Research & reports

Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, University at Buffalo · Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, University at Buffalo · South Africa

A database entry from the University at Buffalo's Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab describing Cape Town's Urban Agriculture Policy, adopted 7 December 2006, aimed at food security and economic development for poor and disadvantaged residents, and noting the city's population as 433,688 (population range 250,000-999,999).

Bryceson, D.F., Potts, D. (eds.) · Palgrave Macmillan (ISBN 9780230523012) · Africa

Theorizes rural-urban linkages and livelihood diversification in African urban economies, showing how urban dwellers of rural origin maintain rural farmland as 'agricultural insurance' that builds resilience to poverty.

FN Nnadi, CD Akwiwu · International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences · Nigeria

A study in Imo State, Nigeria, investigated the utilization of improved cassava production technologies by 240 randomly sampled urban cassava farmers. The results showed high utilization of herbicide/manual weeding (87%), improved cassava varieties (58.3%), and fertilizer (50%). Farmer age, education, farming experience, household size, information sources, and farmland ownership status determined the utilization of these technologies.

Caryn Abrahams · ERA · South Africa

This paper reviews existing literature on Alternative Food Networks (AFN), discussing their multifaceted foci. AFNs have been presented as a response to conventional agribusiness or a transition towards an alternative era, encompassing short food supply chains, local food supply systems, direct farm retail, and community-supported agriculture. Defining characteristics of AFNs include "fresh," "diverse," "organic," "small-scale," "local," and "sustainable," which contrast with the "processed," "mass production," and "long food supply chains" of conventional systems.

Pay Drechsel, Sophie Graefe, M. Sonou, Olufunke Cofie, Drechsel, Pay, Graefe, Sophie, Sonou, Moise, Cofie, Olufunke O. · Digital Library Of The Commons Repository (Indiana University) · Africa

This report provides a state-of-the-art overview of irrigated urban agriculture in the West African sub-region. The overview is based on a comprehensive literature review supported by the results of three IWMI FAO projects.

B. T. Omonona, Edet J. Udoh, Roseline J. Akinlade · Journal of Agricultural & Food Information · Nigeria

This study analyzed the level and determinants of technical efficiency among urban crop farmers in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. A random sample of 85 farmers was selected from three areas where urban food crop production is prominent — Ajibode, Ijokodo, and Eleyele — with data collected via structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a stochastic production frontier based on the Cobb-Douglas production function. Results showed that farmland, family labor, and plantlings were statistical determinants of urban food crop production, while fertilizer and hired labor were not statistically significant. In the technical efficiency model, full-time engagement in urban farming and a sole-cropping pattern were positively related to technical efficiency, and increases in age, experience, and years of formal education raised the level of technical efficiency. The study concludes there remains room to raise the current level of technical efficiency in the study area, and that educating farmers to be more receptive to modern technologies from the agricultural research system can raise output per unit of input.

S. F. Adedoyin, M.A. Oladoja · African Journal of Livestock Extension · Nigeria

This study investigated snail rearing as an urban agricultural practice in Lagos State, Nigeria, by surveying 60 systematically selected respondents from three divisions. It found that respondents used intensive rearing systems with concrete and wire mesh cages, selling snails for N60-N140 after N10-N40 costs, and using proceeds to feed their families. Most respondents were single females aged 30-40 with a B.Sc/HND education.

NAA Etim, EJ Udoh, TT Awoyemi · Global Journal of Agricultural Sciences · Nigeria

As no abstract is provided, there is no information regarding the study's objectives, methods, results, or conclusions. Keywords indicate urban farming, technical efficiency, stochastic frontier, and population pressure.

Alice J. Hovorka · Annals of the Association of American Geographers · Africa

This study empirically examines the effects of gender on commercial urban agriculture in Greater Gaborone, Botswana, using a conceptual framework bridging sociospatial and human-environment geography. It found that gender clearly shapes both the quantity and type of foodstuffs produced for the urban market, with men and women farmers entering production and participating in this economic sector on unequal terms defined by socioeconomic status, location, and environmental interaction. The study argues that gender relations of power, as produced through sociospatial and human-environment relations, remain an unequal structuring force in the sector that must be accounted for if urban agriculture is to support food security and economic growth.

PS van Heerden, Yali E. Woyessa, Etheresia Pretorius · Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir landbouvoorligting/South African journal of agricultural extension · South Africa

A study in the communal farming areas of the upper and middle Modder River Basin, South Africa, assessed the potential for adopting an infield rainwater harvesting (IRWH) technique developed by the Agricultural Research Council's Institute for Soil, Climate and Water. The technique significantly increased crop yield over conventional practice, and homestead-level adoption grew from six to more than 950 households. An estimated 80,667 hectares in the study area were suitable for IRWH, of which about 14,500 hectares lay in communal farming areas. A participatory field survey of 21 randomly selected villages found strong positive motivators, such as increased crop yield and household food availability, but also strong demotivators — high levels of poverty, limited family labor, lack of tools, and lack of fences around community gardens leading to theft and animal damage. These demotivators were judged strong enough to prevent significant expansion of IRWH beyond the homestead scale, and the expected impact on downstream water availability was therefore judged minimal.

Olufunke Cofie, R. van Veenhuizen, Pay Drechsel · · Sub-Saharan Africa

Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) significantly contributes to food supply, employment, livelihoods, and poverty alleviation in many Sub-Saharan African cities, providing diverse foods including perishable items. However, UPA production often carries health risks from polluted urban water and faces challenges due to limited semi-official recognition and support from city authorities, sometimes conflicting with planners regarding land tenure and water use. More data is needed for appropriate recognition of this sector.

