Peri-urban agriculture, an endangered activity? Contributions to periurban land use planning

Abstract

The peri-urbanization process, a recent development in the history of the urban phenomenon, has led to the loss of rich soils on the outskirts of Santiago, the deterioration of the rural world in the Metropolitan Region, and especially of the agricultural activity carried out there. 

Within the framework of a scientific cooperation program, which allows the comparison of dynamics and strategies in other contexts, this article aims to highlight key aspects of the peri-urbanization process, with special attention to its effects on agricultural activity. A case study developed in the municipality of Lampa has allowed a deeper understanding of the functioning of the land market and the variables that influence farmers' decision making in the face of urban expansion. By way of conclusion, contributions for peri-urban land use planning are provided. This document gathers reflections and results of one of the components of the research carried out in the framework of the ECOS C94H07 Program, of French-Chilean scientific cooperation, incorporating elements of the work carried out with the support of the National Institute of Agricultural Development INDAP on the strategies of farmers in the face of the urban expansion of Santiago.