2024 Reports

Rosario, Argentina Uses Urban Farming to Tackle the Pandemic and Climate Crisis

Lathia, Saumya; Mahadevia, Darshini

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity worldwide by disrupting global supply chains, labor shortages, employment loss, and income depletion. The global food-insecure population doubled to 276 million within the first few months. Cities grappling to cope with food insecurity during the pandemic realized (i) the need for an alternate model of food production and supply, (ii) the need for a more local and coordinated action plan, (iii) the role of local governance, (and local service provision) in ensuring sustainable access to food, and (iv) the need for local job creation, especially for the most vulnerable groups. As a result, a resurgence of urban farming and gardening was witnessed globally, with Latin American cities leading the dialogue through their Agroecology model (the application of ecological concepts and principles in agriculture/farming, derived from the knowledge and natural resources of local and indigenous communities).

Latin America has a long-standing practice of agroecological farming rooted in the agrarian social movements. Indigenous and campesino farmers’ resistance to the intensification of industrial agriculture in the continent paved the way for institutionalizing agroecology in the 1980s and 1990s. Argentina created innovative institutional and legislative frameworks to enable a decentralized and localized agroecological farming network for its widespread use. Thus, 130 municipalities in Argentina form the national agroecological network RENAMA (National Network of of Municipalities and Communities that Promote Agroecology). Rosario municipality’s urban and peri-urban agriculture program- Sustainable Food Production for a Resilient Rosario (Programm de Agicultura Urbana, or PAU) - is exemplary, as it weaves agroecology in its urban planning, policy, and design frameworks to co-benefit its economy, local environment, and citizens’ quality of life. Rosario, the third-largest city in Argentina, developed its PAU program as a response to the 2001 economic crisis in Argentina to fight severe food insecurity and unemployment. It became a cornerstone of the city’s resilience strategy against extreme weather events and social inequity. Rosario’s PAU program delivers synergies with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) like Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), Goal 5 (Gender Equity), Goal 8 (Economic Growth and Decent Work), Goal 10 (Reduced Inequality), and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).