Modeling Climate Change-Resilient Urban Agriculture in Developing Nations: A Case Study

The generalized expansion of urbanization and population requires the implementation of sustainable practices in cities, particularly in developing nations more vulnerable to climate change impacts. Blue-green infrastructures can be viable solutions to climate and sustainability emergencies in the built environment. In this context, urban areas possess the opportunity to create climate change-resilient agricultural systems in order to meet the “No Poverty” (SDG 1) and “Zero Hunger” (SDG 2) goals included in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Consequently, with 70% of the population residing in urban areas, food systems can close the gap between production and consumption to ensure local food security. The substantial growth of cities in Asia, South America, and Africa renders localized urban agriculture essential for feeding its inhabitants. As the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicates, 6,000 tons of food are imported daily to feed cities with more than 20 million residents, such as Sao Paolo or Mexico City. Food chains and imports could be drastically mitigated by utilizing existing urban surfaces (roofs, facades, and ground areas) to produce crops. For this reason, there is a rising demand for research to assist urban planners and governments in strategizing local agriculture production. This chapter addresses food security in developing cities by introducing a sunlight-based computational approach for designating the agricultural potential of three-dimensional urban surfaces according to crop-centric environmental suitability. Building-integrated agriculture (BIA) can deliver crops throughout the entire year, minimizing the externalities that endanger food production, such as climate variations (droughts and floods) and climate-induced pests (from human and soil pathogens). Critics of high-tech indoor developments in hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics argue that these systems are energy-intensive. In response, hybrid lighting systems offer alternative solutions that can efficiently reduce energy requirements by integrating sunlight data analysis. Blending sunlight to optimize lighting can have remarkable energy savings of up to 70% in developing nations with constricted energy infrastructures. Therefore, the availability of an appropriate amount of solar radiation on three-dimensional surfaces is a critical factor in selecting BIA locations.