Experimenting with New Crops at the Peri-Urban Fringe

Fissore Cinzia1* and Zappia Natale²

Received: May 01, 2019;   Published: May 07, 2019

DOI: 10.32474/CIACR.2019.06.000245

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Farming at the Peri-Urban Fringe

As the world’s human population increases, so too does the demand for food and fibers. However, our ability to meet such demand is challenged by the decline in high quality farmland due to soil degradation, de-agrarianisation and the expansion of urban development [1]. The peri-urban fringe the transition area where rural and urban features and functions intersect and coexist [2]. experiences unique economic, social, and environmental changes [3]. The peri-urban fringe is an area of substantial ecological pressure in relation to space, frequently characterized by land fragmentation, loss of prime agricultural space, and resulting decline in biodiversity [4]. Conversely, as a socio-economic space of great ecological value, it can be seen as a place of opportunities, where human and natural systems co-exist and resulting ecosystem services become strongly linked to anthropogenic practices and decisions. For example, a dynamic and integrative approach to farming—multifunctional agriculture—emerges at the peri-urban fringes and points to a promising new array of both ecosystem services and socio-cultural benefits reimagining older, more entrenched methods of food production [5]. Notably, many commercial farmers only marginally understand the complex set of relationships linking farmland and residential land use despite the enormous potential for profitability, ecological sustainability, novel socio-cultural connections, and food justice resolution.

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