Seeding the city: history and current affairs of urban agriculture

Abstract Urban agriculture has its history tied to the development of civilizations. Aiming to identify the benefits generated by the practice and its motivations, a literature review and later analysis of articles describing current experiences, management characteristics and organization aspects was carried out. In countries with a very high HDI, community gardens and the well-being of the population are prominent themes. Countries with high HDI focus on soil contamination and mitigation of pollution impacts, as countries with an average HDI has as main theme the sustainability of the practice. Finally, low HDI countries discuss their importance for food security. Regardless of the objectives that motivate urban agriculture and research in the area, is evidenced its contribution to the environmental, social and economic quality of cities.