Montréal, Canada

Photo by the City of Montréal

The power of plants and natural ecosystems to deliver benefits

How is the initiative shaped by scientific evidence of the potential for plants and natural ecosystems to deliver benefits?

Several research studies show that, even if urban agriculture cannot be considered a unique solution to ensure food autonomy, it represents a powerful tool to make progress toward urban resilience, especially in a context of adaptation to climate change. By greening urban spaces, urban agriculture contributes to the establishment of nature in the city, to the ecological balance by enriching urban biodiversity, to the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), to the strengthening of social ties and to the improvement of citizen living environments at the neighbourhood level. This is consistent with the City’s priority to accelerate the ecological transition.

How has the city exploited the potential of plants and associated ecosystems to deliver more than one benefit?

Ecological urban agriculture, including permaculture techniques and other biodiversity-friendly production methods, is central to this strategy. The increasing number of gardens and greening projects is very beneficial. In fact, they can act as green corridors and help maintain the city’s biodiversity balance. The City of Montréal and its partners are taking several concrete actions to develop ecological urban agriculture that responds to environmental concerns.