Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Tale of Two Big Cities Struggling for Their Agriculture Conflict and Oppositions Around Land Farming in the Greater São Paulo and Paris Regions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Future of Liveable Cities

Part of the book series: Footprints of Regional Science ((VRS))

  • 108 Accesses

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to discuss the emergence of land use conflicts in the maintenance or support of agricultural land near large urban agglomerations. These conflicts are potentially the greatest limiting factors for food production under the influence of urban centers. For this, we take the example of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (RMSP) and the Greater Paris Region (Île-de-France), which despite being the largest urban areas in their countries, are territories that address the importance of farmland preservation both in their peri-urban spaces, focused on contributing to local food security, and in their more densely urbanized spaces where other dynamics such as social relations around food issues are more prominent. Initially, we briefly go over the issues and concepts related to peri-urban agriculture, to then address the notions of land use conflicts and their implications on agricultural production spaces. Afterward, we report on the methodology used, based on interviews with experts, analysis of the regional daily press, and the presence of blogs and websites about the local realities for each of these regions. Subsequently, we discuss and compare the results obtained for each locality, its relations with local actors, public policies, agrarian issues, and other forms of occupation of space. We conclude with some ideas about the maintenance of peri-urban agriculture in these territories, despite prevailing conflicts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Gilberto Natalini: https://natalini.com.br/dossie-2a-edicao/ or https://natalini.com.br/dev/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FINAL_Dossie2_VersaoFinal.pdf.

  2. 2.

    Resource center on Urban Agriculture and Food security, which aims to provide assistance, technical support and policy recommendations in this field to local and national authorities, and other local governments. http://www.ruaf.org/.

  3. 3.

    The Peri-Urban Regions Platform Europe who is representing the interests of peri-urban European regions was set up in 2004. It is striving for greater recognition of these regions in European policy and regulation, and to ensure their long-term sustainability.

References

  • Ackerman, K., Conard, M., Culligan, P., Plunz, R., Sutto, M. P., & Whittinghill, L. (2014). Sustainable food systems for future cities: The potential of urban agriculture. The Economic and Social Review, 45(2), 189–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakalis, S., Valdramidis, V. P., Argyropoulos, D., Ahrne, L., Chen, J., Cullen, P. J., Cummins, E., Datta, A. K., Emmanouilidis, C., Foster, T., Fryer, P. J., Gouseti, O., Hospido, A., Knoerzer, K., LeBail, A., Marangoni, A. G., Rao, P., Schlüter, O. K., Taoukis, P., … Van Impe, J. (2020). Perspectives from CO+RE: How COVID-19 changed our food systems and food security paradigms. Current Research in Food Science, 3, 166–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2020.05.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biazoti, A. R. (2020). Engajamento Político na Agricultura Urbana: a Potência de Agir nas Hortas Comunitárias de São Paulo (Master's Dissertation), Ecologia de Agroecossistemas, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba. https://doi.org/10.11606/D.91.2020.tde-09032020-170856. Retrieved 2021 February 4, from www.teses.usp.br.

