Berlin Could Grow most of its own Vegetables

Urban agriculture with high potential: first comprehensive study on self-supply published

  • News 03.04.2023

Cucumbers, lettuce, and radishes freshly picked from the rooftop, parking lot or partially closed down graveyard: with urban agriculture, vegetables thrive wherever there is space in the city. Green spaces have a positive impact on the environment, health and biodiversity. In addition, they also offer space and opportunities for local vegetable supply. A recent study now shows that there is enough space available in Berlin to cover up to 82 per cent of the city's vegetable consumption locally.

"We have estimated that more than 4,000 hectares in Berlin are suitable for growing vegetables – that's almost five percent of the capital," explains Dr. Diego Rybski, Senior Researcher in the UN-Habitat Collaborating Center Research Unit at the Wuppertal Institute and co-author of the study. He worked on the study together with the lead author Marion De Simone and the co-authors Dr. Prajal Pradhan and Prof. Dr. Jürgen P. Kropp from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

Urban gardening is already a tradition in Berlin: around 200 community gardens and more than 73,000 allotment gardens are already planted and tended by Berliners. However, according to the results of the study, in order to cover a large part of the vegetable demand locally, further investments are essential and many resources are needed on top of that. The prerequisites include, for example, a sufficient supply of water for the cultivation areas, in particular a concept that regulates who takes over the gardening work – professional gardeners or private individuals. According to the authors of the study, a total investment of 753 million euros is required to establish urban agriculture as the main source of supply for vegetables. That is slightly less than 0.5 per cent of Berlin's gross domestic product. But this investment could be worthwhile, as locally grown vegetables cause fewer emissions due to shorter transport routes. Rybski emphasises "If we grow our vegetables locally, city life could become more liveable and healthier. We bring nature into the big city and thus promote community and biodiversity". Even though the production costs for local vegetables are likely to be relatively high, ranging from two to ten euros per kilogramme, the researchers say that large-scale urban agriculture in Berlin would have many advantages.

The study "A large share of Berlin's vegetable consumption can be produced within the city" was published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society (Volume 91) and is available in the following link.


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