the MOF&G Online
Sept/Nov 2002 Reviews
Urban Agriculture Magazine
The Urban Agriculture Magazine (UA Magazine) is published three times a year on the RUAF-website (www.ruaf.org) and in hardcopy version. The UA Magazine facilitates sharing information on the impacts of urban agriculture, promotes the analysis and debate on critical issues for the development of the sector, and the publication of "best" or "good" or even "bad" practices in urban agriculture. The UA Magazine welcomes contributions on new initiatives at individual, neighbourhood, city and national levels.
Attention is given to the technological aspects, as well as to socio-economic, institutional and policy aspects of sustainable urban food production and distribution systems. All issues of the UA Magazine focus on a selected theme.
Agriculture in and around cities is recognized as an important aspect of sustainable city development, and is increasingly documented. Urban agriculture (intra-urban or peri-urban) has multiple functions and provides various benefits to urban dwellers, but potentially also may pose some health and environmental hazards. Urban planners often have hesitated to incorporate agriculture in urban land use and development plans. They increasingly recognize, though, that they must collaborate with other stakeholders, find ways to integrate agriculture in city management in order to capture the benefits of urban agriculture and to prevent the problems that can be associated with agricultural activities in and around cities. In issue no. 5 of the Urban Agriculture Magazine, appropriate methods for urban agriculture research, planning and implementation were discussed. Issue no. 6 focuses on the transition to Ecological Urban Agriculture. Subsequent issues will focus on the economics and financing of urban agriculture.
The UA Magazine also includes reviews of recent literature and a section on upcoming events. For more information, contact The Editor of Urban Agriculture Magazine, RUAF, P.O. Box 64, 3830 AB Leusden, The Netherlands, r.van.veenhuizen@etcnl.nl, ruaf@etcnl.nl, Tel: + 31 33 4326000/39, Fax: + 31 33 4940791