Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Urban and Peri-urban Agroforestry as Multifunctional Land Use

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Agroforestry

Abstract

In this era of global changes, rapid urbanization rates, climate change impacts and growing socio-environmental concerns are negatively impacting on various aspects of urban life, such as human health and well-being, urban economy stability, biodiversity levels, land productivity and natural resources availability.

In this context, cities – having become the main centres of consumption and production worldwide – need to move towards more sustainable and resilient urban development models, considering novel approaches aimed at integrating grey and green infrastructure, economic growth and environmental concerns, knowledge diffusion and poverty and hunger eradication.

In this regard, the implementation of urban and peri-urban agroforestry (UPAF) systems – associated with the integration of urban food systems into urban planning – can greatly support the provision of ecosystem services to urban dwellers, thus contributing to the improvement of their livelihood through increased food and nutrition security, energy and fresh water availability, regulation of local climate, carbon sequestration, maintenance of genetic diversity, recreation opportunities and health improvement. In this sense, UPAF is emerging as a new urban practice addressed to promote sustainable land use as well as the integration between urban and rural development. However, its implementation in urban contexts presents several key challenges, such as land tenure conflicts, lack of integration with urban policies and plans and technical knowledge, as well as necessity of innovative governance models.

In this context, the aim of this chapter is to outline, through a review of the relevant literature and case studies from both developed and developing countries, the benefits deriving from the implementation of UPAF systems and highlight how these practices can support the improvement of urban sustainability and resilience, particularly in terms of enhancement of provisioning, cultural, regulating and supporting ecosystem services.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Firebaugh G. (1979) defines the urban transition as: “the reorganization of human society from being predominantly rural and agricultural to being predominantly urban and non-agricultural”.

  2. 2.

    Daily GC (1997) defines ecosystem services as:” the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfill human life”.

  3. 3.

    Kumar and Nair (2004) define tropical homegarden as: “intimate, multistory combinations of various trees and crops, sometimes in association with domestic animals, around the homestead”.

References

  • Alberti M (2005) The effects of urban patterns on ecosystem function. Int Reg Sci Rev 28(2):168–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA, Companioni N, Cañizares K, Murphy C, Rosset P, Bourque M, Nicholls CI (1999) The greening of the “barrios”: urban agriculture for food security in Cuba. Agric Hum Values 16(2):131–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barthel S, Folke C, Colding J (2010) Social–ecological memory in urban gardens – retaining the capacity for management of ecosystem services. Glob Environ Chang 20(2):255–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barthel S, Parker J, Ernstson H (2013) Food and green space in cities: a resilience lens on gardens and urban environmental movements. Urban Stud 52(7):1321–1338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beacon Food Forest (2016) Beacon Food Forest Permaculture Project. Webpage. Available at: http://beaconfoodforest.org/

  • Borelli S, Chen Y, Conigliaro M, Salbitano F (2015) Green infrastructure: a new paradigm for developing cities. Technical paper at the XIV World Forestry Congress, Durban, South Africa, 7–11 September 2015

    Google Scholar 

  • Camps-Calvet M, Langemeyer J, Calvet-Mir L, Gómez-Baggethun E (2016) Ecosystem services provided by urban gardens in Barcelona, Spain: insights for policy and planning. Environ Sci Pol 62:14–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chadwick LC (1971) 3000 years of arboriculture: past, present and the future. Arborists News 36(6):73–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiesura A (2004) The role of urban parks for the sustainable city. Landsc Urban Plan 68(1):129–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • City of London Corporation (2010) Rising to the challenge: the city of London climate change adaptation strategy. First published May 2007, revised and updated January 2010. London, City of London Corporation. Available at: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/environment-and-planning/sustainability/Documents/climate-change-adaptation-strategy-2010-update.pdf

  • Clark KH, Nicholas KA (2013) Introducing urban food forestry: a multifunctional approach to increase food security and provide ecosystem services. Landsc Ecol 28(9):1649–1669

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coley RL, Sullivan WC, Kuo FE (1997) Where does community grow? The social context created by nature in urban public housing. Environ Behav 29(4):468–494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daily GC (1997) Nature’s services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems. Island, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Di Leo N, Escobedo FJ, Dubbeling M (2016) The role of urban green infrastructure in mitigating land surface temperature in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Environ Dev Sustain 18:373–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Donadieu P (2013) Campagne Urbane. Una proposta di paesaggio per la città. Donzelli, Roma

    Google Scholar 

  • Drescher AW, Holmer RJ, Iaquinta DL (2006) Urban homegardens and allotment gardens for sustainable livelihoods: management strategies and institutional environments. In: Tropical homegardens. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 317–338

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Escobedo FJ, Wagner JE, Nowak DJ, De la Maza CL, Rodriguez M, Crane DE (2008) Analysing the cost effectiveness of Santiago, Chile’s policy of using urban forests to improve air quality. J Environ Manag 86(1):148–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2013) Advancing agroforestry on the policy agenda: a guide for decision-makers. In: Place F, Gauthier M (eds). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3182e.pdf

