My Little Thumb

As urban dwellers depend on rural India, although rarely admit and respect, for the food, mainly vegetable, urban India has experienced insecurity regarding their food supply and worried for their regular diet for their health. Population projection estimates that by 2030 our urban population will be around 600million and by 2050 by it will be more than 800million. This current shock has forced us to think about the source of our food.From my urban sustainability research experience and over a decade of my experience in Landscape Architecture practice, I believe adopting urban farming or the concept of productive landscape – transforming urban open spaces into a landscaped area that produce food. Even without support from government at the individual household level, one can turn the rooftops, balconies, backyard/front gardens into small-scale productive gardening. Certainly, government intervention and support can bring significant impact on society and urban nutrition crisis.COVID Crisis and Urban FarmingAs the world is suffering from a broken supply chain, urban dwellers in almost every city experience panic buying and emptiness in the supermarket. In turn, this shocking experience force individual and government to think about local production and urban farming. Examples are available from all over the world. For instance, in Canada, several seed banks, garden centres and urban farming organisations have reported a dramatic rise in website traffic and overwhelming digital orders. As media reports and I understand from talking to my friends in the USA, Canada and Singapore, those who think that food is a product to purchase are thinking to grow some vegetable on their balcony. They are trying farming not because they have enough time for gardening, but they wish to have something fresh and truly organic.Interestingly, investment trends in urban farming are also changing significantly. Urban agriculture, often neglected and considered as a personal hobby, are getting fund from government and private investors. London-based food-tech start-up, Vertical Future, secures an additional £1.1m backing from Earthworm – a fast-growing impact investor with a portfolio across food, energy and waste. In Singapore, one of the wealthiest nations in Asia that imports most of their food, has been allotted $30 million grant to boost local agricultural productivity, using latest technology over the next six to 24 months.