Learning from the past

Urban agriculture has a mostly unknown but rich history, as food production was always strongly linked to urban development. INSUAH is revealing a specific local knowledge (on organization, resource management, culture and species) that is inscribed in traditional urban agriculture practices and can be the key to face today’s urban challenges and to democratize food access.

For a sustainable future

By merging traditional knowledge, contemporary research and different concepts of heritage, INSUAH will provide evidence-based insights for making urban agriculture and urban food systems a key enabler for sustainable development. Collaborations with diverse local actors (farmers, administrations, policymakers) will show which support heritage initiatives need to operate successfully.

INSUAH…

• . . . sets standards for mapping & describing urban agriculture as heritage.
• . . . provides a scientific framing of the phenomenon Urban Agricultural Heritage.
• . . . develops methods to raise awareness of heritage in local communities.
• . . . tests strategies to develop a participatory understanding of living local heritage.
• . . . proposes changes in policies in order to support heritage-based strategies in urban planning and practice.