Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract Urban agriculture is the key to creating healthy cities and developing resilient urban food systems in uncertain times. However, relevant empirical evidence is limited. This study quantitatively verified the association of access to local food through urban agriculture with subjective well-...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-02-01
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| Series: | npj Urban Sustainability |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-023-00083-3 |
| _version_ | 1811171711818661888 |
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| author | Akiko Iida Takahiro Yamazaki Kimihiro Hino Makoto Yokohari |
| author_facet | Akiko Iida Takahiro Yamazaki Kimihiro Hino Makoto Yokohari |
| author_sort | Akiko Iida |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Urban agriculture is the key to creating healthy cities and developing resilient urban food systems in uncertain times. However, relevant empirical evidence is limited. This study quantitatively verified the association of access to local food through urban agriculture with subjective well-being, physical activity, and food security concerns of neighborhood communities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The target was Tokyo, Japan, where small-scale local food systems are widespread in walkable neighborhoods. We found that diversity in local food access, ranging from self-cultivation to direct-to-consumer sales, was significantly associated with health and food security variables. In particular, the use of allotment farms was more strongly associated with subjective well-being than the use of urban parks, and it was more strongly associated with the mitigation of food security concerns than the use of food retailers. These findings provide robust evidence for the effectiveness of integrating urban agriculture into walkable neighborhoods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:18:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9d8a233bad634cb58f89d597cdaa6ed4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2661-8001 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:18:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Urban Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj.art-9d8a233bad634cb58f89d597cdaa6ed42023-02-05T12:14:44ZengNature Portfolionpj Urban Sustainability2661-80012023-02-013111010.1038/s42949-023-00083-3Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemicAkiko Iida0Takahiro Yamazaki1Kimihiro Hino2Makoto Yokohari3Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of TokyoDepartment of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of TokyoDepartment of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of TokyoDepartment of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of TokyoAbstract Urban agriculture is the key to creating healthy cities and developing resilient urban food systems in uncertain times. However, relevant empirical evidence is limited. This study quantitatively verified the association of access to local food through urban agriculture with subjective well-being, physical activity, and food security concerns of neighborhood communities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The target was Tokyo, Japan, where small-scale local food systems are widespread in walkable neighborhoods. We found that diversity in local food access, ranging from self-cultivation to direct-to-consumer sales, was significantly associated with health and food security variables. In particular, the use of allotment farms was more strongly associated with subjective well-being than the use of urban parks, and it was more strongly associated with the mitigation of food security concerns than the use of food retailers. These findings provide robust evidence for the effectiveness of integrating urban agriculture into walkable neighborhoods.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-023-00083-3 |
| spellingShingle | Akiko Iida Takahiro Yamazaki Kimihiro Hino Makoto Yokohari Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic npj Urban Sustainability |
| title | Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | urban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the covid 19 pandemic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-023-00083-3 |
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