Urban Agriculture: A Strategic Pathway to Sustainable Food Security and Resilience in Cities

Cities are recognizing the strategic importance of urban agriculture as a means to create sustainable and reliable food sources, enhancing food security and resilience within their boundaries. By shortening the food supply chain, urban agriculture mitigates the reliance on pesticides and fertilizers, conserves water, and combats land degradation. However, further research and collaborative efforts are necessary to integrate advanced technological practices and improve overall sustainability. Despite these challenges, urban agriculture offers a promising alternative to traditional agriculture, with the potential to make cities more livable and resilient.

Key Takeaways:

• Urban agriculture is gaining global recognition as a strategic approach to creating sustainable and reliable food sources, enhancing food security and resilience in cities.
• The approach reduces reliance on pesticides and fertilizers, conserves water, and mitigates land degradation by shortening the food supply chain.
• Urban agriculture offers exciting opportunities for the horticultural and agricultural sectors, especially when it focuses on maximizing product quality.
• The success of urban agriculture varies depending on the extent of its implementation at either the building or city level.
• Urban agriculture can play a critical role in addressing food deserts by increasing access to fresh produce, empowering communities, and reducing transportation costs.
• The practice positively impacts the urban landscape by enhancing aesthetics, promoting well-being, and fostering a sense of community engagement, supporting biodiversity, minimizing heat buildup in urban areas, and contributing to climate resilience.
• Regulatory challenges, social acceptance of waste, high investment costs, and limited recognition of indirect impacts are some of the challenges associated with implementing urban agriculture.
• Promoting collaboration, fostering innovation, developing regulatory frameworks, and displaying successful urban agriculture practices are all possibilities for overcoming these challenges.

Statistics:

• Urban agriculture has the potential to make cities more livable and resilient (University of Peradeniya, 2025).
• Cities that implement urban agriculture can generate significant economic benefits, including increased access to fresh produce and reduced transportation costs (University of Peradeniya, 2025).
• Urban agriculture can conserve water and mitigate land degradation by shortening the food supply chain (University of Peradeniya, 2025).
• 204 authors contributed to the research on urban agriculture, including Ruwanthika Gunapala, Ruchira Gangahagedara, W.C.S. Wanasinghe, Anjalika U. Samaraweera, Ashoka Gamage, Chamila Rathnayaka, Zammil Hameed, Zaher Abdel Baki, Terrence Madhujith, and Othmane Merah (University of Peradeniya, 2025).
• The research on urban agriculture was funded by the Institut National Polytechnique De Toulouse (University of Peradeniya, 2025).

Sources:

• Urban agriculture: A strategic pathway to building resilience and ensuring sustainable food security in cities. Farming System, 2025,3(3):100150.
• NewsRx. Study Findings from University of Peradeniya Update Knowledge in Sustainable Food and Agriculture (Urban agriculture: A strategic pathway to building resilience and ensuring sustainable food security in cities). Ecology, Environment & Conservation. July 11, 2025; p 1540.