Urban Horticulture and Urban Gardening as Activities to Increase Local Food Production and Provide Other Ecosystem Services

Urban horticulture and urban gardening are emerging as pivotal strategies to address the dual challenges of global food security and environmental sustainability. As urban populations continue to grow, the need to transform agricultural systems to be more efficient and sustainable becomes increasingly urgent. Urban horticulture, which explores the relationship between plants and urban environments, offers promising opportunities to reduce cities' ecological footprints and optimizing the use of space and resources. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of urban gardening to protect biodiversity and provide consumers with a more varied diet, including edible wild species. Additionally, these practices can foster alternative agri-food networks and enhance short food supply chains within urban areas. Beyond food production, urban horticulture and gardening can contribute to measurable ecosystem services, depending on the plant species, cultivation systems, and management practices adopted. These services may include supporting urban biodiversity, mitigating the urban heat island effect, and enhancing the environmental and social value of urban green spaces.Despite these benefits, there remains a need for further research to explore innovative cultivation methods, such as soilless cultures and vertical farming systems, and to understand their integration with traditional agricultural practices. Moreover, the role of urban green spaces in improving citizens' psycho-physical well-being and serving educational purposes for future generations warrants deeper investigation. Further research is also needed to evaluate the productivity and resource-use efficiency of different urban horticultural systems and to identify suitable plant species and cultivation practices that can maximize both crop production and ecosystem service provision.This Research Topic aims to explore the multifaceted benefits of urban horticulture and urban gardening in increasing local food production and providing ecosystem services. Specifically, it seeks to answer questions related to the effectiveness of various growing systems, the quality of produce, and the broader social, educational, and environmental impacts of urban agriculture. The Research Topic will address crop performance, plant quality, measurable ecosystem services, and potential trade-offs between productivity and resource use. Through diverse research approaches, the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how urban horticulture can contribute to sustainable urban development.To gather further insights into the boundaries and potential of urban horticulture and gardening, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Urban horticulture through traditional and innovative growing systems• Urban gardening practices and their implementation• Quality of vegetables produced in urban cropping systems• Assessment of the contribution of different horticultural crops and cultivation systems to ecosystem services in urban environments• Potential contributions of urban agriculture to food security, social cohesion, education, and city self-sufficiency Topic editors: Angeliki Paraskevopoulou, Roberta Bulgari, Federica Larcher Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86951/urban-horticulture-and-urban-gardening-as-activities-to-increase-local-food-production-and-provide-other-ecosystem-services