This master thesis examines how urban farming might contribute to
human-nature connectedness (naturforbindelse) in the city through
an ethnographic casestudy of Impact Farm, a small Urban Farm with
hydroponic vertical growing systems, connected to the
Bachelorstudies of Nutrition and Health (Ernæring og Sundhed) at
University College Copenhagen (København Professionshøjskole).
Seven in-depth interviews are conducted with students, volunteers
and employees surrounding Impact Farm, exploring their views on
nature and the farming practices they engage in.
An emphasis is put on the importance of materials and non-humans as
actors and co-creators of nature views and practices in Impact Farm.
In order to reflect these aspects the thesis draws upon the theories of
Elisabeth Shove, Bruno Latour, and Tim Ingold, yet the empirical data
stays primary to the theories in this inductive study. The collection of
empirical data is inspired by Sarah Pinks sensory ethnography, seeing
the interviewpersons as situated, the interviews are supplemented by
observation, walk-and-talk and participation that includes the
surroundings and the senses. The coding process is inspired by Kathy
Charmaz constructivist redeveloped Grounded Theory resulting in
working very close to the empirical data with ‘line by line coding’,
while also understanding the data as a constructed by both researcher
and interviewpersons.
Five interviews with experts in Urban Farming, Forest Gardening
(skovhaver) and School Gardening (skolehaver), are included to
discuss the findings of the thesis. The study finds that the materials of
Impact Farm are conducive to reductionist views of nature and
scientific experiments, whereas holistic views of nature are not
supported. While the interview persons get close relations to a small
selection of plants and insects, the relations a highly anthropocentric
and a more biocentric human-nature connectedness would rely on a
growing system that is open to a higher degree of biodiversity, and to
the will and ‘voices’ of other beings, wildness, and cycles of nature
such as seasons.
However, Impact Farm does hold potential for the development of
basic plant knowledge independent of season, and curiosity towards
other species. Moreover, views on nature are shown to be
multifaceted and dynamic in each individual, with no single view being
scientifically supported, so for urban gardening to contribute to
human-nature connectedness in the city it is important include a
variation of growing-systems appealing to and supportive of various
views of nature.