Peri Urban Agriculture

Advantages of Peri Urban Agriculture.

The benefits that peri urban agriculture brings along to cities that implement this practice are numerous. Peri urban agriculture assists to close the open loop system in urban areas characterized by the importation of food from rural zones and the exportation of waste to regions outside the city or town. Wastewater and organic solid waste can be transformed into resources for growing agriculture products: the former can be used for irrigation, the latter as fertilizer. Vacant urban areas can be used for agriculture production. Other natural resources can be conserved. The use of wastewater for irrigation improves water management and increases the availability of freshwater for drinking and household consumption. Peri urban agriculture can help to preserve bioregional ecologies from being transformed into cropland. Peri urban agriculture saves energy (e.g. energy consumed in transporting food from rural to urban areas). Local production of food also allows savings in transportation costs, storage, and in product loss, what results in food cost reduction. Peri urban agriculture improves the quality of the urban environment through greening and thus, a reduction in pollution. Peri urban agriculture also makes of the city a healthier place to live by improving the quality of the environment. Peri urban agriculture is a very efficient tool to fight against hunger and malnutrition since it facilitates the access to food by an impoverished sector of the urban population. Peri urban agriculture provides food and creates savings in household expenditure on consumables, thus increasing the amount of income allocated to other uses. Peri urban agriculture surpluses can be sold in local markets, generating more income for the urban poor.