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Land Use Competition pp 263–277Cite as

Strengthening City Region Food Systems: Synergies Between Multifunctional Peri-Urban Agriculture and Short Food Supply Chains: A Local Case Study in Berlin, Germany

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Part of the book series: Human-Environment Interactions ((HUEN,volume 6))

Abstract

Cities and agriculture are fundamentally linked, yet often coevolve in a contradicting manner. On the one hand, many scholars in science and urban planning argue in favor of satisfying urban food demands through local and regional agricultural production. On the other hand, as the process of urbanization occurs, competition between agricultural and non-agricultural land use is intensifying, more often than not to the disadvantage of agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas. In order to be part of sustainable land use in an urbanizing society, studies suggest that agriculture needs to become increasingly multifunctional. However, the interplay of multifunctional agriculture (MFA), food supply systems, and urban areas is not fully understood and requires more attention. Against this background, this chapter explores the potential of MFA within short food supply chains in peri-urban areas. In particular, MFA is seen as a resource for strengthening urban agriculture and city region food systems as a sustainable development. Based on a local case study in Berlin (CSA SpeiseGut), this chapter examines innovative practices and strategies at farm level that foster multifunctionality in community-supported agriculture (CSA). The case study illustrates how multiple functions such as producing local food (production goal), delivering amenities for urban lifestyles (consumption goal), and protecting ecosystem benefits (protection goal) emerged and how they contribute to a city region food system. The chapter reveals that peri-urban farming can indeed become an integrative land-use option when developing synergies between MFA and short food supply chains. In particular, MFA can stimulate the creation of new food networks, which strengthen urban agriculture and city region food systems.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For further information, see http://www.2000m2.eu/.

  2. 2.

    Equation is based on SpeiseGut’s capacity to supply 80 to 100 people/ha with fruit and vegetables.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Metropolitan Studies, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Beatrice Walthall

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  1. Beatrice Walthall
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Correspondence to Beatrice Walthall .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. of European Ethnology & Integrativ, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Jörg Niewöhner

  2. Governance and Sustainability Lab, Trier University, Berlin, Germany

    Antje Bruns

  3. Dept. of Geography & IRI THESys, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Patrick Hostert

  4. Dept. of Geography & IRI THESys, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Tobias Krueger

  5. Dept. of Geography & IRI THESys, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Jonas Ø. Nielsen

  6. Institute of Social Ecology, Alpen-Adria University, Vienna, Austria

    Helmut Haberl

  7. Institute of Social Ecology, Alpen-Adria University, Vienna, Austria

    Christian Lauk

  8. Institute of Social Ecology, Alpen-Adria University, Vienna, Austria

    Juliana Lutz

  9. Halle (Saale) & IRI THESys, Leibniz Ins. for Agri. Devel. Trans. Eco, Berlin, Germany

    Daniel Müller

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Walthall, B. (2016). Strengthening City Region Food Systems: Synergies Between Multifunctional Peri-Urban Agriculture and Short Food Supply Chains: A Local Case Study in Berlin, Germany. In: Niewöhner, J., et al. Land Use Competition. Human-Environment Interactions, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33628-2_16

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