Facilitating resilient rural-to-urban sustainable agriculture and rural communities

ABSTRACT

This article contributes to efforts to validate a common set of parameters and principles of sustainable agriculture. Comparisons between alternative forms of sustainable agriculture and rural-to-urban community resilience are investigated. Conclusions are drawn between multiple sustainable/alternative agriculture systems and evaluated. A set of common baseline parameters and principles is proposed as a method of evolving a common structural framework for strengthening sustainability of agriculture and rural contexts. Concepts of rural-to-urban community sustainability are proposed, supporting sustainable agriculture contexts as rural and urban. In the twenty-first century, agriculture is becoming more diversified and less typified as a rural occupation. Urban agriculture is expanding as the need for fresh, affordable, accessible agriculture produce increases in urban areas. Evidence supports symbiotic relationships between sustainable agriculture and rural/urban communities, although some claim this relationship has not been clearly defined.

This article investigates sustainable agriculture from two perspectives. We ask ‘what are common parameters and principles of the various forms of sustainable agriculture,’ and ‘why urban-to-rural context.’ Organic agriculture parameters and principles are proposed as a conceptual framework toward establishing baseline parameters and principles for sustainable agriculture. Best management parameters of urban and rural sustainable agriculture in the United States and the United Kingdom are examined for their potential to develop a strengthening framework of parameters and principles of agriculture and rural-to-urban sustainability. These results are compared and evaluated for their effectiveness in redefining current sustainable agriculture practices, and their value in strengthening sustainable agriculture symbiosis with rural-to-urban community systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Sustainable agriculture
• rural community
• urban agriculture/farming
• organic agriculture rural
• and urban resilience

Acknowledgements

The Facilitating Resilient Rural-to-Urban Sustainable Agriculture manuscript is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Funding of the 3-year ‘A Parking Lot on Grandpa’s Farm’ was provided by a 3-year USDA/NIFA Capacity Building Grant funded award. The focus of this grant is to conduct research on the impacts of urbanization on rural communities and agriculture in Williamson County Tennessee, and provide environmental education and training to stakeholders in that county.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Capacity Building Grant [2013-38821-21460].