Peri-Urban Agriculture to feed Indian cities

Abstract

Peri-urban agriculture is generally defined as agriculture undertaken in places on the fringes of urban areas. The nation's future depends mostly on rural land as with the growing population, it is crucial for food security and nutrition. Beyond providing productivity to vacant land, treated wastewater, and recycled waste, urban and peri-urban agriculture can be an essential income source for many urban poor. Farming households that live outside cities can lower their food costs substantially and generate income by selling excess produce, which is significant, as urban poor commonly spend 50-70% of their income on food. In addition to farming jobs, peri-urban agriculture can spark a need for traders, input suppliers, processors, marketers, and others. Though, in the current extensive development scenario, the cities are expanding outwards in the peri-urban areas. The continuous land value appreciation provides farmers to get better opportunity cost. This, in turn, induces a change in land use affecting the overall food supply mechanism.