Economic appraisal of profitability and sustainability of peri-urban agriculture in Bangkok

Promoters of urban and peri-urban agriculture generally stress its positive role in terms of food security, income, employment and improvement of the urban environment. Unfortunately, competition with agricultural and non-agricultural uses of peri-urban farm land often translates into intensive farming systems that are detrimental to the environment. Based on two original surveys of peri-urban farms in the area of Bangkok, this paper ranks four cropping systems (fish, shrimp, rice, and fruits) according to their economic profitability. A second step of the analysis aims at taking into account the cost of water into the analysis, so as to assess whether the hierarchy formerly established is modified. Although all environmental costs are not introduced and environmental benefits are ignored, this work paves the way for further research in the area of taking into account the environmental impact of farming activities. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.