I bet you’ve only heard of urban and not peri-urban farming. You may be asking yourself, “Is there a difference in meaning?” Well, the answer to that is yes! Peri-urban and urban farming, despite being similar, have distinctive meanings and tend to differ in form and purpose.
Urban farming is growing crops in developed cities or areas, and as compared to commercial farming, which is done on huge plots of land, urban farming often happens in backyards, small gardens, roof tops, containers, or balconies. The farming system is beginning to enable individuals in cities and communities to access fresh foods and also adopt healthy lifestyles.
Some individuals in urban areas indulge in this farming system as a hobby or to cut down on food items since vegetables and fruits from rural areas cost more in urban communities.
However, with rural lands being urbanised these days for estates and other developmental infrastructure, it has given birth to what is now known as peri-urban farming.
The Food and Drugs Authority defines peri-urban farming as a practice that takes place on land and other spaces close to cities and urban communities and yields food and other outputs for the community. Peri-urban farming in developing countries like Ghana focuses on contributing to the relief of stress and poverty and, overall, ensuring food security, while in industrialised countries, it emphasises ecological and social values.
Peri-urban communities may be close to cities and have urban characteristics but are still not urban yet, and as a result, these farms may be larger than urban farms and semi-commercial but may not be the same as rural farms.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the two contribute a lot to the agriculture sector, and here is how:
Urban areas are filled with air pollution and carbon gases; thus, practicing urban and per-urban farming helps to clear the air and gets rid of these greenhouse gases that cars and factories emit, which are detrimental to our health.
Also, with these farming practices in place, land in rural areas could ease the burden and pressure of feeding the entire population, lessening the destruction of our ecosystem.
Furthermore, it curbs the rise in food prices in the country because when fresh produce is available in the cities, farmers and traders will not have to spend so much on transportation to bring food items to urban areas.
We also get to practice sustainability and not forcefully cultivate on lands that are not viable just to feed the population. With these farming practices, our lands are utilised more efficiently while contributing to the quest to ensure food security and boost food productivity around the world.
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