The contribution of urban horticulture to food security, resilience and health and well-being

Interest in urban horticulture (UH), both as a recreational pursuit and a research subject, has been growing in recent years. Its potential role in improving the nutritional security and physical and mental well-being of urban populations gained particular attention following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which majorly affected people’s lives around the globe. This thesis assesses the role of UH, specifically small-scale fruit and vegetable (F&V) growing in allotments and domestic gardens, in reducing our reliance on the globalised food system and alleviating the negative health and well-being effects of urbanised lifestyles, in the UK and wider Global North. First, in Chapter 2, I explore the role of urban agriculture in strengthening city resilience in the Global North through a systematic literature review and develop a conceptual model to highlight ways in which its resilience benefits could be enhanced. In Chapter 3, I assess UH food production potential in the UK using own-grown harvest data from the national ‘Measure Your Harvest’ citizen science project, estimate yields of different crops, and provide the first national-scale estimate of F&V production potential on UK allotments. Next, Chapter 4 assesses the role of own food production in allotments and domestic gardens in the UK in promoting F&V self-sufficiency and consumption at the household level, using a year-long food diary approach. Lastly, in Chapter 5 I investigate how different aspects of gardening may be associated with a range of health and well-being outcomes in the UK using an online survey of gardeners and non-gardeners, identifying a number of mechanisms through which it might promote well-being. Finally, I present a synthesis of my findings and discuss the implications of this PhD research for policy and practice and its contribution to existing research, closing with some suggestions for future work in the field.