Research & reports

· Agronomy · Africa (tropics)

Assesses low-cost eco-friendly net (EFN) covers as an affordable technology for sustainable cabbage seedling (nursery) production by small-scale growers. Net covering raised temperature and humidity, improved seedling growth, and reduced insect pest damage.

N E Etim, J J Dukiya · International Journal of Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS · Nigeria (Abuja)

A study in the Kuje area council of Abuja, Nigeria, used questionnaires and multi-temporal satellite images from 1975–2010 to assess urban encroachment on agricultural lands. It found that urban encroachment into agricultural lands is occurring at an alarming rate of 15.7 km² annually, resulting in a total loss of 509 km² of agricultural land to urbanization over 35 years.

Phil. Caleb Mireri · African Journal of Agricultural Research · Kenya (Kisumu)

This study surveyed 194 urban farmers in Kisumu municipality, Kenya, to assess urban agriculture's role in income, employment, and food supply. It found that most urban farmers and their employees receive very low income, with a mean monthly income of US$135 (US$0.64 per person per day), which is below the acceptable one dollar a day per person. Urban agriculture primarily supplements food requirements for the urban poor and provides income for a few commercial farmers.

Asadu A. N · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Nigeria (Imo State)

A study investigated gender roles in urban crop production in Imo State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 60 respondents via interview schedules, revealing that 60% of urban farmers were female with an average age of 40 years. Mixed cropping was the most common system, with cassava, maize, and Telfaria as major crops. Both men and women were involved in securing plots, and all family members participated in fertilization and harvesting. Weeding and processing were primarily done by women and girls, while men mostly handled chemical spraying.

Teferi Daba Lemma, M. S. A. Rao, M Prasada Rao · Zenith international journal of business economics and management research · Ethiopia

This study assessed the economic sustainability of urban agriculture in central Ethiopia, collecting primary data from 280 urban and peri-urban vegetable farmers. Findings indicated that urban agriculture is a viable livelihood strategy from a financial perspective. However, city administrations and policymakers pay little attention to supporting this sub-sector, suggesting that legal recognition and support would make it a more reliable strategy.

R. O. Yusuf · · Nigeria (Kaduna State)

In Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, a study examined the contribution of urban farming activities utilizing water from excavation pits to farmers' income and food security, and the eco-supportive component of using these pits. Data were collected from 10 farmers between December 2011 and May 2012 through structured interviews and observation. Farmers cultivated various crops and obtained higher incomes from farming compared to their primary occupations. The utilization of excavation pits was found to be eco-supportive by regulating the microenvironment's water balance, serving as carbon sinks, and providing low-cost water extraction. However, observed constraints included insecure land tenure, disturbance from straying domestic animals, and theft of farm produce.

Adedayo A, A. M. Tunde · Sustainable Agriculture Research · Nigeria (Kwara State)

This study assessed the challenges faced by women farmers in urban areas of Kwara State, Nigeria. A total of 1,801 women farmers were sampled from different urban areas, and Focus Group Discussions were conducted. Matrix ranking revealed that lack of credit facilities was one of the most significant challenges hindering increased production by women. Other identified challenges included restricted accessibility to land and a lack of farm input.

Dlamini Magagula, Khathi Khumalo, Nombuyisilwe Sithole, Kgosiwe Maseko · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · South Africa (Cape Town)

This study in Cape Town, South Africa, investigated the impact of community gardens on food security among the urban poor using mixed methods, including ten years of household food expenditure surveys. Participating households showed an average 20% increase in fresh produce consumption compared to non-participants, directly impacting nutrition levels. The review concluded that community gardening projects can enhance food security and quality of life, but further research is needed on best practices, scalability, long-term sustainability, and the impact of diverse crop cultivation.

Franklin Obeng‐Odoom · Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems · Africa

Data from living standards and demographic health surveys and poverty trend studies in various African countries indicate that urban agriculture substantially contributes to food production and farmers' incomes. The article argues that urban agriculture empowers rather than limits, but to realize its full potential for food security in African cities, it must be understood within a broader socioeconomic and political reality. Factors like food safety, access, and distribution require careful attention.

