Concept note on Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA):

Urban Agriculture or UA is an industry located within (intra urban) or on the fringe (peri urban) of a town, a city or a metropolis, which grows or raises, processes and distributes diversity of food and non food products, (re) using largely human and material resources, products and services found in and around that urban area, and in turn supplying human and material resources products and services largely to that urban area. Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) occurs within and surrounding the boundaries of cities throughout the world and includes crop and livestock production, fisheries and forestry, as well as the ecological services they provide. Often multiple farming and gardening systems exist in and near a single city.

UPA is estimated to involve 800 million urban residents worldwide in income-earning and/or food-producing activities. The findings of national censuses, household surveys and research projects suggest that up to two-thirds of urban and peri-urban households are involved in agriculture. Much of the food produced is for own consumption, with occasional surpluses sold to local markets. UPA can contribute to food security in several ways. It increases the amount of food available and enhances the freshness of perishable foods reaching urban consumers (case studies have shown differences in nutrition, especially among children, when poor urban families farm).

The lead feature of UA which distinguishes it from rural agriculture is its integration into the urban economic and ecological system. Modern UA is a life line. At micro level it provides the urbanites with better diet and higher income as well as opportunities to contribute to the urban environment.