Urban agriculture: food security and the construction of an inclusive urban landscape in the southern region of Curitiba, PR, Brazil

Abstract

Urban agriculture (UA) is a phenomenon characterized by agricultural production in the urban perimeter, both for subsistence food purposes and for income generation, and its benefits exceed those related to food security, when used as a tool for urban planning. The objective of this article is to present the transformations caused by UA, with emphasis on two neighborhoods in the southern region of Curitiba, PR, Brazil. The transformations observed were the increase in quality of life, the aesthetic improvement in the landscape, the increase in the sense of security and inclusion, the feeling of topophilia in the local community, known for the stigma of violence and poverty. The UA is used in the city marketing and part of its continuity is threatened by the possible end of the partnership with the electricity utility and by the pressure from the real estate market, but there is a conformity between Curitiba’s UA and the sustainable concept Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (CPULs), potentiating the power of the UA. Most of the results of this article were obtained during a master’s research and the continuity of the research was possible even at a distance, through the monitoring of news in the media, contacts with involved leaderships and new readings.