Proximity Agriculture in Lima: Is a fairer production system emerging for producers and consumers?

Résumé En

Lima, Peru’s political and economic capital, is a city of over 9 million inhabitants that has risen to the challenge of food supply: products are sourced from throughout the country, and the city has faced no major supply shortfalls since the 1990s. Today, urban and peri-urban agriculture is a residual activity, often confined to the edges of the city or areas abandoned by the authorities. Indeed, urban agriculture appears to have taken a secondary role in terms of access to food, although its significance in the creation of a food system that is fairer to both consumers and producers has received little study. The urban proximity offers the opportunity to set up alternative food systems, as well as commercialisation chain that benefit to both producers and consumers, in particular through short food supply chains. However, these new initiatives are not accessible for all the operators. In order to bring producers and consumers close together, not only is the geographical position important, but also the setting up of networks that include independent operators.