Greener Cairo: Sustainability through Urban Agriculture?

2016

Nov 2nd

At German Science Centre, 11 Al Saleh Ayoub Street, Zamalek

Cairo has experienced countless transformations which shaped its social and spatial structure over the course of its history. Modern architecture is located side-by-side with centuries-old buildings, and within the city’s relatively small but agglomerated area. Because of Cairo’s ever growing population density -which varies from 30,000 persons per square kilometer to 100,000 in the older districts- and its limited green spaces, urban farming is restricted to rooftops and scarce peri-urban agricultural lands.

Urban and rooftop agriculture are beneficial in cooling the temperature of the buildings and absorbing some of the pollution of the city. In addition to that, creating green spaces in a megalopolis like Cairo might contribute to a more attractive cityscape as well as to an increased quality of life for Cairo’s inhabitants. Raising animals and growing food in restricted urban spaces help those, who experience difficulties tapping into the formal food system, to meet their daily food requirements.

So what are the conditions for agriculture and the city to be reconciled with one another? How to design policies that encourage urban agriculture? How can technology help the mainstreaming of urban agriculture? What is the role and the responsibility of different actors in addressing the risks and improving the sustainability of certain urban agriculture practices? Come join us for a public panel discussion to answer those questions and more.

Meet our Panelists

Dr. Martin Buchholz

Senior Researcher at Technische Universität Berlin and CEO of Watergy GmbH

Sherif Hosny

CEO of Schaduf, the leading company in Egypt providing roof farming and green walls

Emily Mattheisen

Global Program Officer at Habitat International Coalition

Carl Philipp Schuck

Urban expert with GIZ and Head of “Climate Change Adaptation in Informal Urban Areas” project

Usama el Behairy

Professor at Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University

Meet our Moderators

Mr. Ahmed Sedky

expert on sustainable and renewable energy systems and solutions

Venue / location

At German Science Centre, 11 Al Saleh Ayoub Street, Zamalek

Are you interested? Don’t miss out by registering to our events. We hope to see you there.