The politics of urban agriculture: An international exploration of governance, food systems, and environmental justice

This research consists of a qualitative sociological analysis of urban agriculture. The research compares the development of urban agriculture in three different cities Ghent (Belgium), Warsaw (Poland), and Philadelphia (USA). For every city, it maps the various urban agriculture initiatives, actors, stakeholders, policy initiatives, context and governance processes. The research thoroughly describes the phenomenon of urban agriculture (definition, advantages, risks, policy and governance options etc.). The research demonstrates that urban agriculture has a different role in different cities, not only because cities are different, but because there are important inclusionary and exclusionary dynamics in urban agriculture governance processes. It concludes that urban agriculture benefits from structural governmental support, a balance between economic and social objectives, and attention for social justice in relation to urban agriculture (and local food more broadly).