy cities
• Care farming
• Ecological water systems
• Biofuel production in cities
• Quality of streets and urban environment
• Reduction of Urban Heat Island
• Farm to fork
• Eco-cities and eco-villaging
• Show cities
• Air pollution reductions
• Organic farming

Case studies