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How Can Innovation in Urban Agriculture Contribute to Sustainability? A Characterization and Evaluation Study from Five Western European Cities

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  • Esther Sanyé-Mengual

    (Research Centre in Urban Environment for Agriculture and Biodiversity (ResCUE-AB), Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (Distal), University of Bologna, Viale Giuseppe Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy
    These authors contributed equally to this publication.)

  • Kathrin Specht

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
    ILS-Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development, Brüderweg 22-24, 44135 Dortmund, Germany
    These authors contributed equally to this publication.)

  • Erofili Grapsa

    (Institute for Social and Economic Research, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa)

  • Francesco Orsini

    (Research Centre in Urban Environment for Agriculture and Biodiversity (ResCUE-AB), Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (Distal), University of Bologna, Viale Giuseppe Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy)

  • Giorgio Gianquinto

    (Research Centre in Urban Environment for Agriculture and Biodiversity (ResCUE-AB), Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (Distal), University of Bologna, Viale Giuseppe Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy)

Abstract

Compared to rural agriculture, urban agriculture (UA) has some distinct features (e.g., the limited land access, alternative growing media, unique legal environments or the non-production-related missions) that encourage the development of new practices, i.e., “novelties” or “innovations”. This paper aims to (1) identify the “triggers” for novelty production in UA; (2) characterize the different kinds of novelties applied in UA; (3) evaluate the “innovativeness” of those social, environmental and economic novelties; and, (4) estimate the links between novelties and sustainability. The study was based on the evaluation of 11 case studies in four Western European countries (Italy, Germany, France and Spain). The results show that the trigger and origin of new activities can often be traced back to specific problems that initiators were intended to address or solve. In total, we found 147 novelties produced in the 11 case studies. More novelties are produced in the environmental and social dimensions of sustainability than in the economic. In most cases, external stakeholders played an important role in supporting the projects. The analysis further suggests that innovativeness enhances the overall sustainability in urban agriculture projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Esther Sanyé-Mengual & Kathrin Specht & Erofili Grapsa & Francesco Orsini & Giorgio Gianquinto, 2019. "How Can Innovation in Urban Agriculture Contribute to Sustainability? A Characterization and Evaluation Study from Five Western European Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-31, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:15:p:4221-:d:254779
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    13. Giuseppina Pennisi & Esther Sanyé-Mengual & Francesco Orsini & Andrea Crepaldi & Silvana Nicola & Jesús Ochoa & Juan A. Fernandez & Giorgio Gianquinto, 2019. "Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-21, July.
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    6. Esther Sanyé-Mengual & Kathrin Specht & Jan Vávra & Martina Artmann & Francesco Orsini & Giorgio Gianquinto, 2020. "Ecosystem Services of Urban Agriculture: Perceptions of Project Leaders, Stakeholders and the General Public," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-23, December.
    7. Giuseppina Pennisi & Esther Sanyé-Mengual & Francesco Orsini & Andrea Crepaldi & Silvana Nicola & Jesús Ochoa & Juan A. Fernandez & Giorgio Gianquinto, 2019. "Modelling Environmental Burdens of Indoor-Grown Vegetables and Herbs as Affected by Red and Blue LED Lighting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-21, July.
    8. Paola Clerino & Agnès Fargue-Lelièvre, 2020. "Formalizing Objectives and Criteria for Urban Agriculture Sustainability with a Participatory Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-16, September.

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