Messay Mulugeta · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Ethiopia

This study assessed the need for a policy framework for urban/peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Ethiopia. It was based on a desk review of other countries' experiences and policy frameworks, supplemented by primary and secondary data from Ethiopia and interviews with legislators, experts, urban farmers, and urban planners. The study's synthesis indicates that formulating a policy framework and by-laws for UPA in Ethiopia is imperative for the country to fully utilize the sector's potential.

Roseline J. Akinlade, Olubunmi Lawrence Balogun, Adekemi A. Obisesan, Akinlade, Roseline J., Balogun, Olubunmi L., Obisesan, Adekemi A. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Nigeria

This study analyzed the determinants of commercialization among 230 urban vegetable farmers in Oyo and Lagos states, southwest Nigeria, using primary survey data and a Tobit model. It found that farmers' participation in domestic and regional markets remains low due to various constraints, notably poor market access. The average farm size was 0.05ha, and the average market participation index was 0.73. Factors influencing commercialization included age, farm size, association membership, education, distance to market, and input costs. The study concluded that social capital significantly affects market participation, and recommended proactive support from governments and NGOs to facilitate farmer organizations and market linkages.

Dick Foeken · Journal of Geography and Regional Planning · East Africa

This paper, discussing the role of urban agriculture in the development of middle-sized towns using three East African cases (Nakuru, Morogoro, Mbeya), argues that urban agriculture can be transformed into a thriving sector contributing to employment, income, and food provision. It describes the current situation, focusing on resource allocation, benefits, and environmental challenges, and concludes that a favorable legal and policy setting, support and education, and improved market conditions, led by both government and the private sector, are necessary to achieve this.

Diana Lee-Smith · City · Africa

This paper reviews a synthesis from late 2010 on Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA) data from East and Central Africa, identifying major issues such as UPA's relationship to food security and poverty, its waste recycling effectiveness, and policy responses. The analysis is updated with data from Southern Africa, suggesting UPA's capacity to recycle nutrients, particularly on efficient crop-livestock backyard farms, signifies its potential role in making cities sustainable.

Nsikak-Abasi A. Etim, Glory Emmanuel Edet · · Nigeria

A study of 80 peri-urban farming households in Uyo, Nigeria, sampled through a two-stage procedure with a structured questionnaire, using the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke weighted poverty measure to decompose poverty into sub-groups. Among peri-urban farming households, 0.48 were found to be impoverished, with the poorest of the poor at 0.29. Male-headed households were poorer than female-headed households. The incidence of poverty increased with the household head's age and household size, and decreased with years of formal education.

Amy E. Thom, Beatrice Conradie · Open University of Cape Town (University of Cape Town) · South Africa (Cape Town)

This study, focused on Cape Town, South Africa, proposes social enterprise fresh produce box schemes as a sustainable business opportunity for urban agriculture to contribute to development. The research compared three existing box scheme models, analyzed a consumer survey to explore the consumer market, and investigated poor producers' agency through cross-case analysis. This analysis yields suggestions for key characteristics of an "ideal" social enterprise box scheme that is both financially sustainable and contributes to improvements in poor producers' agency.

A. Yusuf · · Nigeria (Lagos State)

This study assessed the attitudes of 50 women farmers towards urban agriculture in the Somolu local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Findings indicated that the women's attitude towards urban agriculture was extremely negative. Statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between attitude and age, marital status, educational level, years of experience, and access to loans. However, farm size, annual income, access to labor, and access to inputs were statistically insignificant.

Ubokudom E. Okon, Anselm A. Enete, Taofeq A. Amusa · Outlook on Agriculture · Nigeria

This study identified factors influencing enterprise choice decisions among urban smallholder farmers in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Based on farm-level data from 160 randomly selected farmers and analyzed using a multinomial logit model, marital status and household size were negatively and significantly related to choosing pepper over waterleaf, while choosing garden egg was positively related to marital status. Farmers' formal education level and farm size were positively and significantly related to choosing cassava, maize, pepper, or garden egg over waterleaf, but income was negatively and significantly related to choosing these other crops.

