HONOR AWARD / BSLA
Student Work
FLAVIO SCIARAFFIA SOURAV BISWAS
Productive Conservation in Mexico City Mexico City , Mexico
Task : re-imagining Mexico City ’ s future food systems by examining landscapes of food production and its impact on regional resilience . Currently , agriculture is the most water-consumptive and ecologically disruptive human activity . Our strategy unlocks the ecological potential of working landscapes on a regional scale by harnessing precision agricultural tools towards agroconservation strategies .
We tested the spatial manifestations of the future of food production in the form of an agricultural park typology . Three components were researched to inform the design : 1 ) Agro-conservation strategies were studied to understand plant-crop relationships that enhance primary productivity through inter-cropping , cover crops , and productive fallowing . 2 ) A list of droughtresistant , nitrogen-fixing and soilstabilizing species were selected to complement cash crops . 3 ) A study of precision agriculture tools revealed the metrics for ‘ agricultural printing ’ or the precise distribution of multiple seeds through machines . were divided into minimally managed forested zones , agricultural fields testing out variations of agroconservation , and public spaces activated by small / big-box food production / distribution units . An algorithm was set up to assign each species to a specific place responding to soil nutrition , moisture , and landscape ecology patterns . The planting patterns can be modified by updating the algorithm to create new clearings and spatial experiences for every planting / harvest cycle . At the regional scale , proximity-suitability analysis identified high-priority croplands that could apply proven agro-conservation strategies toward specific ecological goals .
This allowed us to create a regional network of farmlands that improves Mexico City ’ s water security , biodiversity , and drought resilience .
A peri-urban farmland was chosen as a testing ground for : 1 ) the potential of precision agriculture to create structural diversity ; 2 ) the performative benefits of agroconservation to water quality and soil conservation ; 3 ) the ability for agroconservation strategies to act as corridors between biodiversity patches . The plots
Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
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