Can cities provide food in the XXI century? A review on the role of building-integrated agriculture

Agricultural food production will face important challenges in the coming decades, mainly associated with climate change and resources’ scarcity. The growing population rates and the expansion of urban areas require alternative solutions to ensure food security and social stability. In this context, the identification of innovative production techniques resilient to climate change, featuring efficient use of resources and adaptability to densely populated areas, assume considerable relevance. Urban agriculture initiatives are blooming worldwide as a response to these needs, also thanks to the evolution of building integrated technologies that allow to move from more traditional urban farming systems (e.g., community and allotment gardens) toward the colonization of the built landscape (e.g., indoor vertical farming systems and rooftop farms). However, to achieve a significant sector development, new building integrated farming technologies still need to be validated in experimental conditions, both in terms of the potential production of a wide range of crops, and in the quantification and optimization of resources use and savings. Governmental and nongovernmental institutions are already starting to move toward this direction, supporting projects and research. The European project H2020 “FoodE - Food Systems in European Cities” (www.foode.eu) represents one the examples, promoting the sustainability assessment of City-Region Food Systems initiatives with a key eye on urban farming systems. The present paper elaborates on strengths and weaknesses, as well as on potentialities and risks associated with these innovative urban farming systems, toward the definition of their role on city food security in the upcoming years.