Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
5 results
Wastewater governance in the upstream catchment of the Awash Basin, Ethiopia: challenges and opportunities for better accountability
2023Yosef Abebe, Mulugeta Gashaw, Asenake Kefale, Tim Brewer · Water Reuse · Ethiopia
A study on wastewater governance in the upstream catchment of the Awash Basin, Ethiopia, found that untreated wastewater discharged from industries is polluting rivers and the surrounding environment. Regulatory bodies have done little to enforce rules and directives for wastewater regulation, and due to poor implementation of laws, urban agriculture is expanding without concern for its negative health and socioeconomic impacts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPolicyEconomicsClimate changeOverview on urban and peri-urban agriculture: definition, impact on human health, constraints and policy issues
2008Erastus K. Kang’ethe, Delia Grace, Thomas F. Randolph · East African Medical Journal · East Africa
This study synthesizes current knowledge on urban agriculture (UA) in East Africa, focusing on its human health impact. It identifies UA as an important source of food security, but notes that many zoonotic and food-borne diseases are associated with it, with a lack of evidence on human health impact and management. Major constraints include illegality and limited access to inputs and markets, indicating a need for more research to understand both positive and negative health impacts.
Contamination & food safetyHealthFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureLinking research, capacity building, and policy dialogue in support of informal irrigation in urban West Africa
2008Pay Drechsel, Olufunke Cofie, R. van Veenhuizen, Theophilus O. Larbi · Irrigation and Drainage · West Africa
Informal irrigation in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in West Africa offers benefits but is often hindered by water pollution, threatening public health. A multi-stakeholder process implemented since 2005 in six West African cities, including Accra, Ghana, aimed to integrate UPA into sustainable urban development. However, an internal lesson learned was that local partners may not prioritize every project, and capacity-building efforts might not provide expected incentives for commitment.
Contamination & food safetyPolicyHealthPeri-urban agricultureCommunityVers un assainissement urbain durable en Afrique subsaharienne : approche innovante de planification de la gestion des boues de vidange
2006Halidou Koanda · Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) · Sub-Saharan Africa
In Sub-Saharan Africa, faecal sludge management practices are often financially unviable due to widespread lack of municipal involvement, paucity of legal provisions, and absence of stakeholder coordination. This leads to indiscriminate dumping of faecal sludge in urban areas or its untreated use in urban agriculture. These practices pose permanent and serious health risks and contaminate scarce ground and surface water. This research aims to develop an innovative strategic planning approach for sustainable urban faecal sludge management to minimize public health and environmental risks.
Contamination & food safetyHealthOrganic cyclePolicyWater, land and health in urban and peri‐urban food production: the case of Kano, Nigeria
2003Tony Binns, Roy Maconachie, Adamu Idris Tanko · Land Degradation and Development · Nigeria (Kano)
This paper examines health and environmental concerns associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Kano, Nigeria. Empirical evidence indicates that industrial and domestic toxins are reaching dangerously high levels, leading to significant pollution of soils and water channels. This raises serious questions about the sustainability of UPA and the long-term health implications of toxin exposure.
Contamination & food safetyHealthPeri-urban agriculturePolicy