Rapid Urbanisation and the Challenges of Socioeconomic Upliftment with Horticulture

The twenty-first century is marked by a transformative and permanent shift toward urbanisation, with projections suggesting that more than 65% of the world’s population will reside in urban centres by the year 2050. This shift intensifies systemic challenges related to food security, waste management, and malnutrition among underserved communities. Urban and peri-urban horticulture (UPH) offers a strategic response to these pressures by positioning nutrient-rich food production closer to consumers, thereby stabilising availability and reducing reliance on vulnerable, long-distance supply chains. This chapter explores the multifunctional utility of UPH, which transcends basic food production to include socioeconomic upliftment and environmental management. UPH provides vital livelihood opportunities for women, youth, and migrant workers through diverse activities such as nursery management, mushroom cultivation, and microgreen production. Furthermore, it delivers significant aesthetic and psychological benefits, including stress reduction, improved mental well-being, and enhanced community cohesion. The discussion highlights innovative technological models, including vertical farming, hydroponics, rooftop gardening, and protected cultivation, designed to optimise resource use in constrained environments. These systems often utilise sustainable inputs like treated wastewater and organic compost to minimise the urban ecological footprint. Despite these advancements, UPH faces critical constraints such as land scarcity, insecure tenure, and contamination risks from heavy metals or pathogens. In India, initiatives like the Vegetable Initiative for Urban Clusters (VIUC) and the National Horticulture Board’s cluster programmes aim to formalise these systems. Integration of smart technologies and precision sensors further enhances the efficiency and profitability of these urban enterprises. Ultimately, this chapter argues that embedding horticulture into urban planning and governance is essential for cultivating resilient, climate-adaptive, and inclusive cities. By recognising food production as a formal urban function, cities can leverage UPH to ensure long-term sustainability and human well-being.