[LUM#7] From the parking lot to the orchard

[LUM Magazine] - Published on March 20, 2018 in Science-Society

Reconciling urban life and agriculture is the challenge taken up by the city of Montpellier, which devotes part of its land to organic market gardening.

What if the tomatoes you buy at the market were grown right next door? "Production and consumption are usually completely disconnected, " explains Laura Michel of the Center for Political Studies of Latin Europe (Cepel). How can we shorten the distance between the field and the plate? In Montpellier, the city has chosen to implement an urban agricultural and food policy (P2A).

Produced here, eaten here

"The idea is to reintroduce agriculture into urban areas,"explains Laura Michel, who, together with a team of researchers fromINRA led by Christophe Soulard, has been assisting the city in implementing this ambitious project. In a country that loses 220 hectares of agricultural land every day, Montpellier has chosen to buck the trend by dedicating part of its land to agriculture. "The project also aims to promote agriculture and encourage young farmers to set up," explains the researcher. The gamble has paid off: in total, more than 100 hectares of land are now being cultivated in the city's municipalities.

And not just any old way. "By promoting organic market gardening and agroecological practices," explains Nabil Hasnaoui Amri, an agricultural engineer who is devoting his thesis to the subject of farmers' participation in agricultural and food policy in the Montpellier metropolitan area. "We are interested in production methods, but also in marketing, for example by opting for short supply chains or offering processed products with greater added value for farmers."

Sustainable city

Urban agriculture also has unexpected benefits: by reshaping the urban landscape, it contributes to land use planning. How? " It has an impact on risk mitigation," explains Nabil Hasnaoui Amri. For example, ecological practices can reduce water pollution. "In addition, certain agricultural practices can limit the risk of fire and flooding by redeveloping spaces," explains the agricultural engineer.

"We are witnessing a real change in the vision of public policy,"emphasizes Nabil Hasnaoui Amri. Montpellier, a green and sustainable city? That is the goal of the metropolitan area, which has joined the network of cities that signed the 2015 Milan Pact, committing to work toward the development of sustainable, inclusive, resilient, safe, and diverse food systems to provide healthy and affordable food for all.

Keywords: Agriculture, Ecology, LUM#7, LUM Magazine, Company