Dimensions of Urban Agriculture – Ryerson University course

Dimensions of Urban Agriculture – Ryerson University course from Michael Levenston on Vimeo. Click on the Vimeo link to watch a High Definition (HD) version of this video.
Also see alternative HD High Definition version on YouTube.

Instructor Wendy Mendes, Ph.D. describes the urban agriculture course she taught this Fall.
Available through Distance Education.

This course describes the dimensions (functions, roles, benefits, potential risks) of urban agriculture and how these complement, supplement, compete with, substitute for, or undermine those provided by other land uses, sectoral activities and actors. The main dimensions covered are: health and food security, socio-cultural dimensions, economic dimensions, and environmental dimensions.

Two well-documented case studies will be used throughout the course to highlight each dimension separately, before bringing them all together.

Link to Dimensions of Urban Agriculture course.

Link to Urban Agriculture Types course.

Link to Urban Agriculture Policy-Making course.

Link to Understanding Urban Agriculture course.

See more about Ryerson’s urban agriculture courses.

Also see these Food Security courses offered in Winter 2009

CFNY 403 Food Security Concepts and Principles

CFNY 405 Research Methods and Evaluation in Food Security

CFNY 408 Urban Food Security

CVFN 412 Urban Agriculture Types

For more information about individual courses or the Certificate in Food Security, please visit the Ryerson University Food Security website here. or contact the academic coordinator, Reg Noble at: food@ryerson.ca

Wendy Mendes, Ph.D.

Wendy Mendes is Adjunct Professor at the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia, and Research Associate at Ryerson’s Centre for Studies in Food Security. She holds a PhD in urban geography from Simon Fraser University.

Wendy is an urban aficionado who researches, teaches and writes about sustainable cities, participatory planning and urban food security. Dr. Mendes worked as a Social Planner (and Food Systems Planner) for the City of Vancouver from 2001-2006. She has taught courses on planning and the public realm and food systems planning at the University of British Columbia, York University and Ryerson University.

She is a member of the American Planning Association Food Systems Planning Group; the Canadian Association of Food Studies; and past member of the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Reference Group on the Healthy Food for All initiative; and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Urban Agriculture Advisory Committee for UN-HABITAT World Urban Foum III.