An Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Food Strategy for Emerging Cities: Modular Soilless Agriculture Toward a Green Urban Compact

An Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Food Strategy for Emerging Cities: Modular Soilless Agriculture Toward a Green Urban Compact

In the cities of the global south, diminishing arable land, climate stress, and rapid urbanization have increased food insecurity. Hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics all have the potential for increases in productivity and efficiencies in the use of water. However, adoption of these in low-resource urban settings has been limited due to the high costs, technical complexity, and issues in governance. Using case studies in mixed-methods, this study assesses the applicability of modular, inexpensive, soilless farming systems in inclusive urban food systems, especially within the context of Cairo, Egypt And Lagos, Nigeria, with supplementary evidence from Vietnam. Over the course of the study, a quasi-experimental design for 200 smallholder urban farmers was created, integrating community-based training, remote monitoring, and modular hydroponics, powered by solar energy. the results of this study reflect marked improvements in smallholder urban farming, including a 67% increase in crop yield, a 60% reduction in water used, and a 73% increase in the income of households. Most of these improvements were experienced by low-income individuals and women.