• Latest
  • Trending
UK food shortages: How growing more fruit and veg in cities could reduce the impact of empty supermarket shelves

UK food shortages: How growing more fruit and veg in cities could reduce the impact of empty supermarket shelves

March 16, 2023
Maharashtra’s Onion Crisis: Heavy Rains Wipe Out Crops, Farmers Demand ₹1 Lakh/Acre Compensation

Maharashtra’s Onion Crisis: Heavy Rains Wipe Out Crops, Farmers Demand ₹1 Lakh/Acre Compensation

June 6, 2025
Onion and Cabbage Prices Skyrocket in Russia: Drought, Poor Harvest, and Market Turbulence Explained

Onion and Cabbage Prices Skyrocket in Russia: Drought, Poor Harvest, and Market Turbulence Explained

June 6, 2025
Strengthening Food Security: How Military-Civilian Collaboration Boosts Onion Farming in East Sumba

Strengthening Food Security: How Military-Civilian Collaboration Boosts Onion Farming in East Sumba

June 5, 2025
Astrakhan’s First Harvest: Where Will the Onions and Lettuce Go?

Astrakhan’s First Harvest: Where Will the Onions and Lettuce Go?

June 5, 2025
Sustainable Red Onion Farming: Key Practices for Higher Yields and Environmental Protection in Banten

Sustainable Red Onion Farming: Key Practices for Higher Yields and Environmental Protection in Banten

June 5, 2025
Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

June 4, 2025
Securing the Future of Onion Farming: Breeding for Resilience, Disease Resistance, and Global Food Security

Securing the Future of Onion Farming: Breeding for Resilience, Disease Resistance, and Global Food Security

June 4, 2025
Onion Price Crash: Farmers in Crisis as Bumper Harvest Floods Market – What’s Next?

Onion Price Crash: Farmers in Crisis as Bumper Harvest Floods Market – What’s Next?

June 4, 2025
Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

June 3, 2025
Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

Noonday Onions Defy Early Challenges: Farmers Eye Bumper Crop with Optimism

June 3, 2025
Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

Why Are Onion Prices Soaring in Bangladesh Despite Peak Harvest? Farmers, Traders, and Market Dynamics Explained

June 3, 2025
Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

Almería Dominates Global Pepper Exports: Outshines Netherlands, Morocco, and Turkey in 2024

June 2, 2025
  • Company
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Vegetables News
  • NEWS
    Maharashtra’s Onion Crisis: Heavy Rains Wipe Out Crops, Farmers Demand ₹1 Lakh/Acre Compensation

    Maharashtra’s Onion Crisis: Heavy Rains Wipe Out Crops, Farmers Demand ₹1 Lakh/Acre Compensation

    Onion and Cabbage Prices Skyrocket in Russia: Drought, Poor Harvest, and Market Turbulence Explained

    Onion and Cabbage Prices Skyrocket in Russia: Drought, Poor Harvest, and Market Turbulence Explained

    Strengthening Food Security: How Military-Civilian Collaboration Boosts Onion Farming in East Sumba

    Strengthening Food Security: How Military-Civilian Collaboration Boosts Onion Farming in East Sumba

    Astrakhan’s First Harvest: Where Will the Onions and Lettuce Go?

    Astrakhan’s First Harvest: Where Will the Onions and Lettuce Go?

    Sustainable Red Onion Farming: Key Practices for Higher Yields and Environmental Protection in Banten

    Sustainable Red Onion Farming: Key Practices for Higher Yields and Environmental Protection in Banten

    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    Securing the Future of Onion Farming: Breeding for Resilience, Disease Resistance, and Global Food Security

    Securing the Future of Onion Farming: Breeding for Resilience, Disease Resistance, and Global Food Security

    Onion Price Crash: Farmers in Crisis as Bumper Harvest Floods Market – What’s Next?

    Onion Price Crash: Farmers in Crisis as Bumper Harvest Floods Market – What’s Next?

