Transitory landscapes and urban agriculture: possibilities from urban expansion scenarios in Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Urban and periurban agricultural landscapes have been given more attention by academic literature over the past years. Acknowledgement of the importance of agricultural activities in cities has often managed to expand its establishment and maintenance in inner cities and their outskirts. This paper discusses urban agriculture in city peripheries in a scenario of urban expansion, deriving from the concept of multifunctional landscape. Focusing on the Guaratiba neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, it argues that the process of urban expansion of the city does not invest in the inclusion of this activity within the socio-environmental dynamics of the area. The paper concludes by stressing that city’s fringes present experimental possibilities for new approaches in planning and development through a multifunctional perspective. This is where the practice of agriculture is one of the strategies that can incorporate environmental values and local traditions.