Urban food security, urban resilience and climate change - weADAPT

enefits and risks. Before we can confidently state what role urban agriculture has toplay in meeting urban food security and climate change challenges, there is a clearneed for more quantitative and qualitative data:Urban agriculture is very important for cities of the future. But we don’t yet knowenough about it to take objective decisions, informed by adequate evidence anddata. We need a proper research program to find out what we need to know,especially as regards yields, and effective systems [Academic researcher,Melbourne].Interviewees were well versed in the prevailing political realities of the case study citiesand states, which are not especially supportive of urban agriculture. When intervieweeswere asked about how their ideas for change might actually come about, many pointedto the need for an educated and motivated populace to put pressure on their politicalleaders:We need to create the space for government to move. For that to happen, thepublic needs to see food as more important; and so we need much greaterunderstanding amongst the general public of the issues around food production,climate change, fair food, and so on. More understanding than exists now, inorder to move government along [Academic researcher, Melbourne].The lack of knowledge and awareness was constantly pointed out in the interviews asmajor barrier for both the would-be grower and the rest of the community.Consequently, an important way to address this barrier would be the provision of morehigh quality information in general, and more specific training in various aspects of foodgrowing:The training is vital. If you can’t actually keep your plants alive and produce goodstuff then it’s going to be harder to keep people together [Farmer, Gold Coast].Organisations like the Organic Growers Association, CERES, Gold Coast Permacultureand many others hold the key to increasing capacity and helping to disseminate theirknowledge through successfully growing organic crops:We recognised this [lack of training] this year and we had another program withthe Salvation Army here where we trained people on a 20 week course involvingbiological composting, garden planting and all the basic sort of stuff, and that’spart of the work for the dole program, so rather than just coming in and doingsome labouring work, there was a good opportunity for us to give them someskills as well and make it a bit more meaningful. And the idea was that thesepeople would then go back to the school program and teach the parents andteacher about biological composting and proper planting stuff just to address thatlack of knowledge [Micro farmer, Gold Coast].Inspiration could also go a long way in the education and dissemination process.Interviewees have suggested that well run urban agricultural sites can not only producegood and affordable food, but they also inspire people and demonstrate what urbanagriculture really is, what it is not and what it is capable of achieving:It’s a kind of inspiration as well. It’s the inspiration, you’ve got to have theinspiration. You’ve got to inspire to make or break people. You u need to inspireand motivate. Every school should have a garden. Not only have a garden butUrban food security, urban resilience and climate change 142