URBAN AGRICULTURE: CONDITIONS AND PROSPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN CITIES

The problem of providing humanity with food is quite acute in the 21st century. As long as mankind has enough agricultural land, the number of hungry people in the world is really decreasing. However, over the long-term horizon (50-100 years), the problems associated with traditional agriculture are likely to worsen. Ten billion people before 2050 is a very real scenario. They need to somehow feed and at the same time to prevent the deforestation of forests under farmland, soil degradation, reduction of biodiversity. All this leads to the need to turn agriculture into a branch like the metallurgical, chemical or engineering industry, when production is concentrated, locally, automated, and takes place in specialized factory-type buildings with a controlled environment.