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The Högdalen urban farm: a real case assessment of sustainability attributes

Author

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  • Rebecka Milestad

    (Royal Institute of Technology – KTH)

  • Annika Carlsson-Kanyama

    (Royal Institute of Technology – KTH)

  • Christina Schaffer

    (Stockholm University)

Abstract

While urban indoor farming is a fairly new phenomenon, there is a growing interest from producers, authorities and consumers alike. However, many assumptions are made, and expectations held, about urban indoor farming from a sustainability, food production and food provisioning point of view. These assumptions and expectations need to be tested and assessed. This study assessed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a number of social aspects of a newly established indoor urban farm in Stockholm. The farm was the result of a project created by commercial, civil society and municipal actors with the aim to make use of unused urban space, create jobs and produce food. While lettuce grown on the indoor farm emitted more GHG than lettuce cultivated outdoors in Sweden, it was more climate friendly than imported lettuce in our comparison. Furthermore, the indoor farm created value for the actors involved and for the city district, albeit on a small scale. Many of the positive environmental and social features owed to the small scale of the indoor farm and the context in which it developed. Thus, when evaluating production systems like this one, we need to be cautious and refrain from extrapolating the results.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecka Milestad & Annika Carlsson-Kanyama & Christina Schaffer, 2020. "The Högdalen urban farm: a real case assessment of sustainability attributes," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(6), pages 1461-1475, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:12:y:2020:i:6:d:10.1007_s12571-020-01045-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-020-01045-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Hemeng Zhou & Kathrin Specht & Caitlin K. Kirby, 2022. "Consumers’ and Stakeholders’ Acceptance of Indoor Agritecture in Shanghai (China)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-28, February.

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