2006•Chinese Journal of Population Resources and EnvironmentRequires access
Positioning Role and Function of Urban Agriculture
Zhenshan Yang, Jianming Cai
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Abstract
The accelerating process of urbanization in China calls for re-examining and repositioning the role of agriculture.Urban agriculture,as an effective way to promote the urban-rural linkage and integration,has become a popular issue worldwide since the 1980s,which intends to change the function of agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas from a single food production into a multifunctional role by providing food as well as other services.This concept is particularly important in the urbanization age when the coordination and harmonization of urban and rural sustainable development become a crucial matter to the society.Given many mega-city regions in China involved in urban agriculture and facing challenges from lack of theoretical support in their strategic policy made to strengthen urban agricultural development,this paper is trying to discuss and summarize the various perspectives of urban agriculture in different disciplines. Based on this,the paper proposes a comprehensive framework for positioning the role and function of urban agriculture in terms of social,economic,environmental and spatial dimensions,which forms an interactive system.The paper argues then in this interactive system that the role of urban agriculture experiences four stages with four respective aims from low to high,i.e.maintaining social stability by providing food for the poor,strengthening urban-rural linkages by integrating agriculture into urban economic system,optimizing spatial organization by coordinating urban and peri-urban areas through implementing an integral plan for the whole extended metropolitan regions,and enhancing the urban environmental quality by providing ecological protection zones and bio-diversity.To most cities in China,the second and third aims are still the priority.Therefore,suitable forms should be taken in realizing these goals,including integrating urban agriculture into the urban planning so that a harmonizing urban-rural development will be reached eventually.