Typically Diverse: The Nature of Urban Agriculture in South Australia

• Main Authors: Georgia Pollard, James Ward, Philip Roetman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-03-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: urban agriculture; urban gardening; economic sustainability; optimization; challenges; measurement; resource efficiency
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/4/945

In our visions of the future, urban agriculture has long been considered an integral part of the ‘sustainable city’. Yet urban agriculture is an incredibly diverse and variable field of study, and many practical aspects remain overlooked and understudied. This paper explores the economic sustainability of urban agriculture by focusing on the physical, practical, and economic aspects of home food gardens in South Australia. New data from the Edible Gardens project online survey is presented on a broad range of current garden setups, including a figure illustrating the statistically typical South Australian food garden. The differences between the survey data and a recent optimized garden model further highlight the gap in knowledge regarding existing home food gardens. With regard to the financial accessibility and economic sustainability of home food gardens, there is also still much more work to be done. Although saving money is a top motivation, with many survey respondents believing that they do succeed in saving money, it remains to be seen whether their current gardening practices support this aspiration. Measurement of the full costs of different gardens would allow for better predictions of whether growing food can save household’s money and under what circumstances.