Sowing Seeds in the City Human Dimensions [Hardcover]

A majority of the worlds population lives in cities. Urban areas have largely been disconnected from the processes associated with producing food. A broad range of community efforts have emerged to reconnect people in urban areas to fresh foods with expected benefits for public health.? These efforts can be found in cities across the country and cross both economic and ethnic lines. They have been led by the non- scientific community and are best characterized as social movements. Expansion of agriculture to non- traditional areas including community or kitchen gardens in urban or peri- urban environments has the potential to provide a range of ecosystem services as well as reduce stressors on non- urban environments. These services/benefits include improved public health, improved human nutrition and diet, large-scale production of renewable resources, increased food security with less resilience on traditional agricultural landscapes and seascapes, enhanced ecosystem function in urban areas, and increased public appreciation for and understanding of ecosystem services.? Preface.- Chapter 1, Introduction: Faces of Agriculture.- Part I: Perspectives on Food Security and the Impacts of Urban Agriculture.- Chapter 2. Food Security and Urban Agriculture.- Chapter 3. Urban Agriculture as a Resiliency Strategy.-Chapter 4. The Long Tradition of Urban Agriculture in the U.S.  and its Future.- Part II: Individual and Community Health Benefits of Urban Agriculture.- Chapter 5. Harvesting Health in the Garden.- Chapter 6. Social Health and Social Capital.- Chapter 7. Urban Gardening Practices and Culture.- Chapter 8. Nature Contact, Health, and the Built Environment.- Chapter 9. A Case Study: The Discourse of Obesity and Public Health in Planning and Participation in New York City Gardens.- Part III: Managing the Risks of Urban Agriculture.- Chapter 10. Assessing and Communicating the Risks (and Benefits) of Community Participation in Urban Agriculture.- Chapter 11. ModelilG