Urban AgriCulture and Food Systems Dynamics in the German Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Region

Abstract

Agricultural activities within city boundaries have a long history in both developed and developing countries. In this paper, a broad approach to Urban AgriCulture (UAC) is used, one that includes the production of crops in urban and peri-urban areas and ranges in developed countries from allotment gardens over community gardens to semi-entrepreneurial self-harvest farms and fully commercialized agriculture. With an empirical case study on UAC Initiatives in the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg region this work fills a gap since the lack of comprehensive and comparative studies on urban agriculture (UA) currently makes it difficult for researchers to identify the benefits of UA activities.

Keywords

• agriculture
• citizen participation
• food systems
• social empirical research
• sustainable transition
• urban green spaces
• regional food production