Objective:

To evidence the ways that popular citizen organizations are farming nowadays in order to build sustainable urban settings, not focusing exclusively on economic growth. Their proposals are based on three axes: environmental, economic, and social; destined to improve alimentation and a sense of community in vulnerable urban zones.

Methodology:

The qualitative foundation is based on following 45 production units. The quantitative foundation is based on the application of a survey to 25 woman-producers, members of the XicoKaa’a Comunicaciones A. C., located in Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, used to elaborate the Evaluation Framework of Natural Resource Management Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (Marco de Evaluación de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturales Incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidad - MESMIS).

Results:

The sustainability of urban agriculture is strong. It fulfills the function, which originates it and fosters sustainable development and food sovereignty. According to the MESMIS criteria, over 50 % were evaluated as sustainable, allowing for the generation of energy within the productive system.

Limitations:

There are few studies on the state of urban agriculture in the Metropolitan Zone of Mexico City regarding benefits, impacts, or damages caused by producing in one of the largest cities in the world. Also, there is a narrow focus of the results on a specific sector of the population living in the eastern periphery.

Conclusions:

Citizen organizations prove that they can start actions within the sustainability framework, like urban agriculture, at the same time generating benefits for the community, alimentary, and economic conditions.

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