    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
    • All
    • Climate
    • Crop protection
    • digital (smart)
    • dron
    • Fertilizer
    • Research
    • weed
    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING
No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
    Maharashtra’s Onion Crisis: Heavy Rains Wipe Out Crops, Farmers Demand ₹1 Lakh/Acre Compensation

    Maharashtra’s Onion Crisis: Heavy Rains Wipe Out Crops, Farmers Demand ₹1 Lakh/Acre Compensation

    Onion and Cabbage Prices Skyrocket in Russia: Drought, Poor Harvest, and Market Turbulence Explained

    Onion and Cabbage Prices Skyrocket in Russia: Drought, Poor Harvest, and Market Turbulence Explained

    Strengthening Food Security: How Military-Civilian Collaboration Boosts Onion Farming in East Sumba

    Strengthening Food Security: How Military-Civilian Collaboration Boosts Onion Farming in East Sumba

    Astrakhan’s First Harvest: Where Will the Onions and Lettuce Go?

    Astrakhan’s First Harvest: Where Will the Onions and Lettuce Go?

    Sustainable Red Onion Farming: Key Practices for Higher Yields and Environmental Protection in Banten

    Sustainable Red Onion Farming: Key Practices for Higher Yields and Environmental Protection in Banten

    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    Securing the Future of Onion Farming: Breeding for Resilience, Disease Resistance, and Global Food Security

    Securing the Future of Onion Farming: Breeding for Resilience, Disease Resistance, and Global Food Security

    Onion Price Crash: Farmers in Crisis as Bumper Harvest Floods Market – What’s Next?

    Onion Price Crash: Farmers in Crisis as Bumper Harvest Floods Market – What’s Next?

    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

    Conflict-Driven Early Onion Harvest in Myanmar Leads to Price Crash and Farmer Distress

  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
    • All
    • Climate
    • Crop protection
    • digital (smart)
    • dron
    • Fertilizer
    • Research
    • weed
    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    Unseasonal Rains Wreak Havoc on Gujarat’s Onion Crop: Price Surge and Farmer Distress Loom

    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    High-Residue Cover Cropping: A Viable Alternative to Plastic Mulch for Organic Vegetable Growers?

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    EU Pesticide Sales Hit 12-Year Low in 2023: What It Means for Modern Agriculture

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Why Do Grocers Cover Potatoes at Night? The Science Behind This Curious Practice

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Record-Early Potato Planting in 2024: Will It Lead to Higher Yields?

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Boosting Farm Efficiency: How Lean Technologies Are Transforming Agriculture in Altai

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Rising Temperatures Threaten Vegetable Farming in Maharashtra: Challenges and Solutions for Farmers

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Boosting Welsh Agriculture: How Organic School Meals Could Transform Farming by 2030

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

    Farming in Small Spaces: How Bandanaira Prison Is Growing Food and Futures with Polybag Vegetable Cultivation

  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING
No Result
View All Result
Vegetables News
Home Fruit

UK food shortages: How growing more fruit and veg in cities could reduce the impact of empty supermarket shelves

by Mariya Polyakova
March 16, 2023
in Fruit, Vegetables
0
UK food shortages: How growing more fruit and veg in cities could reduce the impact of empty supermarket shelves

https://phys.org

British supermarkets are imposing limits on how many salad staples shoppers can buy as supply shortages leave shelves empty of some types of fruit and vegetables. The disappearance of fresh produce is said to be largely the result of adverse weather leading to a reduced harvest in southern Europe and North Africa.

Freezing temperatures caused tomato production in the southern Spanish region of Almeria to drop 22% during the first few weeks of February compared to the same period in 2022. Extra bureaucracy associated with Brexit and skyrocketing energy prices are also likely to have exacerbated the severity of the shortages.

This is not the first time the fragility of the U.K.’s fruit and vegetable supply has been exposed, nor will it be the last. The U.K. is highly reliant on imports of fresh produce—sourcing more than 40% of its vegetables and more than 80% of its fruit from abroad each year—so is already vulnerable to supply chain shocks. And climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.

