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<p>Unbridled urban sprawl in the global south has taken a toll on its existing farmlands, resulting in diminishing food production, amplified carbon emission, and ecological fragility. The contributions of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) are multifaceted and provide several important environmental, socio-cultural, and economic services. Consequently, the regional ecological resilience and local food security can be considerably enhanced if these urban agricultural systems are managed sustainably. Across the global south, only few studies have holistically examined UPA sustainability in relation to the urban transitional land uses and increasing socio-demographic pressure. This study formulated a streamlined Criteria and Indicators (C&amp;I) framework to comprehensively assess UPA sustainability. Here, the Analytical Hierarchy Process was employed to prioritize and evaluate various key aspects of agricultural sustainability. Altogether, 3 principles, 10 criteria, 22 indicators and 77 verifiers were identified under this framework through a hybrid approach involving expert opinion consultation and participatory appraisal of UPA stakeholder communities. This was subsequently tested and validated through its actual implementation in the UPA areas of Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), India, by computing a composite UPA sustainability index. The findings reveal that soil quality monitoring towards attaining consistent yields, along with livelihood sustenance capacity ensuring financial security, are imperative in preserving the UPA sustainability. This study represents a pioneering application of the C&amp;I framework in UPA sustainability assessment of KMA. The developed framework is designed to be realistic, easily comprehensible, scalable, and actionable through policy integration and localized training of field personnel. Thus, we propose the framework’s immediate application in any city region of the global south with minor location-specific adjustments.</p>

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Development of an assessment framework of criteria and indicators towards sustaining urban and peri-urban agriculture in the global south

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月16日

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  • Shrabana Mazumder,
  • Biyas Dey,
  • Mrinmoyee Naskar,
  • Debajit Datta

摘要

Unbridled urban sprawl in the global south has taken a toll on its existing farmlands, resulting in diminishing food production, amplified carbon emission, and ecological fragility. The contributions of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) are multifaceted and provide several important environmental, socio-cultural, and economic services. Consequently, the regional ecological resilience and local food security can be considerably enhanced if these urban agricultural systems are managed sustainably. Across the global south, only few studies have holistically examined UPA sustainability in relation to the urban transitional land uses and increasing socio-demographic pressure. This study formulated a streamlined Criteria and Indicators (C&I) framework to comprehensively assess UPA sustainability. Here, the Analytical Hierarchy Process was employed to prioritize and evaluate various key aspects of agricultural sustainability. Altogether, 3 principles, 10 criteria, 22 indicators and 77 verifiers were identified under this framework through a hybrid approach involving expert opinion consultation and participatory appraisal of UPA stakeholder communities. This was subsequently tested and validated through its actual implementation in the UPA areas of Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), India, by computing a composite UPA sustainability index. The findings reveal that soil quality monitoring towards attaining consistent yields, along with livelihood sustenance capacity ensuring financial security, are imperative in preserving the UPA sustainability. This study represents a pioneering application of the C&I framework in UPA sustainability assessment of KMA. The developed framework is designed to be realistic, easily comprehensible, scalable, and actionable through policy integration and localized training of field personnel. Thus, we propose the framework’s immediate application in any city region of the global south with minor location-specific adjustments.