Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
313 results(11 / 13)
Land quality, urban development and urban agriculture within the Cape Town urban edge
2011H.S. Geyer, Bennie Schloms, Danie du Plessis, Amanda van Eeden · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · South Africa (Cape Town)
An analysis of agricultural land consumption within the Cape Town urban edge between 2002 and 2007 revealed that low-density residential development is the primary consumer of high-potential agricultural land. Commercial, industrial, and informal residential developments had minimal impact on agricultural land loss. High-potential agricultural land is not adequately protected, and urban agriculture is constrained by competition with more profitable land uses like residential development.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsUrban–rural linkageDeals with imaginaries and perspectives: reworking urban economies in Kinshasa
2011AbdouMaliq Simone · Social Dynamics · Africa
This essay explores urban economies in Kinshasa, focusing on how residents navigate complex livelihood strategies. It examines an important retail market, urban agriculture, and a superblock development, demonstrating that the economy in Kinshasa involves assembling disparate people and things into provisional bundles. The study suggests that the economy functions to keep the value of things open to new uses and sites, highlighting the need to appreciate the oscillations of value in impoverished urban districts.
EconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood sovereignty & justiceChapter 5DITWV -
2011Eric Antwi Ofosu · · Sub-Saharan Africa
The conditions that led to large public investment in irrigation in the second half of the 20th century have changed radically, requiring substantial shifts in irrigation strategies today. The mid-1980s saw the rapid development of shallow tubewells and conjunctive use of surface and groundwater in India and Pakistan due to affordable drilling and pumping technologies. Similarly, the 1990s witnessed a substantial rise in private irrigated peri-urban agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, driven by increased demand for fresh fruits and vegetables from growing cities.
Peri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban–rural linkageFood security in Southern African cities
2011Jonathan Crush, Alice J. Hovorka, Daniel Tevera · Progress in Development Studies · Africa
This article examines the contemporary importance of household food production in poor urban communities across 11 Southern African Development Community (SADC) cities. It finds that urban food production is not particularly significant in most communities, with many more households relying on supermarkets and the informal sector for food access. Furthermore, few households derive income from selling produce, though the situation varies considerably by city.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceCommunityEconomicsWelfareSupermarket Expansion and the Informal Food Economy in Southern African Cities: Implications for Urban Food Security
2011Jonathan 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.
Limited or null effectFood sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban–rural linkage‘More punitive penalties should be given to urban farmers’:
2011Romborah Simiyu, Dick Foeken · · Kenya
This chapter reviews national and Eldoret Municipal Council laws and policies related to Urban Agriculture (UA) in Eldoret town, Kenya. It assesses how these policies have shaped the livelihoods of urban farmers and the development of UA as a strategy for urban dwellers. The chapter also reflects on recent developments towards a more facilitative policy framework for UA at the national level.
Governance failurePolicyEconomicsCities feeding people: an update on urban agriculture in equatorial Africa
2010Diana 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.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareOrganic cyclePolicyEconomicsFood security attainment role of urban agriculture: a case study from Adama town, central Ethiopia.
2010Messay 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.
Food sovereignty & justiceEconomicsUrban–rural linkageReuse of wastewater in urban farming and urban planning implications in Katsina metropolis, Nigeria
2010Mohammed Murtala Ruma, Abdullahi Usman Sheikh · African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology · Nigeria (Katsina)
This paper investigated the status of wastewater reuse in urban farming in Katsina, Nigeria, by interviewing 120 households out of 250 registered with the Katsina Urban Planning Authority. It was found that wastewater reuse in urban farming is a full-time, sole income earner for many households and is indispensable for this semi-arid city. However, the urban planning process has not officially recognized or given attention to this important activity.
Governance failureEconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageIntegrated Urban Micro Farming Strategy Mitigation against Food Crises in Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria
2010P.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.
Food sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsPeri-urban agricultureVegetable box scheme in Cape Town, South Africa.
2010Femke 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.
CommunityFood sovereignty & justiceWelfareEconomicsAssessment of challenges facing poverty alleviation projects in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province in South Africa
2010M. Tshitangoni, A. Okorie, Joseph Francis · Scientific Research and Essays · South Africa (Limpopo Province)
A study conducted in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa, assessed challenges faced by 30 poverty alleviation projects (community gardens, poultry, etc.). A survey of 108 beneficiaries identified numerous inception-based challenges, such as lack of training (90%), lack of funds (80%), and fraudulent use of funds (33%), as well as operation-based challenges like poor record keeping (70%) and unavailability of markets (60%). These challenges were found to significantly limit the performance of the poverty alleviation projects.
Economic viabilityCommunityWelfareEconomicsUrban School Farming to Improve School Feeding: The Case of Nakuru Town, Kenya
2010Dick Foeken, Samuel Owuor, Alice Mwangi · Children Youth and Environments · Kenya
A survey was conducted in almost all primary and secondary schools in Nakuru Town, Kenya, to examine the extent to which school farming contributes to school feeding programs. The survey found that while school farming and feeding programs are common practice, school farming substantially contributes to school feeding programs in relatively few cases.
