Urban farming is 'booming' worldwide, but is hindered by local factors which determine the viability of such schemes.
Marie Dehaene, a consultant on many urban farming projects, told a seminar at the horticultural event Sival in Paris that there is a 'huge variety' of formats and business models.
She said: "They range from lowto hi-tech, under open air, in glasshouses or in fully controlled environments, coupled with rapid technological development.
"There have also been changes in stakeholders, in the law, in building ownership and management that have encouraged people to do it," said Dehaene.
In France, "the momentum is strongest in Paris", thanks to public policy support, she explained.
Under its mayor Anne Hidalgo, the French capital aims to have 100ha of roofs and walls planted, with one-third devoted to fruit and vegetable growing, alongside green waste reuse and the creation of orchards and vegetable gardens in every school.
"Then there are the large-scale 'plant factories' in the US and the Far East," she said. "We haven't reached that stage here, but there is potential for it. Should it be about ecological and social goals or just production? Will they be in competition with conventional growers?"
'Particular to those countries'
The drivers to such developments have been particular to those countries, Dehaene told Horticulture Week.
"In New York most fresh produce comes from California or Mexico. California is under environmental strain and there are concerns about traceability. In Singapore there is a drive for greater food self-sufficiency, while in Japan there has been concern about polluted land post-Fukushima.
"People lost trust in the quality of produce and some typically Japanese vegetables can't be imported. So in these places there has been a real reason to make it viable on a large scale.
"There are also such projects in France but there is a cultural difference too. Is having our food cultivated by robots something we dream of?"
Growing Underground
In the UK, an example of urban farming has been seen in London.
Growing Underground, London’s first subterranean farm, opened last year for its first phase of full production.
After months of product development and fine-tuning of the infrastructure, the farm is harvesting on a daily basis.
Twenty individual herbs are being cultivated in the former World War II bomb shelters 100ft underground and are being supplied to markets and wholesalers.
