Apr 7, 2022
Policy-makers are catching on: urban agriculture has a vast untapped potential to help build secure and sustainable food systems across the globe.
Food insecurity is a far-reaching problem within our already vulnerable food system, and is only exacerbated by pressing issues caused by climate change and recent supply chain disruptions caused by Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Even in more economically developed regions, safe and reliable access to food for entire populations is by no means guaranteed.
According to data from the European Parliament, “in 2015, 8.5 % of the EU's population reported that they could not afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day.”
To solve such systemic issues requires more than assigning individual responsibility for action onto vulnerable communities. Instead, a broad re-evaluation of our food systems is needed at a policy level to ensure that vulnerable populations have reliable access to nutritious foods.
Henry Gordon-Smith at Sous Les Fraises in Paris, France
This is why we are proud to announce that Agritecture’s Founder and CEO, Henry Gordon-Smith, has been selected to join the innovation board of the European Forum on Urban Agriculture (EFUA).
A four-year project started in 2020, EFUA’s overarching aim is “to mainstream Urban Agriculture into European, regional and local policy.” In particular, the Forum recognises the multifunctional social, economic, and environmental benefits that urban agriculture has to offer, and is seeking to strengthen understanding of the field by harnessing the collective power of industry experts and other stakeholders across the EU.
The EFUA project was funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, and builds from the foundation laid by the COST Action “Urban Agriculture Europe,” an initial research project running from 2016 to 2020.
On being selected for this position with the EFUA, Gordon-Smith notes his own personal connection to the issue.
He shares, "I am excited to bring my global urban agriculture experience to this new board role. Many people don't know this about me but I am European. My mother is Czech and my father is British. I have lived in the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Austria, and Russia. I believe the main contributions I bring will come from how we can apply lessons from leaders in urban agriculture like Toronto, NYC, Dubai, and Sydney to Europe."
Henry Gordon-Smith with the Agricola Moderna team in Milan, Italy
His professional experiences also include many projects based in Europe. Gordon-Smith adds that he's had "the honor of working closely with the City of Paris on their urban agriculture strategy. Also more recently, I moderated a roundtable between Paris and Amsterdam on urban agriculture. In addition to this, I have visited most of the major urban farms across Europe. Finally, Agritecture has consulted key urban agricultural stakeholders across the continent including entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations.”
It is the fundamental “commitment to sharing knowledge and best practices” which aligns Gordon-Smith’s work with the EFUA initiative. Gordon-Smith shares that “this education aspect of the EFUA is very aligned with my values and mission, and I hope to contribute to it greatly.”
The EFUA’s mission is held up by the four key cornerstones of networking, knowledge, deployment, and policy. These goals work in tandem with each other to promote an approach which combines practice, policy, and research, ultimately striving to effect meaningful change on a structural level.
According to Gordon-Smith, the EU is already “a leader in the policy aspects of urban agriculture from the standpoint of sustainability and the circular economy.”
“Several cities across the EU have a strong understanding of urban agriculture and its role in sustainability. Paris and Brussels are leading the way with strong incentives for urban ag while still encouraging responsible development.”
Nevertheless, “there is still room for improvement: in particular there needs to be more work done to bridge the divide between rural and urban agriculture. Also, there is a lack of consumer education on existing limitations of organic agriculture and the future role of high tech urban agriculture, like vertical farming.”
Henry Gordon-Smith at Noocity Ecologia Urbana in Porto, Portugal
As a result, the EFUA is working to identify any factors blocking the successful implementation of Urban Agriculture in European cities, and develop strategies to overcome them.
On this topic, Gordon-Smith notes that one main barrier to entry in particular is “uncertainty for developers of urban agriculture to find the right location, incentives, and staff.” With the right measures in place to provide newcomers with the necessary education and access to resources, EU policymakers will be supporting the growth of the urban agriculture industry, thereby encouraging its full potential to strengthen local food systems.
Ultimately, Gordon-Smith says, “encouraging Urban Agriculture is about creating pathways.” It is a key mission of the EFUA to facilitate access to the industry both on an individual stakeholder scale through education, and also more structurally through policy change.
Crucially, the EFUA recognises that the implications of Urban Agriculture go far beyond just providing access to food, and can also promote synergistic solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges.
As just one example, this 2015 study highlighted the power of a “shared politics of place” in an allotment gardening community to tangibly improve relations between socially strained groups in Belfast and Dublin. It is this sort of eye-opening research which inspires the EFUA to fully tap into the multifunctional potential of the Urban Ag industry.
In addition to creating a sense of community across urban communities, the EFUA is also in a position to start bridging the divide between rural and urban agriculture, something which Gordon-Smith himself views as an exciting opportunity in their mission.
Henry Gordon-Smith at ETF Systems in Berlin, Germany
Another key issue which he is looking to focus on while on the board is improving consumer education “on the role of new technologies in providing safe and sustainable food choices.” Part of the continued successful implementation of urban agricultural strategies in the EU will involve raising more awareness of its benefits on a broader population level.
The EPRS Briefing on Urban Agriculture in Europe highlights the importance of this consumer education, given the fact that urban food systems work to shorten the supply chain and “foster a more direct link with their consumers.” These buyers deserve to have more sustainable options available, as well as increased transparency around their food systems.
One way the EFUA is working to achieve this is through hosting regular informational events, such as the recent Rome FACTS Conference. Topics included the challenges faced by Urban Ag in a post-pandemic world, how the industry is contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the role of Urban Ag in low-income countries, and much more.
In prioritizing Urban Agriculture as a multifaceted solution to the complex problems in our current food systems, EU policymakers are demonstrating a necessary willingness to enact structural change for long-lasting improvement to these same systems. By the end of Gordon-Smith’s term at the EFUA, we hope to see clear indications that Urban Ag has gained even more steam throughout the EU, with added investment into the sector, as well as more city-led policies to encourage its growth.
