Category FAQs Search : Urban Farming
Question: Impact of urban farming technology on urban community in Malaysia
Answer: Urban farming roles and functions have evolved due to the revolution in
health and nutrition intake by humans. Urban farming has been used as one
of the food sources to beautify houses and at the same time to suit the needs
of changing lifestyles. Factors such as urbanisation, urban poverty and limited
agricultural land have become pushed factors for urban farming. Around 76%
of the Malaysian population are estimated to live in urban areas. Among them
are people in the Bottom 40 category, with a household income of less than
RM4,360 per month. It is estimated that between 50% and 70% of their income
is spent on food, which has led them to be categorised as ‘urban poor’. Urban
farming is seen as an ideal approach to overcome this scenario. Therefore, this
study was aimed at identifying the effectiveness of urban farming in reducing
the cost of household expenses. A combination of qualitative and quantitative
approaches were carried out through the use of a questionnaire, focus group
discussion (FGD) and face-to-face interviews. Four urban farming technologies,
aquaponics, fertigation, hydroponics and vertical farming have been commonly
used by the urban farming community. Out of these four, aquaponics has been the
most popular because it is the most efficient of all the technologies. This study
revealed that urban farming had benefited the urban community as well as create
awareness through the supply of nutritious vegetables to households, improve the
appearance of the housing compounds and reduced household expenses. There
was a significant reduction of RM66 per month on average which signified a
positive impact on reducing household expenses. Meanwhile, the factor analysis
showed that respondents had focused on the advantages of the implementation of
the urban agricultural approach.
(Source: , 23 Sep 2021)
Source Link: http://etmr.mardi.gov.my/Content/ETMR%20Vol.15(2020)/04_Rasmuna.pdf