  • Bryant, C. R., & Johnston, T. R. R. (1992). Agriculture in the city’s countryside. University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, C. R. (1997). L’Agriculture Périurbaine: l’Economie Politique d’un Espace Innovateur. Cahiers Agricultures, 6, 125–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castillo, S. R., Winkle, C. R., Krauss, S., Turkewitz, A., Silva, C., & Heinemann, E. S. (2013). Regulatory and other barriers to urban and peri-urban agriculture: A case study of urban planners and urban farmers from the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 3(3), 155–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cavailhes, J., & Wavresky, P. (2003). Urban influences on peri urban farmland prices. European Review of Agriculture Economics, 30(3), 333–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chenarides, L., Grebitus, C., Lusk, J. L., & Printezis, I. (2020). Food consumption behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Agribusiness, 37(1), 44–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darly, S., & Torre, A. (2013, July). Conflicts over farmland uses and the dynamics of “agri-urban” localities in the Greater Paris Region. Land Use Policy, 33, 90–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Zeeuw, H., Guendel, S., & Waibel, H. (2000). The integration of agriculture in urban policies, growing cities, growing food, urban agriculture on the policy agenda, pp. 161–180, ref. 47, Deutsche Stiftung fur Internationale Entwickeling (DSE), Zentralstelle fur Ernahrung und Landwirtschaft, Feldafing, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubbeling, M., van Veenhuizen, R., & de Zeeuw, H. (2010). Cities, poverty and food: Multi-stakeholder policy and planning in urban agriculture. Practical Action Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gillham, O. (2002). The limitless city: A primer on the urban sprawl debate. Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gollin, D. (2010). Agricultural productivity and economic growth. Handbook of Agricultural Economics, 4, 3825–3866.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, A. J., Burry, K., Mok, H.-F., Barker, S. F., Grove, J. R., & Williamson, V. G. (2014). Give peas a chance? Urban agriculture in developing countries: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 34(1), 45–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heimlich, R. E. (1989). Metropolitan agriculture: Farming in the city’s shadow. Journal of the American Planning Association, 55(4), 457–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livanis, G., Moss, C. B., Breneman, V. E., & Nehring, R. F. (2006). Urban sprawl and farmland prices. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 88(4), 915–929.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohrberg, F. (2001). Stadtnahe Landwirtschaft in der Stadt- und Freiraumplanung. Wechselwirkungen, pp. 17–25, Freiraumplanung: Ideengeschichte, Kategorisierung von Konzepten und Hinweise für die zukünftige Planung.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madaleno, I. (2002). Urban agriculture, an environmentally sustainable land use—Case studies from Europe, Latin America and Africa. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magsi, H., Torre, A., Liu, Y., & Sheikh, M. J. (2017). Land use conflicts in the developing countries: Proximate driving forces and preventive measures. Pakistan Development Review, 56(1), 19–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mok, H. F., Williamson, V. G., Grove, J. R., Burry, K., Barker, S. F., & Hamilton, A. J. (2014). Strawberry fields forever? Urban agriculture in developed countries: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 34(1), 21–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munton, R. (2009). Rural land ownership in the United Kingdom: Changing patterns and future possibilities for land use. Land Use Policy, 26, S54–S61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opitz, I., Berges, R., & Piorr, A. (Eds.). (2016). Contributing to food security in urban areas: Differences between urban agriculture and peri-urban agriculture in the Global North. Agriculture and Human Values, 33, 341–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Péron, J. Y., & Geoffriau, E. (2007). Characteristics and sustainable development of peri-urban vegetable production in Europe. Acta Horticulturae, 762, 159–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piorr, A., Ravetz, J., & Tosics, I. (Eds.). (2011). Peri-urbanisation in Europe: Towards European policies to sustain urban–rural futures. University of Copenhagen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pothukuchi, K., & Kaufman, J. L. (1999). Placing the food system on the urban agenda: The role of municipal institutions in food systems planning. Agriculture and Human Values, 16(2), 213–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva, L. S. (2013). A Cidade e a Floresta: o Impacto da Expansão Urbana Sobre Areas Vegetadas na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP). Tese de Doutorado Apresentada ao Procam-USP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smit, J., & Nasr, J. (1992). Urban agriculture for sustainable cities: Using wastes and idle land and water bodies as resources. Environment and Urbanization, 4, 141–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Specht, K., Siebert, R., & Thomaier, S. (2016). Perception and acceptance of agricultural production in and on urban buildings (ZFarming): A qualitative study from Berlin, Germany. Agriculture and Human Values, 33, 753–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taschner, S. P., & Bogus, L. M. M. (2001). São Paulo: O Caleidoscópio Urbano. São Paulo em Perspectiva, 15(1), 31–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, A. (2012). Life stories and historical analysis. Research Methods for History, 104–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Torre, A., & Darly, S. (2014). Land use and soils disposal: From competition to territorial governance (examples from land use conflicts in the Greater Paris Region). Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 29(3), 206–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torre, A., Melot, R., Magsi, H., Bossuet, L., Cadoret, A., Caron, A., Darly, S., Jeanneaux, P., Kirat, T., Pham, H. V., & Kolokouris, O. (2014). Identifying and measuring land-use and proximity conflicts: Methods and identification. Springerplus, 3(1), 85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valdiones, A. P.G. (2013). Panorama da Agricultura Urbana e Periurbana no Município de São Paulo (Master's Dissertation), Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, University of São Paulo, São Paulo. https://doi.org/10.11606/D.100.2013.tde-04112013-162810. Retrieved 2021 February 5, from www.teses.usp.br.

  • van Veenhuizen R. (2006). Cities farming for the future, urban agriculture for green and productive cities. RUAF Foundation, International Institute of Rural Reconstruction. International Development Research Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Veenhuizen R., & Danso, G. (2007). Profitability and sustainability of urban and peri-urban agriculture. Agriculture Management, Marketing and Finance Occasional Paper, FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zasada, I. (2011). Multifunctional peri-urban agriculture—A review of societal demands and the provision of goods and services by farming. Land Use Policy, 28(4), 639–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Technical Documents

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, Paris, France

    Brenno Fonseca & André Torre

Authors
  1. Brenno Fonseca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. André Torre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to André Torre .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Research on Innovation and Services for Development (IRISS)—National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy

    Luigi Fusco Girard

  2. Faculty of Management, The Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands

    Karima Kourtit

  3. Faculty of Management, The Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands

    Peter Nijkamp

Annex

Annex

  1. (1)

