Sustainable Urban Food Systems

Sustainable Urban Food Systems

Source: C. Kasper, et al. The urban food system approach: thinking in spatialized systems, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 41:8, 1009-1025, 2017.

Urbanization is one of the defining features of the #maghreb region in North Africa, especially in #algeria. As coastal areas were preferred over the inland, leading to a concentration of population in large metropolitan areas located along the coast, #urban#foodmanagement becomes crucial for #sustainable#economicdevelopment.

Due to natural and historical assets (not considering the effects of French colonialism and Arab-Muslim civilization), these coastal areas have administrative, infrastructural, institutional, economic, and socio-cultural development. Moreover, in the latter half of the 20th century, the growth gained momentum by the #importexport opportunities from the #mediterraneansea Trade.

Mediterranean Sea Trade.

This ease in trade made the decision-making for the food trade makes difficult. For example, in 2021, Algeria imported Wheat, Concentrated Milk, Soybean Oil, and Corn, accounting for around $5.06 Billion. The said imports were less than the exported Refined Petroleum, accounting for $6.23 Billion and about 17.6% of total exports. Consequently, a #sustainable food management system can lead to sustainable #urbanization with administrative, infrastructural, institutional, and economic benefits.

EEA's conceptual framework for urban sustainability.

Source: Volker Sander, My City /EEA.

#satellite image processing can provide valuable insights into urbanization patterns and their impact on #foodsupply. By analyzing #satelliteimagery, we can extract relevant information such as #landuse changes, #vegetation health, and #infrastructuredevelopment, which are all critical factors in understanding the urbanization process and its implications for food supply.

Land use map of Algiers from the supervised classification of Landsat satellite imagery for the years (a) 1987, (b) 1997, (c) 2007, and (d) 2017.

Source: S. Samira, et al. The dynamics of the Algiers periurbanization: geomatic tools for multi-temporal study. Arab. J. Geosci., 14, 2021.

We are already classifying #land Use by satellite imagery, enabling us to distinguish between #agricultural land, built-up areas, parks, and other land categories. Such classification plays a significant role in food management. Now we can assess the extent of available farmland and determine its potential for #foodproduction with vegetation monitoring. Analyzing satellite images allows #farmers and #agricultural stakeholders to monitor vegetation health and identify changes in #crop conditions over time, aiding the assessment of the quality and productivity of agricultural land near or within urban areas. Monitoring vegetation indices like #ndvi (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) further provide insights into the overall health of #crops.

NDVI map of the Oued Bouhamdane watershed in 2022.

Source: B. Khallef, et al. Forest cover change detection using NDVI in the Oued Bouhamdane watershed, Algeria - A case study. J. For. Sci., 2023.

Satellite imagery can also track the expansion of urban areas over time. By comparing images from different periods, we can quantify the rate and extent of urbanization. Also, such assessments identify the converted agricultural land into #urbaninfrastructure, enabling #policymakers to prioritize the preservation of farmland and plan for sustainable food production. Further, satellite images can detect and map infrastructure related to food supply, such as storage facilities, #markets, #transportation networks, and distribution centers, aiding in mapping the infrastructures. By mapping the crucial infrastructure elements of the food supply chain, #urbanplanner and policymakers can optimize infrastructure development to ensure efficient and equitable food distribution.

Sustainable food supply chain.

Source: A. Wysokinska-Senkus, et al. CARVER+Shock & Business Process Mang. in Improving Food Safety of Primary Production. Agriculture, 12, 1018 2022.

Integrating satellite imagery with other relevant datasets, such as population density, #socioeconomic indicators, and #climatedata, enables us to understand the food supply situation in the urban area. Further, state-or-art developed analytical techniques let us identify the patterns and correlations between urbanization, food availability, and other factors. These analytical techniques also act as an #earlywarning system, where the utilization of satellite imagery identifies potential food supply disruptions.

We correlate the continuously obtained data on #crophealth, #weather conditions, and other factors to identify risks such as drought, pest outbreaks, or #extremeweather events that could impact the food supply chain. Early warning systems enable agricultural #stakeholders, #foodmarket, and policymakers to take proactive mitigative measures to ensure #foodsecurity.

EnviroChem Services provide services that can guide urban planners, policymakers, and agricultural stakeholders in making informed decisions to ensure sustainable and resilient food systems in rapidly urbanizing areas.