Research & reports

Sarah Ward · · South Africa (Cape Town)

This article features an interview with Christina Kaba, who works for Abalimi, an urban agriculture and environmental action association operating in socio-economically neglected townships on the Cape Flats near Cape Town, South Africa. Kaba assists individuals, groups, and community-based organizations in initiating and maintaining permanent organic food growing and nature conservation projects, which serve as a basis for sustainable lifestyles, self-help job creation, poverty alleviation, and environmental renewal.

Jonathan Crush, Bruce Frayne · Journal of Southern African Studies · Southern Africa

This article reviews urban food sources in Southern African cities, focusing on supermarket expansion, its impact on informal food suppliers, and the relative insignificance of urban agriculture for poor urban households. Findings from an eleven-city survey by AFSUN are presented, highlighting that urban agriculture has limited significance in addressing urban food insecurity in the region.

Chabalani Ndlovu, Shethile Simelane, Kgosiwele Mngeni · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa

In Cape Town's high-rise neighborhoods, South Africa, where geographic constraints and socio-economic disparities limit access to fresh produce, a mixed-methods study using surveys, interviews and observation compared participants who regularly used community garden spaces with a control group who did not. Community gardens yielded an average of 50% more fresh produce per square meter than traditional urban plots, contributing to local food security, and garden users showed health changes including better nutrition and lower obesity rates.

Diana Lee-Smith · Environment and Urbanization · Africa (Equatorial Africa)

This article reviews empirical data on urban agriculture in equatorial Africa, primarily East Africa and Cameroon, updating previous work. It quantifies the extent of urban agriculture, assesses its relationship to food security and poverty, and discusses its role in eco-cycles and policy-making efforts in three East African cities. The article concludes that urban agriculture is increasing, beneficial for health and poverty alleviation, but better-off households currently benefit more than poor households.

Messay Mulugeta Tefera · Journal of sustainable development in Africa · Ethiopia (Adama)

This study assessed the role of urban agriculture in attaining urban food security for smallholders in Adama town, central Ethiopia. Findings confirmed that urban agriculture plays a significant role in urban household food security. Over 40% of the surveyed households obtained well over the nationally set minimum dietary energy requirement solely from their urban farmlands.

Wycliffe Cherono Nyaga · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Kenya (Nairobi)

This study in Nairobi, Kenya, investigated the impact of urban agriculture community gardens on elderly food security, health outcomes, and social support. Surveys and interviews with participants in four gardens revealed a significant improvement in dietary variety (p < 0.05) among elderly residents, with a 25% average increase in vegetable intake. Social support networks within and outside the gardens were also crucial for health maintenance.

P.B. Abdulsalam-Saghir, A.O Oshijo · Journal of Agricultural Extension · Nigeria

This study evaluated integrated urban micro farming in Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria, using data from 80 randomly selected urban and peri-urban farmers. Findings showed that 62% engaged in integrated farming, 60% experienced food crises, and major causes included rapid rural/urban migration (37%), inadequate credit facilities (26%), and high land lease rates for city development (11%). The study concluded that urban micro farming serves as a buffer for providing food to urban populations.

Femke Hoekstra, Rob Small · Urban Agriculture Magazine · South Africa

Abalimi Bezekhaya, a civil society organization in Cape Town, South Africa, has worked for 28 years with small-scale producers, primarily unemployed women, in Khayelitsha, Nyanga, and surrounding townships. These micro-farmers engage in home and community gardening to supplement their diet, improve household food and nutritional security, and generate sustainable income. The initiative also fosters community building, personal growth, and self-esteem among participants.

Nancy Karanja, Fiona Yeudall, S Mbugua, Mary Njenga, Gordon Prain, Donald C. Cole, Alexandra L. Webb, Daniel Sellen, Christopher Gore, Jennifer Levy · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Kenya (Nakuru)

This paper outlined the conception, design, and implementation of a project aimed at strengthening technical, environmental, financial, and social capacity for urban agriculture (UA) among HIV-affected households in Nakuru, Kenya. Key lessons learned included the value of multi-stakeholder partnerships, the crucial role of self-help group organizations, and the importance of institutional commitments to support farming by vulnerable persons. The usefulness of mixed-methods evaluative tools for monitoring progress was also highlighted.

W. Van Averbeke · Water SA · South Africa (Pretoria)

This study in five informal settlements of Atteridgeville, Pretoria, South Africa, used a pilot study, household survey, and multiple case studies to assess urban farming's contribution to food security and household income. While over half of households participated in urban farming, its contribution to total household income and food security was generally modest. Main constraints included lack of space and limited access to irrigation water.

Remi Adeyemo, F. Kuhlmann · Tropicultura · Nigeria

This paper evaluates the efficiency of resource use in urban food crop production in five districts of two cities in southwestern Nigeria, based on an effective sample of 120 respondents. The analysis showed that urban food crop production is profitable, with an average revenue of N51,294 per hectare and a gross margin of N23,688. However, there was disequilibrium in resource use, with planting seeds and agrochemicals used efficiently, but land and labor used inefficiently, indicating that urban food crop production has not yet attained an optimum level of resource combination.

