Urban agriculture in Paris

Vegetable garden of Yannick Alléno’s restaurant, on the roof of the Maison de la Mutualité
If we consider that one needs on average 50 m2  of market garden to feed one person, it would be necessary to cultivate 11,000 hectares to guaranty the self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetables of the population of Paris and 5,000 hectares more for non-resident workers, that is 1.5 times the surface area of Paris.  This doesn’t include the 29.3 million visitors to Paris each year. However this population (32.6 million) represents a very large consumer potential of fresh products. Here lies the urban agriculture challenge: to produce, supply networks and distribute. 
A few figures:
  • 11,000 ha : agricultural surface area needed to supply all Parisians with fruit and vegetables
  • Present day surface area reserved for parking vehicles in Paris = 20,000 fruit trees
  • 50 m2 : surface area traditionally used to supply one person with fruit and vegetables
  • 30 million : the number of mass catering meals served each year in Paris (69% of which are for school refectories)
  • 50% : quantity of sustainable food served in mass catering refectories (objective fixed by the 2015-2020 Paris Sustainable Food Plan)