Augmenting Food Security Initiatives

AUGMENTING FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVES

by Anton Antonio

June 30, 2015

The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as condition that exists when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.  Food security is an initiative traditionally left to the countryside or rural areas.  Urban dwellers normally depend on rural farmers to supply their food requirement.

Food security initiatives, however, can also be accomplished in the urban setting by way of the following practices and activities:

1. Urban Agriculture or Urban Farming – The practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around a village, town, or city.  Urban Farming can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, agroforestry, urban bookkeeping, and horticulture.  These activities occur in per-urban areas as well.
2. Vertical Farming – A component of urban agriculture, is the practice of cultivating plant life within a skyscraper greenhouse or on vertically inclined surfaces.  The modern idea of vertical farming uses techniques similar to glass houses, where natural sunlight can be augmented with artificial lighting.
3. Green Roofs or Living Roofs – The roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane.  It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems.
4. Greenhouse, Glasshouse or Hothouse – Building or complex in which plants are grown.  These are often high-technology production facilities for vegetables or flowers.
5. Container Gardening – The practice of growing plants exclusively in containers instead of planting them in the ground.  As an environmental initiative, container gardening utilizes recycled plastic container materials.
6. Sack Gardening – Another form of container gardening using sacks.

Add “organic” (meaning: vegetables and meat food grown or raised without chemicals or pesticides) to these different types of urban agricultural activities will also push these initiatives to a better and healthier level.  Aside from decreasing the carbon footprint of urban areas, organic urban agriculture practices is the best way of augmenting food security initiatives.

Just my little thoughts…

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REFERENCES:

Rappler, (2015).  “Urban Farming in Quezon City”.  Retrieved June 30, 2015 from http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/hunger/68611-urban-farming-quezon-city

Department of Agriculture, (2015). “Urban Agriculture”.  Retrieved on June 30, 2015 from http://ati.da.gov.ph/category/main-tags/urban-agriculture

Cityfarmer, (2015).  “Urban Farming in Metro Manila, Philippines”.  Retrieved on June 30, 2015 from http://www.cityfarmer.info/2011/07/23/urban-farming-in-metro-manila-philippines-sought/

Wikipedia, (2015).  “Urban Agriculture”.  Retrieved on June 30, 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_agriculture