Sustainable Food Production, Consumption, and the Generation of

al., 2003). These options are works in progress with room for change and improvement (Allen et
al., 2003), but they are by no means the only route to sustainable food systems. There are ways
to bring food even closer to the city and the people who live there, making efficient use of
virtually every urban surface. These initiatives fall under the umbrella term of urban agriculture.
2.4.3 Urban agriculture: do it yourself food production
The concept of growing food in urban areas is not new. As mentioned earlier, people
have been gardening in their own backyards throughout history and still do today. Urban
growing plays a significant role in curbing hunger in developing countries (Millstone and Lang,
2003; Holland, 2004). In Shanghai, China urban agriculture provides 60 percent of the
population’s fruit and vegetable needs. In Havana, Cuba that number is 58 percent. Considering
that these are both large, dense, well populated cities, there is no question Victoria, with its
sprawling suburbs and prime arable lawn space, could do just as well.
Urban agriculture comes in many different shapes and sizes. From basic backyard
gardens to large-scale community allotment gardens, to a multitude of grassroots initiatives,
Victoria has its fair share of variety. Lifecycles is one of the key organizations involved in
sustainable food production and food security in Victoria (Ewanchuk, 2005). They have several
programs that support urban agriculture including garden creation programs, a backyard sharing
board, a demonstration garden, school and public education programs and gleaning programs
1
(Lifecycles, 2005b). Respondents for the present study in Victoria were asked about their
awareness and knowledge of particular urban agriculture programs including rooftop gardening,
community gardening, backyard sharing, edible landscaping and gleaning. Respondents were
also asked for any comments they might have on each of these programs. The survey revealed
that there is a good awareness of urban agricultural options with an overall average awareness of
60 percent. This percentage was skewed by a 97 percent awareness rate for community gardens
(see figure 4). There were few specific comments about these programs. One respondent felt that
such initiatives sounded good, but in reality would not catch on in a big way. Another noted that
these programs would have to be slowly integrated into peoples lives, rather than making a
sudden shift.
Figure 4
1 A program where unused fruits and vegetables are harvested from people’s gardens and fruit trees.
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