Nature-Based Solutions for Agriculture in Circular Cities: Challenges, Gaps, and Opportunities
Alba Canet-Martí,
Rocío Pineda-Martos,
Ranka Junge,
Katrin Bohn,
Teresa A. Paço,
Cecilia Delgado,
Gitana Alenčikienė,
Siv Lene Gangenes Skar,
Gösta F. M. Baganz
Affiliations
Alba Canet-Martí
Institute for Sanitary Engineering and Water Pollution Control (SIG), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190 Wien, Austria
Rocío Pineda-Martos
Urban Greening and Biosystems Engineering Research Group (NatUrIB), Departamento de Ingeniería Aeroespacial y Mecánica de Fluidos-Área de Ingeniería Agroforestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013 Seville, Spain
Ranka Junge
Ecological Engineering Centre, Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Grüentalstrasse 14, 8820 Waedenswil, Switzerland
Katrin Bohn
Centre for Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics, School of Architecture and Design, University of Brighton, Mithras House, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4AT, UK
Teresa A. Paço
Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture And Food (LEAF), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
Cecilia Delgado
Interdisciplinary Center of Social Sciences (CICS.NOVA), Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. de Berna 26-C, 1069-061 Lisboa, Portugal
Gitana Alenčikienė
Food Institute, Kaunas University of Technology, Radvilenu 19C, LT 50524 Kaunas, Lithuania
Siv Lene Gangenes Skar
Division Food Production and Society, Department Horticulture, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomic Research (NIBIO), Reddalsveien 215, 4886 Grimstad, Norway
Gösta F. M. Baganz
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany
Urban agriculture (UA) plays a key role in the circular metabolism of cities, as it can use water resources, nutrients, and other materials recovered from streams that currently leave the city as solid waste or as wastewater to produce new food and biomass. The ecosystem services of urban green spaces and infrastructures and the productivity of specific urban agricultural technologies have been discussed in literature. However, the understanding of input and output (I/O) streams of different nature-based solutions (NBS) is not yet sufficient to identify the challenges and opportunities they offer for strengthening circularity in UA. We propose a series of agriculture NBS, which, implemented in cities, would address circularity challenges in different urban spaces. To identify the challenges, gaps, and opportunities related to the enhancement of resources management of agriculture NBS, we evaluated NBS units, interventions, and supporting units, and analyzed I/O streams as links of urban circularity. A broader understanding of the food-related urban streams is important to recover resources and adapt the distribution system accordingly. As a result, we pinpointed the gaps that hinder the development of UA as a potential opportunity within the framework of the Circular City.
