Urban agriculture

Urban agriculture is the growing of plants and the raising of animals for food and other uses, and related processing and marketing activities, within and around cities and towns. Urban agriculture has received increased attention in the past few years from development organizations and national and local authorities in developing countries. With its multiple functions, urban agriculture plays an important role in urban poverty alleviation and social inclusion, urban food security, urban waste management and urban greening.
The most striking feature of urban agriculture, which distinguishes it from rural agriculture, is that it is integrated into the urban economic and ecological system: urban agriculture is embedded in -and interacting with- the urban ecosystem. Such linkages include the use of urban residents as labourers, use of typical urban resources (like organic waste as compost and urban wastewater for irrigation), direct links with urban consumers, direct impacts on urban ecology (positive and negative), being part of the urban food system, competing for land with other urban functions, being influenced by urban policies and plans, etc. Urban agriculture is not a relict of the past that will fade away (urban agriculture increases when the city grows) nor brought to the city by rural immigrants that will loose their rural habits over time. It is an integral part of the urban system.
(from http://www.ruaf.org/node/512)

(picture from http://www.cityfarmer.info/2010/02/07/urban-orchard-prizing-winning-concept-for-the-growing-up-design-competition-2009/#more-3800)

Urban agriculture and urban farms benefits a lot to city and dwellers. First, they offer working opportunities for citizens. In many developed countries, cities are where poor and unemployed dwellers concentrated. Urban agriculture provides a complementary strategy to reduce urban unemployment. Second, groceries produced by urban farms can be directly sent to markets in cities without the long shipping and distributing. Growing urban farms are efficient and economic way for transporting farm products. Third, urban farms are places for citizens to gather and have fun. The activities of growing vegetables and crops involves different people to meet. And they offer opportunities for people to get in touch with earth and traditional agricultural activities and are good educations for kids.