Smart urban agriculture as an innovative approach for sustainable food production in Istanbul

Abstract

The world population is growing every day, raising concerns about the increasing pressure on natural resources and the growing energy and food supply demands. As a result, there has been a substantial increase in agricultural activities, which is a major contributor to anthropogenic global warming. Due to population growth, uncontrolled urbanization, and climate change, food security concerns are becoming more important around the world. After the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the regions experienced fluctuations in the economy, especially countries with unstable economies have been affected severely which has worsened during the time. Therefore, as the consequences of this problem, the affordability and other dimensions of food security are in jeopardy. Thus, as a survival strategy, urban agriculture and producing food within urban context, are proposed to tackle the environmental, social, and health issues. Urban agriculture activities aim to enhance food accessibility, and food sustainability, and also decrease carbon emissions due to the shorter supply chains. Industrial Revolution 3.0 and 4.0, bring the Digital Revolution and affects every aspect of sectors and daily life of humans. The term "Smart" and innovation is frequently used nowadays, and these smart technologies aim to develop new ideas and solutions to complex problems. Integrating smart technology and innovation into urban agricultural models can create robust urban food systems hasten the achievement of food security, and creates better control over resource management. However, in Türkiye apparently, we can observe the absence of guidance for the development of advanced urban agriculture techniques and technology. This study aims to better understand the contribution of urban agriculture to food security and the importance of innovation in urban agriculture activities. This paper illustrates the lack of coherence and inadequacy in smart urban agriculture (SUA) in Istanbul. Also, it indicates the effectiveness of SUA in solving problems caused by urbanization and increasing food demands. The fourth part of this thesis, conducted in-depth interviews in a case study to examine the perception of urban agriculture and smart technologies awareness among the target audiences. While urban agriculture projects in many other parts of the world are utilizing innovative and smart technologies, in Türkiye, most gardens dedicated to urban agriculture are still in their early stages and only dedicated to social recreation, and have yet to be extensively developed. In this paper, the literature review and primary data collection as an interview with three different groups of users, educators, and management from a case study of the Küçükçekmece Hobby Garden are the fundamental basis of the study for explaining the main topics. The data analyses indicated the lack of knowledge and absence of environmental concerns and regulation constraints results in the lag of urban agricultural practices. These findings could contribute to better ramifications in the design of planning policies and support innovation in infrastructure and development plans in the country for sustainable food production in the future.