A recent study was conducted in the UK about the hidden potential of urban horticulture and how it could best be implemented into existing landscapes. Researchers from the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield recently had this work published in the research journal Nature.
They began by using a geographic information system (GIS) to map current green infrastructure being used for urban horticulture (UH) then looked at parks, gardens, woodlands, and finally grey infrastructure, such as buildings to determine just how much it’s possible to expand the UH system in their hometown of Sheffield.
Taking into account key scientific, engineering, and socio-economic challenges, they looked at two different forms of UH: controlled environment horticulture (CEH) on flat roofs and soil-based horticulture (SBH) within the green infrastructure.
Controlled Environment Horticulture
Flat roofs cover 24% of the buildings in Sheffield and the expansion of green infrastructure will mean that not all of the space can be used for CEH purposes, it ends up equating to .5 square meters per person. That space would allow for year-round cultivation using harvested rainwater for irrigation and minimal lighting requirements. Growing methods like hydroponics and aquaponics could be used for high-yield, high-value crops.
The paper points out that although this doesn’t sound like much growing area, “The high-yielding nature of CEH production systems and focus on specific crop types could nonetheless contribute substantially to the city-wide UH potential.” Read more…