  • FAO (2016) Guidelines on urban and peri-urban forestry, by Salbitano F, Borelli S, Conigliaro M, Chen Y. FAO Forestry paper no. 178. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6210e.pdf

  • Firebaugh G (1979) Structural determinants of urbanization in Asia and Latina America, 1950–1970. Am Soc Rev 44:199–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia LD, Fernàndez XS, Swagemakers P (2015) Edible landscape: food and services from common-land use in the Vigo city region, in Urban Agriculture Magazine, vol 29, pp 54–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Gliessman SR (1998) Agroecology: ecological processes in sustainable agriculture. Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea/Michigan

    Google Scholar 

  • INSD-Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (2007) Resultants preliminares du recensement général de la population et de l’habitation (RGPH) de 2006. Burkina Faso, 51 p

    Google Scholar 

  • International Energy Agency (2015) ‘World energy outlook’. Available at: http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/resources/energydevelopment/energyaccessdatabase/

  • Jose S (2009) Agroforestry for ecosystem services and environmental benefits: an overview. Agrofor Syst 76(1):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jose D, Shanmugaratnam N (1993) Traditional homegardens of Kerala: a sustainable human ecosystem. Agrofor Syst 24(2):203–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaimowit D (2005) Forests and human health: some vital connections. Swedish CGIAR, Bogor

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan R (1983) The analysis of perception via preference: a strategy for studying how the environment is experienced. Landscape Plann 12(2):161–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konijnendijk CC (2003) A decade of urban forestry in Europe. Forest Policy Econ 5(2):173–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar BM, Nair PR (2004) The enigma of tropical homegardens. In: New vistas in agroforestry. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 135–152

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lassoie J, Buck L, Current D (2009) The development of agroforestry as an integrated land use management strategy. In: Garrett HE (ed) North American agroforesty: an integrated science and practice. America Society of Agronomy, Madison, pp 1–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Leakey RRB (1996) Definition of agroforestry revisited. Agrofor Today 8(1):8–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee-Smith D, Prain G (2006) Understanding the links between agriculture and health. Focus 13. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Lentz DL, Dunning NP, Scarborough VL, Magee KS, Thompson KM, Weaver E, Carr C, Terry RE, Islebe G, Tankersley KB, Grazioso Sierra L, Jones JG, Buttles P, Valdez F, Ramos Hernandez CE (2014) Forests, fields, and the edge of sustainability at the ancient Maya city of Tikal. PNAS 111(52):18513–18518

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lok R (ed) (1998) Huertos caseros tradicionales de America Central: caracteristicas, beneficios e importancia, desde un enfoque multidisciplinario. CATIE/AGUILA/IDRC/ETC, Turrialba

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundgren BO, Raintree JB (1982) Sustained agroforestry. In: Nestel B (ed) Agricultural research for development: potentials and challenges in Asia. ISNAR, The Hague, pp 37–49

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDowell DM (1983) The nature of Aristophanes’ ‘Akharnians’. Greece & Rome 30(2):143–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann S (2014) Urban agroforestry: connecting agroecology, permaculture, urban forestry and urban agriculture with agroforestry, ecological principles of agroforestry. University of Missouri, Columbia

    Google Scholar 

  • Mbow C, Van Noordwijk M, Prabhu R, Simons T (2014) Knowledge gaps and research needs concerning agroforestry’s contribution to sustainable development goals in Africa. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 6:162–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy H (1993) managing oaks and the acorn crop. In: Thomas CB, Anderson K (eds) Before the wilderness: environmental management by native Californians. Ballena Press, Menlo Park

    Google Scholar 

  • McLain R, Poe M, Hurley PT, Lecompte-Mastenbrook J, Emery MR (2012) Producing edible landscapes in Seattle’s urban forest. Urban For Urban Green 11(2):187–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MEA (2005) Millennium ecosystem assessment findings, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Méndez VE, Lok R, Somarriba E (2001) Interdisciplinary analysis of homegardens in Nicaragua: micro- zonation, plant use and socioeconomic Importance. Agrofor Syst 51(2):85–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Merriam CH (1918) The Acorn, a possibly neglected source of food. Natl Geogr Mag 34(2):129–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller RW (1997) Urban forestry: planning and managing urban greenspaces, 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller RW (2004) Urban forestry: history and introduction. In: Konijnendijk CC, Schipperijn J, Hoyer KK (eds) Forestry serving urbanised societies. Selected papers from a conference jointly organized by IUFRO, EFI and the Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning – KVL in Copenhagen, Denmark, 27–30 August 2002. Vienna, IUFRO, 2004. – 407 p – (IUFRO world series vol 14)

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller JR (2005) Biodiversity conservation and the extinction of experience. Trends Ecol Evol 20(8):430–434

