An Ecological Footprint-Based Spatial Zoning Approach for Sustainable Metropolitan Agro-Food Systems

Based on research undertaken in Berlin, Milan, London, Ljubljana, Rotterdam and Nairobi, the EU FP7 Project ‘Food Planning and Innovation for Sustainable Metropolitan Regions’ (www.foodmetres.eu) has developed a string of assessment tools and food planning concepts that are especially geared towards the role of metropolitan regions as spatial-functional entities of sustainable food supply. Focusing on the example of the Rotterdam Metropolitan Region, this paper puts forward a spatial-analytical approach that combines an ecological footprint analysis with land use assessment and knowledge on the impacts of food chains on the social, environmental and economic dimensions of the agro-food sector. Drawing upon existing work, we have developed an approach to delineate Metropolitan Agro-Food Systems (MAS) as spatially explicit foodsheds. Taking the food demand of a city into consideration, the required amount and location of ‘local hectares’ of agricultural areas meeting these demands are identified as the starting point illustrating the challenge of feeding an urban population. Using the example of the Rotterdam region, we show how the von Thünen model can be adapted to a dynamic interpretation of the regional food supply potentials on the basis of local hectare calculations deriving from food consumption census data.