Urban agriculture—An assessment of the potential of private gardens to cover the nutritional needs in four Swedish cities

Abstract Private gardens constitute a large part of many cities, making them a potential contributor to food security in urban areas. The aim of this study is to increase knowledge about the potential of private gardens to cover the nutritional needs of city dwellers. The case study sets out to investigate how much of the recommended intake of vegetables (as described in the reference diet proposed by the EAT–Lancet Commission) can be covered by private urban gardens in the Swedish cities of Östersund, Härnösand, Södertälje, and Lund. Statistical data on yields of six selected vegetables together with geographic information system (GIS) data were used. The estimated food production was subsequently compared to the nutritional needs of the urban population of the cities. This study indicates that the potential to cover the nutritional needs in the cities is considerable. The capacity varied depending on the size of the used cultivable area and the types of vegetables grown. If 20% of the available cultivable area was used for growing vegetables, between 12% and 23% of the recommended intake of vegetables could be covered by private gardens in the four investigated cities. If 85% of the same area was used, more than 90% of the recommended intake of vegetables could be covered in two of the investigated cities. The study indicates that the potential in urban areas in Sweden to meet the nutritional needs with vegetables grown in private gardens is considerable.