But more than 80% of people in the U.K. now live in urban areas. Expanding fruit and vegetable production in cities—a practice called urban horticulture—could thus help to reduce the severity of supermarket supply shortages in the future. The scale of food production from conventional farming without doubt dwarfs production from balconies, gardens or allotments. Yet research suggests that urban horticulture can still increase the availability of fresh produce to city dwellers.

Growing food in cities

The U.K.’s secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, Therese Coffey, suggested in February that people should “cherish the specialisms that we have in this country,” notably singling out the turnip. But urban horticulture can provide a diverse range of seasonal fruit and vegetable crops.

Our research, which was published in 2020, found nearly 68 different crop species growing in allotments across the city of Leicester. The crops included strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes and lettuce. Some of these crops (tomato and lettuce) have been affected by the ongoing shortages.

Evidence also suggests that urban horticultural practices can be an effective way of feeding city dwellers. Our team at the University of Sheffield has demonstrated that if 10% of the land available for urban horticulture in the city of Sheffield was put into production, then it could feed 15% of the city’s population the five-a-day diet recommended by the World Health Organization.

Reluctant horticulturalists

“Growing your own” is something the U.K. has done well in the past, particularly in times of national need. The government’s “Dig for Victory” campaign during the second world war encouraged people to grow their own food. As a result, 18% of the U.K.’s wartime fruit and vegetable supply was grown by households.

Previous generations also used various techniques to preserve their produce for use in the winter months when fresh fruit and vegetables were scarce. However, the food preferences of British people have changed. Out-of-season products are now available at all times of the year, and people have become used to their ready supply.

There is plenty of land available in cities to increase food production. Allotments currently account for less than 2% of Sheffield’s available green space. But encouraging people to use this space to grow their own food remains a challenge.

Growing enough food on allotments and in gardens to feed an entire household is time-consuming. Research that we conducted in 2021 found that an allotment demands 87 annual visits and approximately 150 hours of your time. So at present, food grown traditionally in allotments feeds just 3% of the U.K.’s city dwellers.

Greater variety

There is, however, increasing potential to grow crops all year round in controlled environment systems that could be incorporated into the urban landscape using spaces such as flat roofs or disused buildings. These crops can be grown in a soil-free substrate with the required nutrients supplied in water using hydroponic or aquaponic systems.

One key advantage of growing food in these systems is the potential to grow crops year round with multiple harvests. This can greatly increase the annual yield. One study on urban vegetable production in the Canadian city of Montreal found that tomato yields in hydroponic systems are about seven times higher than the yield achieved by growing tomatoes seasonally on allotments.

It may even be possible to integrate polytunnel-based hydroponics into farms on the fringes of cities that have already established local supply chains. But, as with crops grown in controlled environments like polytunnels and greenhouses in rural farms, the challenge is how to make production economically viable and sustainable. The energy costs associated with maintaining optimal growing conditions for the plants in hydroponic systems are quite high, so variability in energy costs may be a significant factor.

Yet scientific, engineering and technological developments could support the expansion of these more productive systems. Methods that use waste urban heat and safely recycle urban waste water or collect rain water, use cheap renewable energy to power lighting, and grow substrates sustainably are all under development.

More research is required before these systems can be integrated into urban areas. But the need is clear—we must develop a more resilient supply of fruit and vegetable crops in the U.K. This will require a transformation in the U.K. in the way we grow our horticultural produce. Urban horticulture, both soil-based and soil-free, as well as a shift to more seasonal eating, could make an important contribution to improving the U.K.’s resilience to future fruit and vegetable supply shortages.

Source: phys.org
Tags: fruitmarketvegetables
Previous Post

The Rising Export Potential of Russian Onions: A Promising Opportunity amidst Global Challenges

Next Post

The Growing Importance of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Trends and Key Insights

Next Post
The Growing Importance of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Trends and Key Insights

The Growing Importance of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Trends and Key Insights

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy of vegetables.news app

© 2020-2024 VEGETABLES NEWS

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING

© 2020-2024 VEGETABLES NEWS