Chapter 5: Challenges to Scaling Urban Farming in Saudi Cities: A Case Study of Jeddah

Urban farming (UF) has evolved as an inveigling strategy addressing the complex challenges to the city’s food system. Nevertheless, hindering factors such as the humble number of scientific studies and the lack of city ordinances addressing the city’s systems managing the establishment, operation, and infrastructure needed by urban farms compromise this evolution. This situation raises concerns regarding the scalability of UF in future and current cities. This chapter aims to invigorate the debate over the limitations hindering the UF’s widespread incorporation in Saudi cities. A bibliometric pilot study was conducted in May 2023 to outframe the problem of the chapter. Following this, the Delphi method was used to extract the contextual challenges, factors, and attributes that affect the integration and adoption of UF in future and current Saudi cities. The framework was constructed based on the extracted results of multiple rounds of questionnaires repeatedly sent to a panel of local urban and rural farmers, urban experts, and urban officials. This process combined the benefits of stakeholder analysis with key elements of strategic urban planning. The outcome of this chapter provides valuable insights for policymakers and urban officials, supporting the development of informed decisions and policies that enhance the scalability of the concept across Saudi cities.