Published by City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture

Subject:

Asia and Urban Agriculture

In Mongolia, Community-Grown Vegetables Fill a Big Nutritional Gap

"... during the Communist period, it was prohibited even to have a garden, because it was regarded as private initiative. So people don't think they can grow vegetables themselves or they think that growing cabbage is more difficult than raising sheep. But now things are changing very quickly ..." Posted November 25, 2005

Modern Environmental Initiatives in Urban China

"Urban dwellers make use of these waterside parks in China in a myriad of interesting ways that makes life in China's cities dynamic. Rather than building these parks purely for linear movement, designers have created a wide, undulating promenade that traverses a series of distinct outdoor spaces. This functions as a public corridor giving access to a series of variously sized semi-public rooms that encourage diverse uses." Posted November 26, 2004

Microfarming Techniques for Yak Producers in the Tibetan Area of Muli in SW Sichuan, China

"A microfarm is a one-hectare family farm that produces food and agricultural products using simplified hydroponics, fertigation and aquaculture. The first field of 435 m² can produce 1 ton of corn, 2 tons of corn fodder, 0.5 ton of broad beans, and a winter crop of alfalfa, wheat or other cover crops suitable for forage." Posted September 19, 2004

A Mini-Farm Trip to Uzbekistan 2004

"This country is self-sufficient in food and only imports tropical fruits such as bananas. They are more expensive than at home so very few can afford them. Every house has a garden and as you fly over the country all you see is gardens and minifarms." Posted August 5, 2004

Taiwan Urban Agriculture

"As you can see, despite the urban chaos, the steep slopes of the area allow for much of the space to be utilized for agriculture. Much of the green space that you can see has some kind of agriculture, whether it be food crops or flowers." (This travel journal will be updated over the next few months.) Posted January 8, 2003

Urban Fringe Agriculture

Report of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Seminar on Urban Fringe Agriculture held in Tokyo from 17 to 24 May, 2000. Examples of Stories: Transition of Urban Farmland Policy and Development of New Urban Agriculture in Japan (Kenji Ishihara), and the Present Situation of Urban Agriculture and Related Problems (Mitsuzo Gotoh) Posted November 18, 2002

Rural Allotments and Sustainable Development: A Japanese Perspective

"Allotment gardens first appeared in urban Japan in the 1920s (Kinoshima, 1994), and enjoyed only limited success, even in the preferred kleingarten model, prior to the Pacific War. With the outbreak of hostilities, the same enthusiasm for growing vegetables which had British and American gardeners "digging for victory" swept Japan as well, and vacant plots of land everywhere were brought into cultivation." Posted September 19, 2002

Anaerobic Digestion in Rural China

"Since the 1970s, China has been promoting the use of underground, individual household scale, anaerobic digesters to process rural organic wastes. There are approximately 5,000,000 households using anaerobic digesters in China. The digesters produce biogas that is used as an energy source by the households, and produce fertilizer that is used in agricultural production. " Posted January 15, 2001

Municipal Organic Waste Recycling for Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Africa and Asia

"Regarding the high price of industrial fertilizers, organic waste stream products generated in the urban and peri-urban areas are considered as valuable nutrient sources for crop production, especially for high-value crops (e.g. vegetables, ornamental plants) and for urban gardens and recreation areas."Posted August 12, 2000

Travelling in Asia - Urban Agriculture Journal - by April Richards

"My first morning in Beijing was spent walking around the neighborhood of Haidan on the northwest corner of the city. Following the oncoming streams of bicyclists toting baskets full of fresh produce to their origin, I found two separate open-air markets. The stalls of these markets were filled with green peppers, scallions, lychee, melons, bok choy, daikon, celery, various dried beans, sunflower seeds, eggs, wheat noodles, live fish, chickens, ducks, and butchered pork amongst other things that I have yet to identify." Posted June 27, 2000

Feeding Asian Cities - FAO Regional Seminar

Bangkok, 27-30 November, 2000. Sessions include: Food Production and Processing Issues. The role of urban food production in feeding Asian cities. The role of peri-urban food production in feeding Asian cities. Posted June 9, 2000

Urban Agriculture Agrotechnology Park Study Tour

Singapore Tropical Hydroponic Study Tour, August 27 to September 3, 2000. See the new opportunities for hydroponics in urban farming's agrotechnology parks and rooftop farming and rooftop and indoor gardening. Posted February 12, 2000

A Seaside Arcology for Southern China

Francis Frick of the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong writes about 'architectural ecology' in China. "China's urban population stood at over 350 million in 1995. It is expected to pass 450 million by 2000. 432 new cities in China between 1995 and 2010 will almost double the 1995 amount, housing approximately 60% of China's total population."

The Role of the Living Landscape as an Element of Sustainability In Asian Cities during the 21st Century
Tobias Forster, an urban planner who has been working in Hong Kong for the last three years, presented this paper at the POLMET 97 Conference, November, 1997.

Combating Hunger in Mongolia
Using Urban Agriculture
In 1990/1991, 850 families grew vegetables in the city. This year (1996) the number has increased over 20 times reaching 21,000. More and more families have begun to realize that home gardening might be a way to improve their standard of living.

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