A look at urban and peri-urban agriculture

By Mark Jacobs

 

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) defines urban and peri-urban agriculture as “an industry that produces, processes and markets food and fuel largely in response to the daily demands of consumers within a town, city or metropolis, on land and water dispersed throughout the urban and peri-urban area, applying intense production methods, using and reusing natural resources and urban waste to yield a diversity of crops and livestock.”

That is a lengthy, somewhat academic definition. Urban and peri-urban agriculture also encompasses agro-forestry, bee-keeping, horticulture and aquaponics.

Population shifts to coastal Guyana have spawned housing developments that can be described as food deserts. These are places where fresh food is hard to acquire. The routines of most residents of these food deserts do not permit them to engage in traditional agricultural activities. Urban and peri-urban practices can help them to create