scholarly journals Potential of Technosols Created with Urban By-Products for Rooftop Edible Production

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3210
Author(s):  
Baptiste J-P. Grard ◽  
Nastaran Manouchehri ◽  
Christine Aubry ◽  
Nathalie Frascaria-Lacoste ◽  
Claire Chenu
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Edible Crops ◽  
Rooftop Farming ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Toxic Trace Metals ◽  
By Products

Urban agriculture is sprouting throughout the world nowadays. New forms of urban agriculture are observed such as rooftop farming. In the case of low-tech rooftop farming projects, based on recycled urban waste, one of the key issues is the type of substrate used, as it determines the functions and ecosystem services delivered by the green roof. Using a five year experimental trial, we quantified the food production potential of Technosols created only with urban wastes (green waste compost, crushed wood, spent mushroom), as well as the soil fertility and the potential contamination of food products. Regarding food production, our cropping system showed promising results across the five years, in relation with the high fertility of the Technosols. This fertility was maintained, as well as the nutrients stocks after five cropping years. Most of the edible crops had trace metals contents below existing norms for toxic trace metals with nevertheless a concern regarding certain some trace metals such as Zn and Cu. There was no trace metal accumulation in the Technosols over time except for Zn. This study confirmed that constructing Technosols only from urban wastes is a suitable and efficient solution to design rooftops for edible production.

scholarly journals Resolving differing stakeholder perceptions of urban rooftop farming in Mediterranean cities: promoting food production as a driver for innovative forms of urban agriculture

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Sanyé-Mengual ◽  
Isabelle Anguelovski ◽  
Jordi Oliver-Solà ◽  
Juan Ignacio Montero ◽  
Joan Rieradevall
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Stakeholder Perceptions ◽  
Rooftop Farming

Identifying Sources of Sulfate Aerosols Reaching Whiteface Mountain, NY

1985 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 98-101
Author(s):  
James S. Webber
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Acid Deposition ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Dry Deposition ◽  
Coal Combustion ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Sulfate Aerosols ◽  
Wet And Dry Deposition ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
Toxic Trace Metals

INTRODUCTION“Acid rain” and “acid deposition” are terms no longer confined to the lexicon of atmospheric scientists and 1imnologists. Public awareness of and concern over this phenomenon, particularly as it affects acid-sensitive regions of North America, have increased dramatically in the last five years. Temperate ecosystems are suffering from decreased pH caused by acid deposition. Human health may be directly affected by respirable sulfates and by the increased solubility of toxic trace metals in acidified waters. Even man's monuments are deteriorating as airborne acids etch metal and stone features.Sulfates account for about two thirds of airborne acids with wet and dry deposition contributing equally to acids reaching surface waters or ground. The industrial Midwest is widely assumed to be the source of most sulfates reaching the acid-sensitive Northeast since S02 emitted as a byproduct of coal combustion in the Midwest dwarfs S02 emitted from all sources in the Northeast.

scholarly journals Interaction of toxic trace metals and mechanisms of detoxification in the planktonic diatomsDitylum brightwelliiandThalassiosira pseudonana

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Rijstenbil ◽  
A. Sandee ◽  
J. Drie ◽  
J.A. Wijnholds
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Toxic Trace Metals

Impact of Essential and Toxic Trace Metals on Thyroid Health and Cancer: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Stojsavljević ◽  
Branislav Rovčanin
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Toxic Trace Metals

The effect of food processing on the amount of trace elements and their bioavailability: a review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maral Neyestani ◽  
Parisa Shavali Gilani ◽  
Mohadeseh Fesahat ◽  
Ebrahim Molaee-Aghaee ◽  
Nabi Shariatifar
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Trace Metals ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Additives ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Special Method ◽  
Effect Of Food ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Main Factor

Trace elements are compounds that are essential in small amounts for biochemical reactions and to maintain human health. Almost all foods can contain varying amounts of these metals. In this study, the effects of food processing on the content of trace metals are investigated. Extensive interpretations of processing, including aspects of food production and specific examples of changes in metal content due to processing will be discussed. Pre-consumption food processing to improve rheological properties and increase shelf life is inevitable, which changes the bioavailability and amount of these compounds in different directions depending on the process. The amount of these trace metals in the food product can be affected by various conditions such as heating, fermentation, food additives, etc. The main factor in reducing trace elements in food, especially the use of heat in a special method and on the other hand, factors such as fermentation can also increase the bioavailability of these elements.

