Urban Agriculture: A case study of Quito, Ecuador

Abstract: Urban agriculture can be one of the many solutions that a city employs as a part of its larger sustainability strategy. It can have many advantages: food security, employment, better utilisation of public spaces, safer and better food production and economic empowerment of disadvantaged groups. But in the context of nature-based solutions (NBS), urban agriculture needs more evidence to support it as a viable solution. This thesis is a case study of the city of Quito, Ecuador. It elaborates upon the programme by responding to two questions: firstly, what were the reasons that led to the setting up of the programme and what difficulties it faces or has faced over time, and secondly, what impacts has the programme had on the sustainability of the city. This thesis uses the EKLIPSE framework to evaluate the outcomes of the urban agriculture programme and to put them in the context of NBS. Several factors played a pivotal role in shaping the programme, starting with the petroleum-fuelled economic boom of the 1970s. Flawed agricultural policies from around the same era, coupled with an economic crisis in the late 1990s also helped play a role in accelerating the scaling up of the programme. The programme has aimed to be an inclusive once since its inception and it has continued to address socially vulnerable groups till today. A multi-stakeholder approach has given the programme wide acceptance among various groups within society and it has thus ensured its own continuity among various political regimes. Policy level inclusion of the programme has just begun to take place and the city is planning to come out with a food policy that gives urban agriculture a role in the city‘s food system. In terms of key outcomes, the economic benefits have been considerable in that a significant number of people are directly or indirectly dependent on urban farms. It has also resulted in reduction in expenditure on food for families. Communities can come together as farms create social spaces and opportunities for interaction. Environmentally, it has reduced the distance travelled by food to get to the city and helped preserve biodiversity by encouraging a wide diversity of crops as well as animal husbandry.