Urban agriculture – needs and opportunities

According to the United Nations, around half of the world's population lives in urban centers and will reach around 70% in 2050. The expansion of urban areas has been increasing at a rate twice as fast as the increase in population. Resources in space, soil, water and energy are limited and this growth pattern increases competition between peri-urban arable land and urbanization. Portugal is no exception.

As rural populations migrate to cities and cities expand, the boundaries between urban and peri-urban are blurring, presenting sustainability challenges but also excellent opportunities for entrepreneurship, research and innovation in urban agriculture.

'Feeding' these cities in a sustainable, safe and efficient way is a necessity and an opportunity. Urban agriculture produces fresh products, recycles waste, increases the resilience of cities to climate change, tends to optimize the value chain and generates new jobs.

Solutions and bioinspiration

In this context, Nature-based solutions (SbN) are creative bio-inspired interventions for sustainable agriculture in the urban matrix, in order to overcome environmental, economic and societal challenges.

Agritetura uses these solutions, connecting agriculture, technology and architecture in urban areas. Examples include technological structures for creating hydroponic green facades, vertical farming, aeroponic and aquaponic production. These solutions require holistic planning and transdisciplinary knowledge.

This course addresses these and other topics, connecting theory and practice, and providing fundamental knowledge for developing your own projects.

Download de Flyer

I don't have an ISA account yet