scholarly journals Steering the Nexus: iZindaba Zokudla and Governing for Sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naudé Malan
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Food System ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Interactive Process ◽  
Sustainability Governance ◽  
Reflective Essay ◽  
Autocatalytic Networks ◽  
Sustainable Food System

“iZindaba Zokudla” means we talk about the food that we eat. iZindaba Zokudla is a public innovation lab that uses stakeholder-engagement methods to create “opportunities for urban agriculture in a sustainable food system.” iZindaba Zokudla is presented as an extra-institutional means to govern the water, land, energy, and waste nexus. This reflective essay critically describes iZindaba Zokudla and applies this to the design of institutional steering mechanisms to govern the food, water, land, and energy nexus towards sustainability. Governance is an intersubjective and interactive process between the subjects of governance and governance itself. Sustainability, as an interactive process, implies the creation of autocatalytic and symbiotic communities in society that integrates diverse actors and stakeholders, inclusive of scientific and lay actors, and ecosystems. iZindaba Zokudla is a means to govern and create such communities, and this article describes and reflects on how iZindaba Zokudla has created and managed such symbiotic communities or autocatalytic networks in the food system. The article generalises how the activities conducted in iZindaba Zokudla can be used to govern the water, land, energy, and waste nexus for sustainability. The article shows how iZindaba Zokudla has realised a progressive governance through the facilitation of its Farmers' Lab and website; how it has created opportunities for participation; and how it enables critical reflection in society.

The Urban Agriculture Fix

2020 ◽  
pp. 93-110
Author(s):  
Joshua Sbicca
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
The City ◽  
Sustainable Food System

When urban agriculture becomes a sustainability initiative with institutional backing, it can drive green gentrification even when its advocates are well intentioned and concerned about the possible exclusion of urban farmers and residents. This chapter explores these tensions through the notion of an urban agriculture fix, which I apply to a case in Denver, Colorado. Urban farmers accessed land more easily after the Great Recession and as a result were a force for displacement and at risk of displacement as the city adopted sustainable food system plans, the housing market recovered, and green gentrification spread. This case suggests the importance of explaining how political economy and culture combine to drive neighborhood disinvestment and economic marginalization, which can compel the entrance of urban agriculture due to its perceived low cost and potential high return for local residents. Yet, while urban agriculture may provide some short-term benefits, it may ultimately be entangled in some of the long-term harms of green gentrification.

scholarly journals The Role of Urban Agriculture in a Secure, Healthy, and Sustainable Food System

BioScience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (10) ◽  
pp. 748-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Nogeire-McRae ◽  
Elizabeth P Ryan ◽  
Becca B R Jablonski ◽  
Michael Carolan ◽  
H S Arathi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food System ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Sustainable Food System

scholarly journals Proposal of a Bioregional Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Food System in Sicily

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1546
Author(s):  
Paolo Guarnaccia ◽  
Silvia Zingale ◽  
Alessandro Scuderi ◽  
Ezio Gori ◽  
Vincenzo Santiglia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Economic Indicators ◽  
Developmental Approach ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Strategic Framework ◽  
Sustainable Food System

The alignment of food systems with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is generally envisaged to make a positive impact on sustainability. This paper outlines some critical environmental and socio-economic indicators for Sicily in order to compare and explore the outcomes of two juxtaposing key drivers in a scenario planning exercise, where the extremities are Industrial versus Regenerative Agriculture/Agroecology and a Proactive versus Reactive government response. The most rational and less risky scenario becomes the most sensible sustainable development option, around which a 2030 vision is projected for a bioregional sustainable food system for Sicily, which is aligned with the SDGs and related policies. To accomplish the 2030 vision, a holistic education-led developmental approach is outlined with a supporting bioregional strategic framework, whose key milestone deliverables are projected through a backcasting process. This paper therefore highlights the importance of consistency and alignment of a development vision with its strategic framework and ensuing implementation, failing which, the holistic bioregional approach is compromised by activities that are shown to negatively impact environmental and socio-economic indicators. For this reason, all public and private sector development plans and associated resources ought to be aligned with a bioregional strategic plan for a sustainable food system for Sicily.

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

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3234
Author(s):  
Nan Wang ◽  
Li Zhu ◽  
Yuanhao Bing ◽  
Liwei Chen ◽  
Shulang Fei
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food System ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Local Food System ◽  
Food Planning ◽  
Indicator Framework

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.

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