Nature and Spatial Typology of Urban Agriculture in Southern Corporations of Kerala in India

Abstract

Urban agriculture is an increasingly popular topic around the world, considering its importance in mitigating problems of rapid urbanisation. For strategic urban planning, it is necessary to understand the nature and spatial typology of urban agriculture. Therefore, the present study was conducted in Southern Corporations of Kerala, namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Kochi corporations, to understand urban agriculture practices, nature and spatial typology of urban agriculture in the mentioned locations. The total sample size for the study was ninety urban farmers, thirty each from selected locations. The data was collected from respondents using a well-structured interview schedule and field observations. Information collected included land ownership details, type of urban agriculture practised, area utilized and types of crops grown. Data analysis was done using percentage and frequency analysis. The result indicated the most prominent type of urban agriculture in Southern Corporations of Kerala were rooftop gardening (44.44 %). All the land area used for urban farming was under private ownership and the farmers grew a combination of crops in their fields. The main combination of crops grown was solanaceous+ legumes + crucifers+ leafy, which was observed in 20.00 per cent of respondents. It is expected that the present study will aid in making a sustainable urban food production system, which is environmentally and socially sound.