Derek Eaton, Thea Hilhorst · Environment and Urbanization · Africa

A 2003 paper examined the links between urban solid waste management and peri-urban agriculture in Bamako and Ouagadougou. Farmers near both cities value urban waste as an organic matter source and are willing to pay for it, but uncertain land tenure provides little incentive for safe disposal of dangerous elements in solid waste. Current plans to eliminate this recycling practice and promote large-scale composting are noted to be too costly for farmers, creating an incentive for illicit waste acquisition.

Christian M. Rogerson · Acta Academica Critical views on society culture and politics · South Africa

This article examines international and South African research on urban agriculture's role in poverty reduction, arguing for the need for policy guidelines to support local initiatives in South Africa. It suggests that best practices from international urban agriculture policy interventions could form the basis for such guidelines.

Mulu Tesfay Gebru · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Ethiopia (Addis Ababa)

This research in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, investigated community gardens as urban food security initiatives, collecting data through surveys and market analysis. Seasonal fluctuations showed vegetable production peaked during the rainy season, contributing up to 30% of total annual harvests. Economic models indicated a positive correlation between garden size and local income generation, highlighting the potential of community gardens for food security and economic stability.

L. A. Akinbile · African Journal of Livestock Extension · Nigeria (Ibadan)

A study in Ibadan, Nigeria, reviewed grasscutter rearing as an urban agricultural practice. It found that farmers used intensive rearing systems and sold animals for N1,000-N2,100, generating up to N5,000 annually per pair. However, the provision of credit was identified as a major limiting factor for this practice.

Gina E. Castillo, S. Langeveld · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · Africa

This paper examines the contributions of civil society organizations working on urban agriculture in Africa and Latin America. It argues for the need to develop land use policies that incorporate the social, economic, and environmental benefits of urban gardens. The paper concludes that both urban agriculture and civil society organizations are essential for creating livable cities.

E. Albertse, Technikon Pretoria · · South Africa (Atteridgeville)

This article identifies and defines three extension domains among urban farmers in the informal settlements of Atteridgeville, South Africa: home gardeners, community-project gardeners, and users of open urban spaces. A survey (n=120) with face-to-face interviews, structured interview schedules, semi-structured interviews, and observations gathered information on farming space, crops, resources, and socio-economic characteristics. The study concludes by calling for greater government and public extension involvement in urban agriculture in the area, identifying specific constraints for each domain.

Rachel Slater · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

This study examined urban agriculture (UA) in Cape Town, South Africa, focusing on its contribution to low-income households. It found that UA's contribution to income generation and expenditure substitution is limited. However, UA is important to women in low-income households in ways less directly related to monetary gain, being used for empowerment, establishing social networks, symbolizing a sense of security, and encouraging community development.

Waweru Mutambi, Mwangi Kariuki, Kibet Nderitu · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Kenya

This longitudinal study evaluated the effects of agroforestry practices (integrated tree-crop systems) on yield gains and farmer adoption rates in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya, using surveys and soil analysis as quantitative data collection methods. Preliminary findings indicate that integrated tree-crop systems produced a statistically significant 12% increase in maize yields (95% CI: 6-18%) compared to conventional farming practices. Farmer adoption rates rose from 40% at baseline to 70% after one year of intervention.

H. van den Bosch, Derek Eaton, Mark T. van Wijk, J. Vlaming, A. de Jager · CABI Publishing eBooks · Africa

This chapter describes the phases of the NUTMON methodology for analyzing nutrient flows and balances in African farming systems, along with the possibilities for applying it in the context of peri-urban agriculture. It uses the NUTShell farm-diagnosis tool to link nutrient flows with economic flows, without presenting specific case results.

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

A general survey was conducted in June-July 1999 on farming practices by inhabitants of Nakuru town, Kenya. The survey collected basic data on the extent of farming, types of farming, food produced, inputs used, constraints faced, characteristics of farming households, reasons for urban farming, and the extent of rural farming by town dwellers.

Paule Moustier · Agritrop (Cirad) · Africa

Case studies conducted in Africa on urban household food supply systems evaluated the relative roles of urban and rural agriculture. These studies highlighted a strong complementarity between urban and rural sources in terms of products and periods, linking these observations to differences in production and marketing systems. To stabilize urban food supply in quantity and quality, support programs for farmers and traders should target both urban/peri-urban and rural areas in a differentiated but articulated manner.

Tony Binns, Kenneth Lynch · Journal of International Development · Africa

This paper addresses the escalating demand for fresh foodstuffs in rapidly urbanizing Sub-Saharan Africa, where urban agriculture is a widespread activity. Based on a literature survey and empirical evidence from Kano and Dar es Salaam, it presents a framework for analyzing urban agriculture. The study proposes policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the future sustainability of urban agriculture.

Christian M. Rogerson, Rogerson, Christian M. · AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) · South Africa

This paper aims to analyze the existing challenge of urban poverty in South Africa and examine the potential role of urban agriculture as a component of a pro-poor urban development strategy.

ASM Karaan, Nabilaa Mohamed · Development Southern Africa · South Africa

This article presents recommendations and policy directives for urban agricultural initiatives, based on an evaluation of Abalimi Bezekhaya's gardening promotion activities in Cape Metropolitan Area townships. Field research used participatory methodologies with gardeners to understand their motivations, constraints, and opinions on Abalimi Bezekhaya's services. The evaluation suggested improvements for the organization's services and highlighted urban agriculture's potential as an entrepreneurial activity, provided policy, agricultural development, land reform, and livelihood creation issues are addressed.