What is Urban Gardening?

Urban gardening is a concept that might resonate less with rural gardening enthusiasts and more with city dwellers who enjoy these small green spaces, sometimes even using them to grow their own food.

It refers to the horticultural use of areas within inhabited regions and their surroundings. The focus is on cultivating agricultural products for consumption and traditional growing methods. The term "urban" originates from the Latin "urbs" for city, which is also linked to the term "urbanization" as a synonym for the expansion of cities.

As our residential areas become more "urban," the importance of urban gardening grows. Its proponents are often environmentalists who see several advantages in this type of food cultivation. Firstly, it allows for local consumption with minimal transportation, which reduces pollutant emissions from vehicles. Secondly, greenhouses, when strategically exposed to sunlight, save energy and also maximize cultivation areas through multi-story use.

Integrating agriculture into cities allows for the recycling of compostable waste and wastewater (like rainwater for irrigation). It also offers an invaluable and welcome learning experience for children.

Furthermore, urban agriculture helps foster an appreciation for local specialties, which can gain particular significance. As public awareness in this area shifts, the demand for self-production or comparable local cultivation options increases.

In regions and countries with impoverished populations, this provides residents with self-help support, often backed by international aid organizations. This approach helps minimize potential food supply shortages in those areas.

The idea of urban gardening isn't new. As early as the second half of the 19th century, people utilized such methods to supply city populations. Especially during wartime, there was a necessity to use every piece of land for food cultivation. Since 2003, Humboldt University in Berlin has had the first professorship dedicated to Urban Horticulture. A corresponding project in Bamberg, Franconia, is also pioneering in this field.

In some countries, urban populations still depend on local food production for their own sustenance. In St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, roughly half the population grows a portion of their own food needs. The same applies to Cuba, where the population sometimes experiences food shortages.