Smart Urban Agriculture and How It Can Feed Cities Sustainably

The global food system has to seek changes when it comes to sustainably feeding a growing world population and smart urban agriculture could be a good solution. 

What is smart urban agriculture? 

Smart urban agriculture is often known as a commitment to tech-based farming that is localized. It can also be seen a gateway to environmentally-friendly farming practices, as it harnesses the attributes of the local environment together with agritech to produce high quality foods with little to no impact to the environment. 

What are the benefits of smart urban agriculture? 

Smart urban agriculture not only provides benefits to farmers and growers but to the consumers as well. 

Eliminating food deserts 

One big benefit of smart urban agriculture is that it may eliminate food deserts. No longer will growers require access to vast amounts of land to generate enough and instead, ideal growing conditions will be created anywhere, from building rooftops to our own homes. With the newfound ability to grow fresh food anywhere, residents no longer need to rely on convenience stores for fresh foods! 

Reduce carbon emissions 

Smart urban agriculture can help to reduce carbon emissions using technology such as IoT or Internet of Things. It can give growers the convenience to monitor their land’s soil condition, humidity levels and other factors to determine ultimate growing conditions. Water and fertilizer usage can also be tailored to their crop’s needs, resulting in less waste, water runoff and decreased use of fertilizer. 

Localising supply chain 

By localizing the supply chain, consumers or even buyers themselves can have direct access to products grown by local growers, supporting the community, their economy and their ability to sustain themselves. 

Reduce water waste 

By integrating data-driven technologies to determine optimum growing conditions and better understand agricultural production, smart urban agriculture can play a part in reducing water waste and eliminate runoffs through smart irrigation systems.