Improving Agriculture Through Landscape Architecture
By TH!NK by IBI
Date
November 7, 2016
Like urban planning and architecture, city settings have been the predominant focus of landscape architects. This focus has produced impressive results, but the need for landscape architecture extends beyond our cities. In a recent article, The Dirt outlined the positive impacts that landscape architecture could have on agriculture. Paicinces Ranch in California, where informal techniques led to a 90% reduction in irrigation and increased yields, illustrates what is possible. And this was an informal situation. With a skilled team involved, the benefits could extend beyond agriculture, to attracting tourism and protecting fragile landscapes. Thinking more broadly, a holistic approach could also benefit animals moving along migration paths or to dampen noise near airports or highways. In the long run, learning from rural agricultural settings could even make their back into urban settings. As COP21 comes into effect, its clear that we need action on all fronts to combat climate change. Doing so in a way that also benefits people – in both urban and rural settings – is a win-win.
