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Understanding Agricultural Typologies To learn how urban agriculture can be used in cities, farms must be categorized and compared in relation to one another. In this diagram adapted from a journal published by the University of Kassel in Germany, agricultural typologies are arranged via scale, from micro to macro, decentralised to centralised.5 The main actors, such as individuals, associations and companies, each fulfill a different purpose, at a different scale. Companies provide commercial products and efficient production value to supply multiple cities with economies of scale. Farms are managed by large teams, or highly mechanized processes to reduce labour. Associations and social enterprises cater to communities and neighbourhoods, allowing people with shared interests to interact and learn in their spare time. They also contribute to social cohesion, allowing for greater sense of ownership to a bigger cause. These farms are generally run not for economic growth, with a core team supplemented by volunteers. Individuals or households are the smallest group, whose main motivation is self-supply or as a hobby. The urban farming conducted is usually handled by a single individual, ranging in size from private balcony planters to backyard gardens. Within this typology space, farm types can be allocated based on how they fit within the three scales. Between the pure typologies of private gardens, community gardens, and vertical farms, there are also intermediate typologies which may exhibit characteristics of two distinct farm types. For example, allotment gardens, which are temporary gardening plots, communities share the responsibility of managing the space, but may sometimes not be accessible to the wider public.
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