Potential contribution of foodscaping to food security in the Gulf region: Case study of Al Ain city of UAE

Ayesha Alam; Elke Gabriel‐Neumann

Potential contribution of foodscaping to food security in the Gulf region: Case study of Al Ain city of UAE

2024

Ayesha Alam | Elke Gabriel‐Neumann

Abstract Since 1995, foodscaping has been given a variety of definitions, while scientifically accurate ones are still a point of debate. The partial substitution of aesthetic edible crops into green landscapes without compromising their recreational purpose falls as an accurate scientific definition of foodscaping. The recreational urban green places that are aesthetically pleasing and sites of tourism are the potential places in which foodscaping can be integrated, such as public parks, exterior of commercial buildings, roadside belts, farmland oases, and privately managed green spaces. In the Gulf region, foodscaping could enhance conventional landscaping and become a resource‐saving substitute for food production posing multiple benefits for urban dwellers. Based on the theoretical evaluation in the Al Ain city of UAE, the 30% substitution of foodscaping annual crops into functional greenery could increase the edible harvest by more than 50% at the rate of 31.49 t/ha per year of the existing fruits and vegetables requirement of 212,211 t per year of the city. Besides pros, there are cons to every facet, which in this case are the risk assessment and biosafety measures, which might be the critical aspects to be analyzed further. Nevertheless, foodscaping has been proposed to develop community awareness of urban landscaping and foodscaping synergies in arid land ecosystems to overcome the need for food security and scarce water resources.

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