Urban farming in our increasingly fast-paced world can be the panacea for the many challenges people in cities face. The practice of cultivating food in or around cities and towns has let farming thrive in not just green houses, but also roof-top gardens or in vacant lots. Vegetable gardens can be found in unused plots of land in Chinese train stations, for instance, while city farms are increasingly common in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
Urban agriculture can, in many ways, be the solution for food security concerns as well as helping our cities become green. Urban farming also contributes to the local economy, providing waste water irrigation, while domestic waste can be used as fertilizer. Because it can be a serious business, it also promotes jobs and builds skills.
hTere is a large number of women who are urban farmers, growing fruit and vegetables for home use and for those that venture into serious crop growth, the chance to be entrepreneurs.
By growing food in cities, farmers give city dwellers the opportunity to enjoy produce fresh, without having to get food imported in a process that could hurt its freshness. Because it is essentially farming in the city, it does away with one challenge of food production: Getting the produce to the end consumer, and all the logistics associated with food transport.