Designing a tool for the sustainability evaluation of intra-urban agriculture using a participatory approach
Résumé
Urban agriculture is presented as one of the solutions to ensure sustainable urban development, based on the multidimensional benefits it provides. However, the evaluation of urban farms performances cannot be carried out by using existing sustainability assessment tools designed for rural farm. Intra-urban agriculture requires a specific tool to assess its sustainability, taking into account the specificities of the urban context, such as pollution management or land scarcity; and the design of such a tool needs involving stakeholders in order to embark a shared vision of sustainability. The first step of the project involved urban farmers through focus group, online surveys and interviews of local authorities, researchers and advisors to urban farmers at the French scale. It resulted in the identification of sustainability criteria related to agro-environmental, socio-territorial and economic impacts of intra-urban agriculture. It also confirmed the need for an evaluation tool intended for decision makers, i.e. stakeholders who provide land, investments or technical expertise to urban farms, as well as regulatory institutions. The second step of the project consisted in building a typology of decision makers as future users of the tool, and highlighting their expectations regarding the tool thanks to semi-directive interviews. Then, an evaluation tool will be elaborated including sustainability indicators specific to urban agriculture. The participatory process will involve both decision makers and stakeholders involved in the production, selling or consumption of urban agriculture products in order to ensure that the indicators are both relevant for decision makers and measurable at the farm scale.
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)