Limited or null effectFood educationWelfareEconomicsAgriculture urbaine et valorisation des déchets au Bénin : une approche de développement durable
2010Hygin Faust Kakai, Alban Gilles Kakai, Armelle Grey Tohouegnon · VertigO · Benin (Cotonou)
This study in Benin examined urban agriculture and waste valorization in Cotonou, Abomey, and Abomey-Calavi. In Cotonou, overexploitation of sandy, organic-poor soil in market gardening led to soil impoverishment, forcing gardeners to use chemical fertilizers with negative environmental impacts. However, some market gardeners adopted compost use, transitioning to organized organic urban agriculture after a waste management project supported waste valorization. This dynamic was not observed in Abomey, where urban agriculture is practiced in family spaces and public areas, unlike Cotonou's developed sites. Abomey-Calavi, despite rapid demographic growth, was almost devoid of urban agriculture practices.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleCompostEconomicsHealthResource use efficiency in urban agriculture in southwestern Nigeria.
2009Remi 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.
Economic viabilityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justicePolicyDevelopment of vegetable farming: a cause of the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of Anopheles gambiae in urban areas of Benin
2009Anges Yadouléton, Alex Asidi, Rousseau F Djouaka, B. James, Christian Agossou, Martin Akogbéto · Malaria Journal · Benin
A study in urban areas of Benin investigated the impact of rapid vegetable farming development on the emergence of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae populations, using sociological data, bioassay tests, and biochemical analysis. The expansion of urban agriculture led to improper insecticide use for vegetable pests, exerting strong selection pressure on mosquito larval populations. This resulted in the emergence of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors, with permethrin mortality rates of 76% in Parakou, 23.5% in Porto-Novo, and 17% in Cotonou.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsHealthClimate changeDeterminants of sustainability in urban and peri-urban agriculture
2009Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht, Martina Předotová, Rodrigue V.C. Diogo, Katja Kehlenbeck, Jens Gebauer · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · Sub-Saharan Africa
This study analyzed urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) systems in major Sub-Saharan African cities, measuring carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fluxes and conducting biodiversity studies. In Niamey, low-input gardens showed annual gaseous carbon emissions of 20-25 t ha-1, predominantly CO2, and high-input gardens irrigated with wastewater had annual CO2-C emissions of 27 t ha-1, with N2O as a major nitrogen loss contributor. Animal manure stored in the open was subject to large carbon and nitrogen losses, indicating environmental tradeoffs. However, UPA gardens in Niamey maintained a large variety of fruit and vegetable species, with richness increasing with garden and household size and commercialization.
Environmental trade-offsOrganic cycleBiodiversityClimate changePeri-urban agricultureEconomicsUrban food security in South Africa: Case study of Cape Town, Msunduzi and Johannesburg
2009Bruce 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.
Governance failureFood sovereignty & justicePolicyEconomicsHealthInformalization, the Informal Economy and Urban Women’s Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s
2009Dzodzi Tsikata · · Sub-Saharan Africa
This chapter examines urban women's livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s, focusing on economic liberalization and the expansion of the informal economy. Urban agriculture, including home gardens, is identified as an increasingly important activity within this informal sector. Many women in the urban informal economy are employed by others or have been in the past, while industrial subcontracting, a source of informal employment, has been significant only in a few industrialized Sub-Saharan African countries.
WelfareEconomicsCommunityIntroducing urine as an alternative fertiliser source for urban agriculture: case studies from Nigeria and Ghana.
2009Olufunke Cofie, Adeoluwa Olugbenga, Philip Amoah · Urban Agriculture Magazine · Nigeria; Ghana
This study introduces human urine as an alternative fertilizer source for urban agriculture, presenting case studies from Nigeria and Ghana. It suggests that proper collection and use of human urine can improve urban environmental sanitation and reduce crop production costs. The approach integrates agriculture, environment, and sanitation sectors.
Organic cycleEconomicsHealthCommercial horticultural practice in Nigeria: its socio-spatial effects in Lagos city.
2009Abegunde A. A, Emmanuel Olufemi Omisore, O. F. Oluodo, D O Olaleye · African Journal of Agricultural Research · Nigeria (Lagos)
A study in the Eti-Osa local government area of Lagos, Nigeria, investigated the socio-spatial effects of urban horticultural gardens. Of 75 identified gardens, 63 managers were interviewed, revealing that 79.4% of gardens were profit-oriented. Gardens had inadequate setbacks (mean 1.45 m) from roads, leading to off-street parking and traffic congestion. Only 20% of horticulturists aimed to improve urban aesthetics, indicating a need for urban planners to educate them to prioritize urban aesthetics over economic gain.
Environmental trade-offsEconomicsUrban–rural linkageOverview 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 agricultureUrban Agriculture and Urban Food Insecurity/Poverty in Nigeria
2008Anselm 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.
Economic viabilityEconomicsFood sovereignty & justiceUrban–rural linkageUrban agriculture in metropolitan Lagos: An inventory of potential land and
2008I A Olugbenga, O. T. Adejumo · Eastern Africa Journal of Rural Development · Africa
This paper examined potential land and water resources for urban agriculture in metropolitan Lagos. While urban agriculture positively influences the financial empowerment of the urban poor, who spend 90% of their income on food, the land ownership system in Lagos complicates land access. The study identified 1,197 and 28,890 hectares of potential land resources under Federal, State, and private ownership, respectively.
EconomicsPolicyUrban–rural linkageAn analysis of the profitability and choice of metropolitan waste-use in urban agriculture of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria
2008C.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.
EconomicsOrganic cycleFood sovereignty & justice