Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia
Food systems are vulnerable to socioeconomic and environmental changes, and increasing food system resilience has emerged as a key public policy priority. Vertical agriculture is one potential strategy to contribute to food system resilience. To date, the literature exploring this technology has foc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol29/iss1/art12 |
| _version_ | 1797234711747100672 |
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| author | Alesandros Glaros Robert Newell Addisalem Benyam Stefania Pizzirani Lenore Lauri Newman |
| author_facet | Alesandros Glaros Robert Newell Addisalem Benyam Stefania Pizzirani Lenore Lauri Newman |
| author_sort | Alesandros Glaros |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Food systems are vulnerable to socioeconomic and environmental changes, and increasing food system resilience has emerged as a key public policy priority. Vertical agriculture is one potential strategy to contribute to food system resilience. To date, the literature exploring this technology has focused on consumer perceptions, with less examination of broader social-ecological system considerations or on-the-ground implications for vulnerable food system actors. This study explores local food system stakeholders’ account of vertical agriculture’s potential contributions to food system resilience, and specifically to food system decentralization, increasing stakeholder decision-making autonomy and diversifying food systems. The results of an exploratory focus group with 16 participants, including local government officials and members of community food organizations, are presented. Participants discussed how vertical agriculture can contribute to food system decentralization by operating across a variety of scales and in public institutions, although local land-use zoning barriers, competing land use priorities, and lack of community acceptance may hinder its widespread implementation. Further, vertical agriculture may contribute to food system diversification by increasing the amount of regionally available produce in the face of future supply disruptions. The potential implications of vertical agriculture for increasing decision-making autonomy will vary, depending on whether it is governed at more or less accessible scales and forms. It is recommended that further research consider diverse scenarios and engage with wider stakeholder and community groups for vertical agriculture’s planning and implementation, particularly in less explored land use contexts, such as in agricultural regions or in public institutions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:36:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d1cd5fb2d5764160850b4d72e0ad8529 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:36:25Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-d1cd5fb2d5764160850b4d72e0ad85292024-03-29T16:20:31ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872024-03-012911210.5751/ES-14547-29011214547Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British ColumbiaAlesandros Glaros0Robert Newell1Addisalem Benyam2Stefania Pizzirani3Lenore Lauri Newman4Food and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser ValleyRoyal Roads UniversityIndependent researcherFood and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser ValleyFood and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser ValleyFood systems are vulnerable to socioeconomic and environmental changes, and increasing food system resilience has emerged as a key public policy priority. Vertical agriculture is one potential strategy to contribute to food system resilience. To date, the literature exploring this technology has focused on consumer perceptions, with less examination of broader social-ecological system considerations or on-the-ground implications for vulnerable food system actors. This study explores local food system stakeholders’ account of vertical agriculture’s potential contributions to food system resilience, and specifically to food system decentralization, increasing stakeholder decision-making autonomy and diversifying food systems. The results of an exploratory focus group with 16 participants, including local government officials and members of community food organizations, are presented. Participants discussed how vertical agriculture can contribute to food system decentralization by operating across a variety of scales and in public institutions, although local land-use zoning barriers, competing land use priorities, and lack of community acceptance may hinder its widespread implementation. Further, vertical agriculture may contribute to food system diversification by increasing the amount of regionally available produce in the face of future supply disruptions. The potential implications of vertical agriculture for increasing decision-making autonomy will vary, depending on whether it is governed at more or less accessible scales and forms. It is recommended that further research consider diverse scenarios and engage with wider stakeholder and community groups for vertical agriculture’s planning and implementation, particularly in less explored land use contexts, such as in agricultural regions or in public institutions.https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol29/iss1/art12agencyfood systemslocal foodregional foodresiliencevertical agriculture |
| spellingShingle | Alesandros Glaros Robert Newell Addisalem Benyam Stefania Pizzirani Lenore Lauri Newman Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia Ecology and Society agency food systems local food regional food resilience vertical agriculture |
| title | Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia |
| title_full | Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia |
| title_fullStr | Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia |
| title_short | Vertical agriculture’s potential implications for food system resilience: outcomes of focus groups in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia |
| title_sort | vertical agriculture s potential implications for food system resilience outcomes of focus groups in the fraser valley british columbia |
| topic | agency food systems local food regional food resilience vertical agriculture |
| url | https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol29/iss1/art12 |
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