    Table 1 Number of actors interviewed according to the type of institution for each study region

Type of stakeholder

São Paulo

Paris

Public sector

6

14

Associative organizations

6

13

Territorial organizations

9

15

Total number of experts interviewed

21

45

Donner des infos sur qui ils sont—OK:

The actors interviewed were:

From São Paulo Region:

Master’s student committed and recognized in urban agriculture movements in São Paulo

Director of the Division of Biodiversity Conservation Units of the Municipal Secretariat of Green and Environment and President of the Council of the Green Belt Biosphere Reserve of the City of São Paulo (RBCVSP)

Agronomist, environmental and agro-ecology project specialist at the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo

Geographer, member of the “Kairós Institute” and supporter of the municipal project of agricultural development “Ligue os Pontos/Connect the Dots” of the São Paulo City Council

Journalist, urban farmer, committed and recognized in AU movements of São Paulo and Co-deputy in the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo

Environment Officer in the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment of the State of São Paulo

Sociologist, in charge of supporting the project “Ligue os Pontos/Connect the Dots”

General Director of the Organization “Cidades sem Fome/Cities without Hunger

Coordinator of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve

Agronomist, responsible for the creation of an environmental and agricultural reserve area in the south of São Paulo, doctoral student in territorial planning

Geologist and data coordinator of the project “Ligue os Pontos/Connect the Dots” of the São Paulo City Council

Member of the “Kairós Institute” and support to the Association of Farmers of the East Zone—AAZL

President of the Farmers’ Union of Suzano (city of greater São Paulo)

President of the RBCVSP

Forestry engineer and former coordinator of the RBCVSP

Farmer and former treasurer of the farmers’ cooperative of the South zone of São Paulo, COOPERAPAS

Urban farmer involved in shared gardens and tree planting in the city

Physician and organizer of a shared garden in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo

Economist, former president of the RBCVSP

Agronomist engaged in the metropolitan planning of agricultural areas

From Paris Region:

Head of the Urban Planning Department of the CC 2 Morin

President of the Collectif Pour le Triangle de Gonesse (CPTG) and the Val d'Oise Environnement

DDT 91 Head of the Agricultural Economy Department

Referent for Urban Agriculture and Shared Gardens. General Council of Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas—CGAAER of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food—MAA

Director—Coordinator of the Environment Pole of the Urban and Rural Environment Department of the Paris Region Institute (Former IAU)

Delegated President in charge of rurality, agriculture and food of the Essonne Departmental Council + Head of the Agriculture Sector at the Department of Territorial Animation, Attractiveness and Contracts

Deputy General Manager of the Sustainable Territory and Mobilities of the Coeur d'Essonne Agglomeration Community

President of the Chamber of Agriculture of Seine-et-Marne from 2013 to 2019, union experience and Mayor of La Chapelle Moutils

Head of the Agricultural Economy Unit at the DDT of Val'Oise

Doctoral student at the AEV (Agence des Espaces Verts)

In charge of the Agriculture and short circuits mission of the PNR du Gâtinais Français

In charge of the land and installation mission of Terre de liens Île-de-France

Head of the regional service of agricultural economy. SREA/DRIAAF

President of the CARMA Association

Head of the Agriculture Mission of the Technical Expertise Department of the Ile-de-France Regional Green Spaces Agency. (AEV)

In charge of supporting local communities within Terre de Liens

Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the DDT of Seine et Marne—77

Regional attaché at the Direction Prospective et Aménagement Territorial of the SAFER IDF

President of the Land and Development Commission of the Chamber of Agriculture of Seine et Marne—77 between 2013 and 2019. Today she is the General Secretary of the Territory Commission of the Regional Chamber of Agriculture of IdF. Advisor at CESE—Conseil Economique Social et Environmnemental

In charge of soft mobility and agriculture at the Communauté d'Agglomération Paris-Saclay and Mayor of Marcoussis, Former President of the Agence des Espaces Verts

In charge of the Sustainable Agriculture Mission within the PNR de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse

Responsible for the Agriculture and Forestry Mission within the Oise Pays de France Regional Park

Agri-Urban Territory Coordinator for the Roissy Pays de France Urban Community

General Coordinator of Terre et Cité—Plateau de Saclay

Administrator of the network of AMAP’s of Île de France—President of ABIOSOL for 3 years

Lecturer at the University of Paris 1, member of Ladyss—Governance and open spaces, Governance Plateau de Saclay

ML—Responsible for planning and landscapes; DF—Responsible for agriculture in the PNR du Vexin Français—(95 and 78)

Director of the CAUE of Val d'Oise (95)

Responsible for Ecological Transition Projects in the Biodiversity—Agriculture Expertise of the Etablissement Public Foncier

Teacher—Researcher and Lecturer in Rural Geography and Agriculture at the University of Paris 8