Mary Caesar, Jonathan Crush, Trevor Hill · Scholars Commons (Wilfrid Laurier University) · South Africa (Msunduzi Municipality)

A study on food security in Msunduzi Municipality, South Africa, was part of AFSUN's baseline survey across eleven Southern African cities. The survey found that urban poor in Msunduzi are significantly worse off than those in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with one-third of households reporting frequent food shortages. Urban agriculture is not particularly significant in Msunduzi, and while supermarket supply chains dominate the food system, they do not meet the needs of the poor.

Aisha Abdulkadir, Luc Hippolyte Dossa, Désiré Jean‐Pascal Lompo, Nafiu Abdu, H. van Keulen · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Africa

This study characterized the diversity of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) households in three West African cities: Kano (Nigeria), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), and Sikasso (Mali). A survey of 318 UPA households and cluster analysis identified six distinct household clusters based on resource endowments and the degree of integration of production activities. Common production constraints across cities included high input costs, water shortages, and lack of fertilizers, while feeding constraints and animal diseases were main issues in livestock production.

Vide Adedayo · · Nigeria

A study of poultry waste management and utilization techniques in urban vegetable farms in metropolitan Lagos revealed that poultry waste is poorly collected, packaged, and transported. Proper knowledge on treatment is lacking due to insufficient skill, space, time, and capital. Furthermore, a significant difference was found between poultry waste utilization, crop yield, and revenue in the study area.

Mohamed Olaitan Lawal, Ibrahim Rotimi Aliu · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Nigeria (Lagos)

A study interviewed 202 urban vegetable farmers in four areas of Lagos, Nigeria, to understand urban farming operations and contributions. Farmers typically owned linear plots under 120m by 60m, primarily growing green vegetables (Celosia argientes) and using local tools, chemical fertilizers, and irrigation wells. They used produce for household consumption, sold to local marketers, and helped stabilize vegetable prices.

O. Yusuf, Idowu Innocent Abbas · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Nigeria

A study of resource use and productivity among 70 urban farmers drawn from the two main cultivator groups—Fadama and Okiti—in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, using focus group discussion, non-participant observation, and a questionnaire survey. Multiple regression analysis identified pump-machine use, vegetable-plot harvest, use of modern inputs, and labor type as determinants of efficiency, together accounting for 89.6% of the contribution to land use, the main resource. Fadama cultivators operated at a larger scale with correspondingly higher profit than Okiti cultivators, and although both groups faced similar environmental and input-access constraints, the two systems differed fundamentally in scale and production efficiency.

Enow Ajebe, Anna Granberg · · Sub-Saharan Africa

A study using qualitative data from 24 urban farming households in Kumba municipality, Cameroon, drawing on key informant interviews with the government agriculture delegate and questionnaires administered to farmers. Urban agriculture was found to have become an important source of fresh produce, employment, and income for those practicing it, but this activity and the livelihoods depending on it were found to be threatened by a number of problems. The study also finds that while urban agriculture contributes to household food supply, its magnitude in terms of utilization, availability, dietary diversity, and financial contribution should not be overemphasized. Suggestions are offered for improving the sector.

Adedayo Adebisi, Tunde Afolabi Monisola, Adebisi, Adedayo, Monisola, Tunde Afolabi · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · Nigeria

This study examines the motivations behind women's involvement in urban agriculture in small agro-towns of Kwara State, Nigeria. A total of 1,801 women farmers were selected from 13 settlements across 8 local government areas, and data were analyzed using simple percentages, graphic illustrations, charts, cross-tabulation, and stepwise multiple regression. The study identifies three factors — food security, income supplement, and accessibility to land — as the best predictors of women's involvement, together accounting for 98.6% of the explained variation. It recommends official recognition of urban agriculture and provision of financial resources to help women expand their farm plots.

Luc Hippolyte Dossa, Andreas Buerkert, Eva Schlecht · Human Ecology · Sub-Saharan Africa

A study surveyed 700 randomly selected households across Kano (Nigeria), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), and Sikasso (Mali) to explore the relationship between household socioeconomic status (SES) and participation in urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). The results showed no significant differences in UPA participation rates across socioeconomic groups. Instead, UPA participation was significantly and positively related to household size.