scholarly journals Economic Crisis and Peri-Urban Agriculture: A Socio-Environmental Vision

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Luca Salvati ◽  
Silvia Pili
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Growth And Change ◽  
New Strategies

In wealthiest countries, urban sprawl and peri-urban agricultural landscapes are strictly interconnected issues, with dispersed urban expansion causing inherent land-use conflicts. Interpreting latent socioeconomic processes at the base of peri-urban agriculture in southern Europe may benefit from a thorough analysis of metropolitan dynamics of growth and change, considering together morphological and functional issues. The approach proposed in this study is intended to provide an overview of new strategies for food production in highly fragmented landscapes, investigating the point of view of local actors operating in the primary sector. A preliminary survey carried out in the Athens' metropolitan region, Greece, provides a knowledge base to identify apparent and latent trends in peri-urban farming and the mutual implications for farmers and citizens.

scholarly journals Multitemporal Geospatial Evaluation of Urban Agriculture and (Non)-Sustainable Food Self-Provisioning in Milan, Italy

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Pulighe ◽  
Flavio Lupia
Keyword(s):  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Ancillary Data ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
The City

Urban agriculture in Global North cities is strongly promoted as a sustainable solution to achieve different goals, such as food production, quality of life, and well-being. Although several attempts have been made to evaluate urban agriculture production, few studies have investigated food production in a multitemporal geospatial way and considered per capita population needs, gender, and age strata consumption. This study presents a spatiotemporal quantification of urban agriculture in the city of Milan (Italy) for assessing food self-provisioning potential. We utilized high-resolution Google Earth images and ancillary data to create a detailed cadaster of urban agriculture for the years 2007 and 2014. Based on four scenarios of food production and statistical data on vegetables and cereals consumption, we estimated current total production and requirements for the city dwellers. Our results showed that the actual extension of vegetable gardens (98 ha) and arable land (2539 ha) in the best scenario could satisfy approximately 63,700 and 321,000 consumers of vegetables and cereal products, respectively. Overall, current urban agriculture production is not able to meet vegetables and cereal consumption for more than 1.3 million city residents. Scenario estimates suggest rethinking land use promoting horticultural production to achieve more sustainable food systems.

scholarly journals High-Tech Urban Agriculture in Amsterdam: An Actor Network Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen H. Farhangi ◽  
Margherita E. Turvani ◽  
Arnold van der Valk ◽  
Gerrit J. Carsjens
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Alternative Food ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
Production Practices

The agriculture and horticulture sector in the Netherlands is one of the most productive in the world. Although the sector is one of the most advanced and intense agricultural production systems worldwide, it faces challenges, such as climate change and environmental and social unsustainability of industrial production. To overcome these challenges, alternative food production initiatives have emerged, especially in large cities such as Amsterdam. Some initiatives involve producing food in the urban environment, supported by new technologies and practices, so-called high-tech urban agriculture (HTUA). These initiatives make cultivation of plants inside and on top of buildings possible and increase green spaces in urban areas. The emerging agricultural technologies are creating new business environments that are shape d by technology developers (e.g., suppliers of horticultural light emitting diodes (LED) and control environment systems) and developers of alternative food production practices (e.g., HTUA start-ups). However, research shows that the uptake of these technological innovations in urban planning processes is problematic. Therefore, this research analyzes the barriers that local government planners and HTUA developers are facing in the embedding of HTUA in urban planning processes, using the city of Amsterdam as a case study. This study draws on actor-network theory (ANT) to analyze the interactions between planners, technologies, technology developers and developers of alternative food production practices. Several concepts of ANT are integrated into a multi-level perspective on sustainability transitions (MLP) to create a new theoretical framework that can explain how interactions between technologies and planning actors transform the incumbent social–technical regime. The configuration of interactions between social and material entities in technology development and adoption processes in Amsterdam is analyzed through the lens of this theoretical framework. The data in this study were gathered by tracing actors and their connections by using ethnographic research methods. In the course of the integration of new technologies into urban planning practices, gaps between technologies, technology developers, and planning actors have been identified. The results of this study show a lacking connection between planning actors and technology developers, although planning actors do interact with developers of alternative food production practices. These interactions are influenced by agency of artefacts such as visualizations of the future projects. The paper concludes that for the utilization of emerging technologies for sustainability transition of cities, the existing gap between technology developers and planning actors needs to be bridged through the integration of technology development visions in urban agendas and planning processes.

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