Urban food security, the rural Hinterland, and Istanbul's lower income migrant households

Abstract

Urban agriculture has generated significant interest in the development literature as a way of enhancing the food security and sustainability of urban populations. However, its importance and benefits vary across place and time. Using field data, this paper considers urban agriculture in Istanbul, Turkey, placing it within a wider array of food security practices and opportunities, and in the context of urban-rural relationships. Findings show that resource scarcity limits the viability of urban agriculture. Instead, lower income migrants to Istanbul from the Turkish hinterland rely on food from their home regions in the countryside to support their households.

Citation

Kaldjian, P.J. (2003), "Urban food security, the rural Hinterland, and Istanbul's lower income migrant households", Food, Agriculture, and Economic Policy in the Middle East and North Africa (Research in Middle East Economics, Vol. 5), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 317-337. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1094-5334(03)05017-9