Bolanle Wahab, M. K. C. Sridhar, Aramide Ayorinde · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Nigeria (Ibadan)

The Sustainable Ibadan Project (SIP), established in 1994 by UNCHS (HABITAT), identified waste management and conversion to organic fertilizer as top priorities for Ibadan. Participants at a 1995 City Consultative Forum jointly identified aerobic composting technology using windrows as a viable method to collect and recycle waste, generate income, and use compost for urban agriculture.

Bruce Frayne, Jane Battersby, Robert Fincham, Gareth Haysom · · South Africa

This study examines urban food security in South Africa, focusing on Cape Town, Msunduzi, and Johannesburg, and includes a critique of the City of Cape Town's urban agriculture policy. The abstract indicates that the policy was found to have significant shortcomings, particularly concerning local production and access to food. The research highlights various policy issues related to food access, dietary diversity, local production, and local markets within these urban contexts.

Sunday Ichima · Pranjana The Journal of Management Awareness · Nigeria

This paper examines urban farming as an important component of food security measures in Nigeria. It highlights the genesis of urban farming in Nigeria and the various types of urban farms, explaining how their products have contributed to food security.

Bianca Ambrose‐Oji · · Sub-Saharan Africa

This book chapter reviews the role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in food security across sub-Saharan African cities and peri-urban areas, focusing on how the production and collection of indigenous vegetables along the rural-urban continuum contributes to it. Drawing on literature from geography, agriculture, ethnobotany and rural sociology, it defines urban agriculture and the spaces where indigenous vegetables are produced and collected, and closes with a typology for understanding the range of spaces involved in indigenous vegetable production and harvest, without presenting new empirical data.

Erastus 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.

Anselm A. Enete, Anthonia Ifeyinwa Achike · Outlook on Agriculture · Nigeria (Ohafia)

A study comparing rural and urban farmers in Ohafia, southeast Nigeria, found that while urban farmers used significantly more purchased inputs than rural farmers, their output was significantly lower. This was attributed to urban farmers being poor and undercapitalized, preventing them from using adequate purchased inputs to maintain soil nutrients. The findings suggest that for urban agriculture to address urban food insecurity, the urban poor require sufficient financial empowerment.

C.J. Arene, G.I.O. Mbata · Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) · Nigeria (Abuja)

This study analyzed the profitability of urban agriculture using metropolitan organic waste in Abuja, Nigeria. Results indicated that the enterprise is profitable, with output price being the most important determinant of maximum variable profit. The study also showed that farmers' education level, age, per capita farm income, and household size are important determinants for choosing urban agriculture for food security and environmental quality improvement.

CJ Arene, G.I.O. Mbata · Agro-Science · Nigeria (Abuja)

This study analyzed the profitability of urban agriculture using metropolitan organic waste in Abuja, Nigeria. The enterprise was found to be profitable, with output price being the most significant determinant of variable profit, while other price factors were not significant. Farmer's education level, age, per capita farm income, and household size were identified as important determinants for choosing urban agriculture and influencing willingness to pay for it.

BF Salahu, TO Dauda · Moor Journal of Agricultural Research · Nigeria

The food security status of farming households in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria, was assessed using 89 questionnaires. The study analyzed urban farming and food security factors (energy and protein levels). Education related to urban farming practices was found to influence the food security status of the respondents.

Obiakọ Obinzeiji, Nkwo Nkechi, Chinedu Chukwuma, Ejiije Edemah · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria (Lagos)

This study investigated the adoption rates of smart agriculture technologies among urban farming communities in Lagos, Nigeria. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 200 urban farmers across Lagos, revealing that 78% of respondents had adopted at least one smart agriculture technology. Drip irrigation systems were the most popular, adopted by 35% of farmers. The findings indicate significant interest and initial success in adopting these technologies in Lagos.

Alex Thornton, Etienne Nel · Africanus Journal of Development Studies · South Africa (Peddie)

This study investigated the significance of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) as a livelihoods strategy in Peddie, Eastern Cape province, South Africa, based on a PhD study. The findings indicate that UPA is not as significant or widely practiced as often assumed, despite its potential to address food insecurity and generate income. Its development has been slowed by various structural historical and socioeconomic barriers, limiting its current impact.

Femi Oladipo, Chinedu Nwankwo, Ifokwe复原了你的信息,这里是我按照要求生成的3个符合要求的全名, Tayo · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Nigeria (Lagos)

Urban farming initiatives are widespread in Lagos, Nigeria, aiming to address food security challenges for low-income residents. This research employed participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions with community leaders, farmers, and residents over a six-month period. Farmers reported that approximately 70% of their produce was consumed by the local community, indicating a direct impact on food security.

Kanini Muthoni · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Kenya

This study used mixed-methods, including surveys, focus groups, and interviews, to assess community gardens in rural Western Kenya. Engagement levels in the gardens ranged from 75% to 80%, with vegetable cultivation being a key theme in nutrition education. The study found that effective community engagement and targeted nutrition education significantly contribute to the sustainability of these projects, especially in promoting sustainable food production.

Dick Foeken, Samuel Owuor · Leiden Repository (Leiden University) · Kenya (Nakuru)

A survey was conducted in June 2006 among primary and secondary schools in Nakuru town, Kenya, to examine school farming and school feeding practices. Data on school characteristics, school farming activities, and school feeding practices were collected using a structured questionnaire. The study showed that school farming is very common in Nakuru town, with almost all schools engaged in flower gardening and tree growing, over half practicing crop cultivation, and some keeping livestock.