Global disasters, including nuclear conflicts, severe pandemics, or solar superstorms, could disrupt trade and fuel supplies, severely impacting food production and distribution systems. This could lead to widespread famine if alternative local food sources are not established. While previous studies have pointed to urban farming, including community gardens, rooftop plots, and home gardens, as potential mitigators, comprehensive assessments have been limited.
Boyd and Wilson addressed this gap by examining Palmerston North, a median-sized, temperate city in New Zealand, as a case study for potential post-catastrophe food self-sufficiency. Using Google Earth to evaluate land availability, the researchers found that urban agriculture alone could only sustain around one fifth of the city's population. However, expanding the cultivation area to include at least 1,140 hectares of adjacent peri-urban land could potentially feed the entire city. To address fuel needs for agricultural machinery, an additional 110 hectares dedicated to biofuel crops would be required.
The study also identified the most efficient crops for different post-catastrophe climate scenarios. Under typical temperate conditions, peas emerged as the most efficient urban crop for maximizing both protein and caloric output per unit area. However, in the event of a nuclear winter, when global temperatures could plummet, sugar beets and spinach were identified as more resilient choices. For near-urban areas, potatoes are the optimal choice in standard conditions, while wheat and carrots become preferable in a nuclear winter scenario.
Lead author Dr. Matt Boyd highlighted the critical importance of localizing food production in crisis scenarios, stating: "During a global catastrophe that disrupts trade, fuel imports could cease, severely impacting the industrial food production and transportation systems that keep our supermarket shelves filled. To survive, populations will need to dramatically localize food production in and around our cities. This research explores how we might do that."
He further emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach, adding: "Success depends on integrating food production into urban areas, protecting and making ready near-urban land, building local food processing infrastructure, ensuring seed availability and integrating food into our national security policy framework."
The authors suggest that this approach could provide a valuable blueprint for other cities aiming to strengthen their resilience against sudden global disruptions.
Related Links
Adapt Research
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
