Assessment of Urban Agriculture for Evidence-Based Food Planning: A Case Study in Chengdu, China

Nan Wang, Li Zhu, Yuanhao Bing, Liwei Chen and Shulang Fei
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Nan Wang: National Agricultural Science & Technology Center, Chengdu 610213, China
Li Zhu: National Agricultural Science & Technology Center, Chengdu 610213, China
Yuanhao Bing: National Agricultural Science & Technology Center, Chengdu 610213, China
Liwei Chen: National Agricultural Science & Technology Center, Chengdu 610213, China
Shulang Fei: National Agricultural Science & Technology Center, Chengdu 610213, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Along the rapid pace of urbanization, urban agriculture is increasingly recognized as an important tool of sustainable food and nutrition supply, while contributing to the resilience and sustainability of cities from various dimensions. From a governance point of view, it is fundamental to systemically assess the urban agriculture based on local context for evidence-based food planning. In China, values of urban agriculture are being noticed in recent years, with attempts emerging to involve urban agriculture in urban planning and agriculture strategies. However, clear definition to identify the scope and holistic approaches to assess and monitor local urban agriculture are still lacking. The paper took Chengdu as the study area, to conduct a thorough assessment of the foundation, capacity, practices, functions, opportunities, and challenges of the urban agriculture locally. Building on these results, the study further developed an indicator framework tailored to Chengdu’s conditions and city objectives, for in-depth evaluation and monitoring of local urban agriculture by themes, following which a pilot in-depth assessment was conducted in Chengdu using the indicator framework. The outcome of this research for the first time provided an overall characterization of the urban agriculture in Chengdu and assessment tools tailored to urban agriculture in Chinese cities, establishing a good basis for strategic local food system planning and contributing to the formation of the Chinese paradigm in urban agriculture research.

Keywords: urban agriculture; assessment; food planning; policy; indicator framework; urban-rural linkage; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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