Outcomes & Budget
The Ankara farming project will focus primarily on the production of fresh vegetables and fruits. The production follows an increasing demand for fresh farm produces in the metropolitan in the recent past. The Ankara population is expected to grow at a rate of 1.4%, and by 2030, the total population of Ankara will be about 6.1. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, 90% of the country is urbanized, signaling the increased pressure on the limited urban resources. This farming technique will be significant in the supply of the much-needed fresh produce to sustain the urban population. The crops will be locally grown hence increasing the local appeal and trust among the consumers. The Ankara farm project will include all the lower earners to encourage the culture of self-dependence by providing an alternative source of income, source of food and contributing to eradicating poverty.
Land leasing and acquisition of farm inputs will take the least portion of the expected budget. This is because the majority of the land will be communal or government-owned, donated for this project. Also, the private developers will be incorporated in this project and requested to use their private spaces for both commercial and subsistence farming. On the other hand, labor and farm equipment will have the highest allocation; the purchase of farm trucks and other plowing and irrigation machinery will be costly. However, investing in this machinery and processes is important to achieve the objectives of the project.
Timelines
The costing follows a priority list from the most urgent item to non-urgent items. Each item has its relevance depending on the time it is put into use within the project cycle.
The total cost of the project will be approximately $30,000. The funding will be exclusively a collaboration between the community and the local administration.
The first $5000 will be used to acquire and prepare the spaces for cultivation. This includes leasing the spaces, plowing, and hiring farm managers.
The next $5000 will be used to connect water from the municipality line and purchase storage tanks.
The next $5000 will be used to acquire light farm tools and equipment such as mowers, sprinklers, sprayers, hydroponics, hoes, and manure spreaders.
The next $5000 will be used for farm inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and irrigators.
The next $10000 will be for heavy farm equipment such as tracks and harvesters.
Impact of Community
Urban farming is a strategic point toward achieving sustainable urban development. This kind of farming involves various forms, including private and public spaces for both sustenance and commercial purposes. As the population in urban centers such as Ankara continues to increase, the challenge of overpopulation, pollution, and hunger will also likely increase. Urban farming offers solutions to limit the impact of hunger, poverty, and unemployment (Specht et al., 2013). Besides, urban dwellers can access clean and organic foods from safe farming methods that help improve the health of the urban population. This farming method is sustainable because both the farmers and consumers can reduce hunger and poverty that is common in urban areas. On climate change, urban farming uses the best farming practices due to the constraints of space and resources. A mix of both modern and traditional farming techniques provides optimum conditions to mitigate climate change. Also, the reduced prevalence of transportation, pesticides, and inorganic fertilizers on a large scale reduces the emission of carbon and nitrous gases into the atmosphere. These gases are responsible for the bulk of environmental degradation by blocking the ozone layer and hence contributing to the increasing global warming.
Reference
Specht, K., Siebert, R., Hartmann, I., Freisinger, U., Sawicka, M., & Werner, A. et al. (2013). Urban agriculture of the future: an overview of sustainability aspects of food production in and on buildings. Agriculture and Human Values, 31(1), 33-51. Web.