Conclusion

This project highlights the present state of food security in the GVRD and the degree to which it can be improved through creative and efficient use of urban greenspace. However, considering how little food production increased with heightened levels of activity, it also indicates the production limitations of urban agriculture.

What I found was that the GVRD currently only produced 0.003% of the food required to feed its population. By expanding agricultural activity into presently undeveloped areas, food production was improved to 0.007%. By further expansion into low-density residential and institutional areas (such as the UBC Endowment Lands), we achieved a higher yield at 0.009%. Following expansion into the most marginal areas, such as high-density residential and commercial areas, food production only nominally improved. This indicates that the GVRD is significantly dependent on outside regions for food supply and that Urban Agriculture alone will not rectify this problem.

From a planning perspective, this indicates that the GVRD can improve its food security through the adoption of an urban agriculture program, but with diminishing returns at higher levels of residential density and commercial activity. Though the addition of urban agriculture throughout the city did not make the GVRD completely self-reliant, this does not invalidate this concept. Rather it indicates that more research is needed to determine what additional methods could help the GVRD feed itself sufficiently.