How does urban gardening help the environment? – A PUZZLE

How does urban gardening help the environment? Urban gardening is simply the cultivation, production, marketing and distribution of agricultural products, i.e. plants and animals, in the city or in a populated place with infrastructure.

This also includes indoor, rooftop, backyard and community farming etc. Since the beginning of urban gardening/agriculture, the focus has been on how good urban agriculture is for nutrition.

However, there are other areas where urban gardening helps people; Economic, medical, environmental, etc. Each of these benefits has been found to solve some of the global problems we have today.

Contents

6 benefits of urban gardening

Here are some little-known benefits of the practice of urban gardens.

1. Appropriate use of empty spaces

Unused space in the environment is detrimental to communities and the economies of those communities in general. Spaces that remain unused for a long time are often used as landfills, polluting the environment and causing damage to the soil.

If this land is used for gardening, the soil is restored, there is no pollution, food is provided to the community, etc.

2. Urban heat island effect

According to the EPA, “urban heat islands” occur when cities replace natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavements, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat. This effect increases energy costs (eg, for air conditioning), air pollution, and heat-related illnesses and deaths. For example, in African countries, generators are used in most cities, homes or workplaces to produce light when there is no electricity.

This causes air and noise pollution, heat-related illnesses and death. As the weather changes, the heat becomes severe. Trees, gardens, green roofs and vegetation can reduce this urban heat island effect. The heat decreases as more trees and gardens are planted, the environment also becomes safer to live in.

3. Aesthetics

benefits of urban agricultureImage: Envato Elements

Flowers, trees and other forms of landscaping are known for the beauty they add to the environment, colors are relaxing and also good for health, colorful flowers beautify the environment. Helps the body to relax. Some of these flowers also have great scents which also help relax the body.

4. Reduction of carbon emissions

Food produced in rural areas is usually transported to the city/urban agglomeration for consumption, transport produces carbon emissions. Urban gardening brings food closer to the end consumer, eliminating transportation-related emissions. Although transportation is a known source of carbon emissions, it produces only a few percent of food emissions.

Food waste contributes to the production of carbon emissions, both by the consumer and by the supply chain. Food waste can be avoided by packaging food properly, refrigerating it, eating more plants (this reduces emissions of animal products) and doing all you can to avoid food waste, including by sharing it with those who need it.

Urban gardening helps reduce the supply chain process and gives you more plants/vegetables to eat.

5. Natural consumption

Urban gardening helps you grow your fruits and vegetables naturally without using chemicals. Most “greens” are mixed with pesticides. An example of this is the strawberry. Strawberries top the list of fruits/vegetables with pesticide residues. Gardening without chemicals reduces environmental pollution, keeps beneficial insects like bees alive, and your fruits, herbs, and vegetables taste natural.

6. Pollination

How does urban gardening help the environment?

The flowers, herbs and fruits in your garden naturally attract beneficial insects; bees, flies, wasps, butterflies, etc. These insects are very important for the growth and movement of pollen. They transfer pollen and seeds sucked from the nectar of their flowering plant to other plants, providing a means of reproduction of said plant seeds. without these pollinators, many flowers and plants die.

Refinement

The environmental benefits of urban gardening are not fully known and cannot be emphasized enough, with the increase in world population, many rural settlements are becoming urban, with population, residential buildings and other infrastructure, urban gardening is becoming necessary for healthy living, improves air quality, saves water and saves the earth.

There is no planet B, urban gardening is one of the ways to save this planet.

Leave a Comment