President of the GAB Francilien and market gardener at Vergers de Cossigny (77)

Landscape designer, video maker at the CAUE des Yvelines (78)

Lecturer in Geography at the University of Paris-Nanterre

Co-founder of the AFAUP—French Association of Professional Urban Agriculture

In charge of Agriculture and Forestry for France Nature Environnement—FNE in Île de France

In charge of the Urban Agriculture study at the DRIAAF and for the City of Paris

Food Policy Officer at the Regional Food Service—SRAL at the DRIAAF

Project manager for methods and prospective in urban agriculture and building greening at the Direction des Espaces Verts et de l'Environnement of the Mairie de Paris

Head of the Resource Protection and Biodiversity Department of the Water Resources and Production Department of Eau de Paris

Head of the Land, SAFER and Structure Control Department of the Regional Agricultural Economy Service—SREA of the DRIAAF IdF

Deputy Director, responsible for Environmental Assessment, the Greater Paris Express and agricultural issues at the DRIEAT—Direction Régionale et Interdépartementale de l'Environnement, de l'Aménagement et des Transports (former DRIEE)

Head of Ecological Transition and Territories at CEREMA (Center for studies and expertise on risks, environment, mobility and development) in IdF

Assistant to the head of the forest, biomass and territory department, in charge of the Territorial Planning Division at the DRIAAF IdF

In charge of the Tertiary pole and relations with the communities of the collective Les Champs des Possibles—Incubator and agricultural cooperative of agricultural and food activities

Trainee from Sciences Po Paris within Les Champs des Possibles

  1. (2)

    List of the main websites, Facebook, social network pages, and blogs consulted for São Paulo Metropolitan Region

Websites: Jornal Estadão; Jornal Folha de São Paulo; IBGE Cidades; Instituto de Economia Agrícola; Secretaria da Agricultura e do Abastecimento do Estado de São Paulo.

Facebook pages: ADE SAMPA; Armazém do Campo; Associação dos Agricultores da Zona Leste—AAZL; CEAGESP—Companhia de Entrepostos e Armazéns Gerais de São Paulo; Cidades Comestíveis; Cooperapas; DIEESE; Frente Alimenta; GEAU—Grupo de Estudos em Agricultura Urbana; Horta CCSP; Horta da FMUSP; Horta das Corujas; Horta das Flores; Horta do Ciclista; IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; Instituto Bauru; Instituto Chão; Instituto Escolhas; Instituto Feira Livre; Instituto Kairós; Mandata Ativista; Metrópole Estadão; Organização Cidades Sem Fome—Cities Without Hunger; Projeto Ligue os Pontos—Prefeitura Municipal de São Paulo; Reserva de Biosfera do Cinturão Verde de São Paulo—RBCV—UNESCO; Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Regional do Estado de SP; Secretaria Municipal de Urbanismo e Licenciamento; Secretaria Municipal do Verde e do Meio Ambiente SP; União de Hortas Comunitárias de São Paulo.

Blogs: https://www.claudiavisoni.com.br/blog/; https://marianabelmont.blogosfera.uol.com.br

  1. (3)

    List of the main websites, Facebook, social network pages, and blogs consulted for Paris Greater Region

Websites: Le Parisien; Le Monde; INSEE; Agreste; Ministère de l’Agriculture et de la Souveraineté Alimentaire; DRIAAF Ile de France Agriculture.

Facebook pages: Réseau AMAP Ile-de-France, GAB IdF—Groupement des Agriculteurs Biologiques en Ile de France, Bienvenue à la Ferme Ile de France, Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération, La Ferme de l'Envol, Base aérienne 217 Brétigny-sur-Orge, La Base 217, Région Ile-de-France, Préfecture de la région d'Île-de-France, Paris-Saclay, préfecture de Paris Chambre d'agriculture de Région Ile-de-France, Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire, INRAE, Jeunes Agriculteurs d'Ile de France, Terre et Cité_Plateau de Saclay, Triangle vert, Abiosol, Les Champs des Possibles, Terre de liens Île-de-France, Val Béton, Grignon 2026, Ville de Paris, AFAUP Association Française d'Agriculture Urbaine Professionnelle, La Cité Maraîchère de Romainville, CARMA, Reporterre, le quotidien de l'écologie, Veni Verdi, Agence des espaces verts d'Île-de-France, Eau de Paris, Non à Europa City, Oui aux terres de Gonesse, France Nature Environnement Ile-de-France.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Fonseca, B., Torre, A. (2023). A Tale of Two Big Cities Struggling for Their Agriculture Conflict and Oppositions Around Land Farming in the Greater São Paulo and Paris Regions. In: Fusco Girard, L., Kourtit, K., Nijkamp, P. (eds) The Future of Liveable Cities. Footprints of Regional Science(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37466-1_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation