From Korea to Singapore to Argentina to England to Brunswick, the Grampians and beyond, urban agriculture is sweeping the world. On one hand, this is not a new phenomenon: people have been growing food in cities for as long as there have been cities, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that at least 800 million people worldwide are engaged in various forms of urban food production, producing at least 20% of the world's total food needs.
On the other hand, urban agriculture is definitely experiencing a resurgence and its importance has grown significantly in the past few years as the impacts of the climate emergency have really begun to make themselves felt. And with COVID-19, there has been an explosion of food growing in towns and cities, for many reasons, but particularly for food security and for mental health.
With the 2021 Urban Agriculture Forum almost upon us, we are delighted to share with you the Forum program which captures a fantastic array of perspectives and insights into diverse forms of edible gardening and urban agriculture, and what it means to communities across Australian and overseas. This program is just a taste of what you can expect during the Forum itself: three rich days of sharing, insights and wisdom from dozens of those at the forefront of this vital global movement. The Forum will be a unique opportunity to connect with the urban agriculture leaders in Australia and internationally, as well as with fellow gardeners and urban farmers around the country.