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montagnini F (2006) Homegardens of Mesoamerica: biodiversity, food security, and nutrient management. In: Kumar BM, Nair PKR (eds) Tropical homegardens: a time-tested example of sustainable agroforestry. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 61–84

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan K (2009) Feeding the city: the challenge of urban food planning. Int Plan Stud 14(4):341–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan K, Sonnino R (2010) The urban foodscape: world cities and the new food equation. Camb J Regions, Econ Soc, rsq007

    Google Scholar 

  • Nair PK (2007) The coming of age of agroforestry. J Sci Food Agric 87(9):1613–1619

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak DJ (1994) Understanding the structure of urban forests. J For 92:42–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowak DJ, Dwyer JF (2007) Understanding the benefits and costs of urban forest ecosystems. In: Kuser JE (ed) Urban and community forestry in the northeast. Springer, New York, pp 25–46

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Odurukwe S (2004) Agroforestry in Peiurban Cities of Abia State, Nigeria. In Urban Agriculture Magazine, no 13, RUAF, Leusden. Available at: http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/AgroforestryinPeriurbanCitiesofAbiaState,Nigeria_1.pdf

  • Peyre A, Guidal A, Wiersum KF, Bongers F (2006) Dynamics of homegarden structure and function in Kerala, India. Agrofor Syst 66(2):101–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Pyle RM (1978) The extinction of experience. Horticulture 56:64–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao MR, Rao BR (2006) Medicinal plants in tropical homegardens. In: Kumar BM, Nair PKR (eds) Tropical homegardens. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 205–232

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ricci L, Sanou B, Baguian H (2015) Climate risks in West Africa: Bobo-Dioulasso local actors’ participatory risks management framework. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 13:42–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salbitano F, Borelli S, Sanesi G (2015) Urban forestry and agroforestry. In: de Zeeuw H, Drechsel P (eds) Cities and agriculture: developing resilient urban food systems. Routledge - Earthscan, Oxon, pp 285–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (2016) Beacon food forest. Webpage. Available at: http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/programs-and-services/p-patch-community-gardening/p-patch-list/beacon-food-forest

  • Sy M et al (2014) Multiple use of green spaces in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Urban Agric Mag 27

    Google Scholar 

  • TEEB (2010) The economics of ecosystems and biodiversity ecological and economic foundations. In: Kumar P (ed). Earthscan, London/Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Thaman RR (1992) Agrodeforestation as a major threat to sustainable development. In: Thistlethwaite R and Votaw G. (eds.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Thaman RR (1988) Environmental issues in the Pacific Islands: constraints to sustainable island development, Pacific Issues 1. Pacific Circle Consortium, Woden, pp 1–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Torquebiau E (1992) Are tropical agroforestry homegardens sustainable? In: Agric Ecosyst. Environ, vol 41, pp 189–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich RS (1981) Natural versus urban sciences: some psycho-physiological effects. Environ Behav 13:523–556

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN-Habitat (2014) The State of Africa Cities 2014: re-imaging sustainable urban transition. Nairobi, United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Available at: http://unhabitat.org/books/state-of-african-cities-2014-re-imagining-sustainable-urban-transitions/

  • United Nations (2014) World Urbanization Prospects. The 2014 Revision. Highlights. New York. Available at: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/highlights/wup2014-highlights.pdf

  • USDA (2015) Working trees for Islands. Available at: http://nac.unl.edu/documents/workingtrees/brochures/Working_Trees_Islands.pdf

  • van Leeuwen, B (2010) Dealing with urban diversity: promises and challenges of city life for intercultural citizenship. Polit Theor 38(5):631–657

    Google Scholar 

  • Wezel A, Bender S (2003) Plant species diversity of home-gardens of Cuba and its significance for household food supply. Agrofor Syst 57(1):39–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiskerke JSC (2015) Urban food systems. In: Cities and agriculture: developing resilient urban food systems, 1

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2002) WHO traditional medicine strategy 2002–2005. WHO, Geneva. Available at: http://www.wpro.who.int/health_technology/book_who_traditional_medicine_strategy_2002_2005.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamada M, Osaqui HML (2006) The role of homegardens in agroforestry development: lessons from Tome-Acu, a Japanese–Brazilian settlement in the Amazon. In: Tropical homegardens. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 299–316

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations (FAO), Forestry Department (FO), Forest Policy and Resources Division (FOA), Rome, Italy

    S. Borelli, M. Conigliaro & S. Quaglia

  2. Landscape Ecology Laboratory, Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Systems Management (GESAAF), University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    F. Salbitano

Authors
  1. S. Borelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Conigliaro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Quaglia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F. Salbitano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Borelli .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resource Management Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India

    Jagdish Chander Dagar

  2. Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Vindhya Prasad Tewari

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Borelli, S., Conigliaro, M., Quaglia, S., Salbitano, F. (2017). Urban and Peri-urban Agroforestry as Multifunctional Land Use. In: Dagar, J., Tewari, V. (eds) Agroforestry. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7650-3_28

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation