ENHANCEMENT OF URBAN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES BY URBAN AGRICULTURE: A SOUTHEAST ASIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 21 st century, urban agriculture has been weighed as a strategy to address the loss of urban livability. This study will address three key aspects: 1) urban ecosystem services in Southeast Asia; 2) sustainable urban agriculture in Southeast Asia; and 3) enhancing urban ecosystem services through Southeast Asian urban agriculture. In the literature on environmental protection, the importance placed upon urban environments has been relatively limited as compared with other habitats such as wetlands or forests. Currently, urban agriculture is complementary to rural development (mainly by providing perishable goods such as fruits, meat, and eggs), and it is now well-established that it is developing community food supply networks. These and related issues call for a deeper understanding of the relationships between plants, city dwellers and the urban climate, which will help set the foundations for permanently upgradable structures capable of adjusting to a world that changes every day.