European Commission spotlights UAB research project on urban agriculture
An ICTA (Institute for Environmental Science and Technology) study on the potential of urban rooftops for agricultural production has been highlighted by the European Commission in the latest edition of the bulletin Science for Environment Policy.
![Cultiu experimental a l'ICTA](/Imatge/442/942/ictacultiuweb.jpg)
According to the research, based on interviews with local administration, urban gardeners, food cooperatives and NGOs, urban agriculture is regarded as a socially based activity, rather than one of food production, and support is given only to ground-level urban agriculture, ignoring the possibility of exploiting rooftops.
The article points out that legislation is a barrier to the development of this type of agriculture, as it does not contemplate the use of rooftops for growing fruit and vegetables. Some attempts to install rooftop gardens have failed precisely because of these legal impediments.
The study shows a need for pilot projects to determine the viability of rooftop farming and its potential benefits, and for the administration to be informed of these benefits. In addition, the use of these pilot projects in education would help to avoid the prejudices voiced by consumers and gardeners.
Taking part in this research work were ICTA researchers Joan Rieradevall, Esther Sanyé, and Isabelle Anguelovksi, the researcher Jordi Oliver Solà, from the firm Inèdit (a UAB spin-off), and the IRTA (Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology) researcher Juan Ignacio Montero.
The bulletin Science for Environment Policy is published by Directorate-General Environment, European Commission and edited by the Science Communication Unit of the University of the West of England, Bristol (United Kingdom).